Employer Nomination Visa – 186 Visa Skill Requirements

This visa has 3 streams as per below:

Direct Entry Stream

This stream is for someone who has never or briefly worked in Australia and this should be applied from offshore. If you are applying for this stream, you may include your family, which in this case is your partner and your dependent child. The cost of this application is AUD $4,770 for the main applicant.

For the employer itself, the nomination application fee would be $540 AUD and they need to pay the SAF Levy. The processing times may vary between 3 – 12 months.

Click the toggle button below to learn about the criteria to apply throughout available ENS 186 Visa streams.

Criteria for Direct Entry (DE) stream

The applicant should meet the below criteria: 

1. Have an occupation that is on the Core Skills Occupation List;
2. Have at least 3 years relevant work experience, unless you are exempt;
3. Have a positive skills assessment unless you are exempt;
4. Must be nominated by an Australian employer whose business is actively and lawfully operating;
5. Must be under 45 years of age when you apply, unless you are exempt;
6. Must meet the health and character requirement;
7. Must have at least Competent English.

Temporary Residence Transition Stream

This stream is for someone who held the Skills in Demand Visa (subclass 482). You may apply for this stream rather onshore or offshore. Same as the direct stream, you can include your family and it has the same visa cost.

The employer should be an eligible business, be the applicant’s current sponsor, and should pay the SAF Levy.

Click the toggle button below to learn about the criteria to apply throughout available ENS 186 Visa streams.

Criteria for Temporary Residence Transition Stream

The applicant should meet the below criteria: 

1. Must hold a 457, SID (subclass 482) or related bridging visa A, B or C;
2. Must have worked for your employer full-time for at least three years;
3. Must be nominated by your employer;
4. Must be under 45 years old;
5. Must meet the health and character requirement;
6. Must have at least Competent English.

Labour Agreement Stream

This third stream is for someone who has been nominated by the employer and this employer has signed into a Labour Agreement.

The employer should be an eligible business and they should have a current labour agreement.

Click the toggle button below to learn about the criteria to apply throughout available ENS 186 Visa streams.

Criteria for Labour Agreement Stream

As the applicant, you should meet the criteria as per below:

1. Must be working under a labour agreement;
2. Must be nominated by the employer;
3. Must be under 45 years old;
4. Must hold a substantive 457 or SID (subclass 482) visa issued under a labour agreement;
5. Must meet the health and character requirement;
6. Must not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused.