Employer Nominated Visa Subclass 186

The Subclass 186 visa allows skilled workers to permanently reside and work in Australia.

What is an Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186)?

The Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) is based on the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS), which allows skilled workers to permanently reside in Australia.

You can be in or outside of Australia when you apply for the 186. If you are in Australia you must have a valid visa or a bridging visa A, B, or C.

There are three ways (streams) to be granted a Subclass 186 Visa:

1. Temporary Residence Transition Stream – for holders of a Temporary Work Visa (Subclass 457)
2. Direct Entry Stream – for formally qualified workers who have been in their occupation for at least 3 years
3. Agreement Stream – for people sponsored by an employer through a labour agreement

Who would an Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) be suitable for?

A Subclass 186 Visa through the Temporary Residence Transition Stream would suit you if:

• you hold a current Temporary Work (Skilled) Visa (Subclass 457)
• you have worked for two years with your sponsoring employer through your Subclass 457 Visa
• your sponsoring employer nominated you for a permanent visa
• you have vocational English
• you are under 50 years of age
• you hold any required registration, licence or professional membership necessary for your occupation
• you meet the health and character requirements of the Australian Government

A Subclass 186 Visa through the Direct Entry Stream would suit you if:

• you do not hold a Temporary Work (Skilled) Visa (Subclass 457) or have not worked for the nominating business for two years whilst on a Subclass 457 Visa
• you have been nominated by your employer under the Direct Entry Stream
• you are formally qualified in your occupation
• you have worked for at least three years in your occupation
• you have never worked in Australia (or worked very briefly in Australia)
• you are outside of Australia or you are a temporary resident who does not qualify for the Temporary Residence Transition Stream
• you have competent English
• you are under 50 years of age
• you hold any required registration, licence or professional membership necessary for your occupation
• you meet the health and character requirements of the Australian Government

A Subclass 186 Visa through the Agreement Stream would suit you if:

• you have been sponsored by an employer through a labour agreement
• you have vocational English
• you are under 50 years of age
• you hold any required registration, licence or professional membership necessary for your occupation
• you meet the health and character requirements of the Australian Government

When can you expect your Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) to be approved?

The processing time for the Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) can be found at the:
Australian Immigration and Border Protection Website

How do you apply for an Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186)?

This visa involves two steps:

1. You are nominated by an approved Australian employer (specific to the Stream you wish to apply through), and
2. You apply for the visa

If you wish to work in Australia under the Employer Nominated Scheme or you are an Australian Employer interested in bringing staff to Australia, please contact us. Aus Visa Specialists has years of experience making the path of moving to and working within Australia as smooth as possible. We also appreciate that many companies are working on a time schedule, so we will do our best to help speed up your application process.

Simply fill in the Visa Assessment form on this page and we will get back to you quickly.