186 Visa – Employer Nominated Scheme Visa (ENS)
Employer Nominated Scheme (ENS) 186 Visa lets skilled workers, who are nominated by their employer, live and work in Australia permanently. Generally, to apply for ENS 186 visa, you must be nominated by an Australian employer whose business is operating actively and lawfully. Besides that, you must be under 45 years old when you apply.
ENS 186 Visa Brief Highlights
In order for you to get an ENS 186 work visa, you must meet the following requirements;
- The ENS visa allows skilled workers designated by their employer to live and work in Australia permanently.
- To be eligible for Employer Nominated Scheme 186 visa you must be nominated by an Australian employer who legally abides the law and matches the criteria.
- There are three streams available which are Direct Entry stream, Labour Agreement stream and Temporary Residence Transition stream.
- To be able to apply for ENS visa 186 in Australia you need a substantive visa or related bridging visa whether it is bridging visa A, B or C.
- Employer Nominated Scheme subclass 186 visa costs $4,640 AUD.
Employer Nominated Scheme Visa (Subclass 186) streams
There are three streams available under the ENS visa 186:
Direct Entry Stream
Applicants in the DE stream must have an occupation on the MLTSSL and must obtain a positive skills assessment in this occupation prior to application.
At least three years of employment at the skilled level is required.
Applicants in the DE stream must be under 45 years of age.
Stay Duration:
Permanently
Direct Entry Stream ENS Visa 186 Processing Time:
- 75% of applications in 7 months.
- 90% of applications in 12 months.
Temporary Resident Transition Stream
All applicants must be the holder of a subclass 457 visa, a 482 visa, or a bridging visa granted in association with one of these subclasses.
All applicants must worked for their employer for at least 3 years full time while holding subclass 457 or TSS (Subclass 482) visa. Additionally must be nominated by an Australian employer who was approved in the 6 months before you apply for this stream.
Stay Duration:
Permanently
TRT Stream ENS 186 Visa Processing Time:
- 75% of applications in 16 months.
- 90% of applications in 25 months.
Labour Agreement Stream
This visa enables skilled people to live and work continuously in Australia after being nominated by their employer. If you already work for or will soon work for an employer who is a party to a labor agreement, the Labour Agreement Stream may be right for you.
Stay Duration:
Permanently
Labour Agreement Stream ENS 186 Visa Processing Time:
- 75% of applications in 6 months.
- 90% of applications in 8 months.
At the time of lodging an ENS visa 186 application, Applicants must be under 45 years of age.
Benefits for Employer Nominated Scheme (ENS) Subclass 186 Visa holder
- You can live, work and study in Australia indefinitely,
- You can enrol in Australia’s public health care scheme, Medicare,
- You can sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia,
- You can travel to and from Australia for up to 5 years, and after that period, you will need to apply for a Resident Return (RRV) visa to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.
Criteria for all of ENS 186 Visa streams
Below the criteria to apply throughout available ENS visa 186 streams:
Criteria for ENS 186 Visa Direct Entry (DE) Stream
- Your occupation must be on the relevant list of eligible skilled occupations (SOL),
- You must have at least 3 years relevant work experience in the relevant occupation
- You must be licensed, registered, or a member of a professional body if it is mandatory in the state or territory you intend to work in
- You must have a positive skills assessment
- You must be nominated by an Australian employer whose business is actively and lawfully operating
- You must be under 45 years of age when you apply
- You must have at least Competent English
Criteria for ENS Visa 186 Temporary Resident Transition (TRT) Stream
- You must hold a 457, TSS or related bridging visa A, B or C,
- You must have worked for your employer at least 3 years full time while holding a subclass 457 or TSS (Subclass 482) visa,
- You must be nominated by an Australian employer whose nomination was approved in the last 6 months before you apply,
- You must have the required skill and qualifications needed to perform the tasks of the nominated occupation
- You must be licensed, registered, or a member of a professional body if it is mandatory in the state or territory you intend to work in
- For at least three of the four years prior to submitting your nomination for a subclass 186 visa, your employer must have sponsored you to work full-time on a subclass 457 or subclass 482 visa.
- Prior to being nominated for the subclass 186 visa, your employer must have sponsored your full-time employment on a subclass 457 or subclass 482 visa for at least three of the preceding four years.
- You must be proposed by an Australian employer whose enterprise is legitimately and actively operating within the country.
- When applying, you must be under 45 years old.
- You must have at least Competent English
Criteria for ENS 186 Visa Labour Agreement Stream
- You must currently work or will work, for your nominating employer who is a party to a labour agreement.
- You must meet the age, skills and English requirements of the labour agreement,
- You must be licensed, registered or a member of a professional body if it is mandatory in the state or territory you intend to work in.
Can I leave my employer after getting 186 visa?
After you are granted the visa, the Department expects you to work for your employer who is nominating you for at least 2 years before changing employer.
How long does a 186 visa last?
Employer Nominated Scheme subclass 186 is a permanent visa. You can stay in Australia indefinitely and be able to work and study in Australia and be eligible to apply to Australia’s public health scheme as well. From the date you were granted this visa, you can travel to and from Australia for up to 5 years.
Is 186 Visa still available?
Yes even during this time the 186 visa is still available, Home affairs is however prioritising Occupations that are listed on the PMSOL (Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List) or in critical sectors and onshore applications.
What if 186 nomination refused?
The sooner you deal with this situation the better but your options are at this point to avoid a visa refusal you can withdraw the visa application. The other option is to lodge a nomination review application with the Tribunal, allow the visa application to also be refused and then lodge a separate visa review application with the Tribunal.
Employer Nominated Scheme – Subclass Visa 186 Frequently Asked Questions
ONE derland Consulting managing director and also registered migration agent, Indah Melindasari, B.Com (MARN 0961 448) is here to answer your ENS subclass 186 / visa 186 questions!
- What are the requirements to be able to apply for this visa 186?
- Firstly, you have to meet all the criteria and are eligible to apply for the visa. You must have an eligible occupation, have relevant work experience, have a positive skills assessment, and be nominated by an eligible Australian employer.
- You are also required to not have had any refusal or cancellation history while you are in Australia, otherwise, you will not be able to apply for this visa.
- How long can I stay in Australia with this visa?
- This is a permanent visa. You can stay in Australia indefinitely and can work and study in Australia and are eligible to apply for the Australian public health scheme as well. From the date you were granted this visa,
- You can travel to and from Australia unlimited for the 5 year duration of this visa.
- Can I include my family in visa 186 application?
- Yes, you can. You can include your partner, dependent child or stepchild in the application. Family members who apply for the visa with you must meet the health and character requirements.
- Can I change employers after my visa has been approved?
- Once your visa application has been approved, you are expected to work for your sponsoring employer for at least 2 years before changing employers.
- Do I have to have a certain English language ability to apply for an Employer Nominated Scheme visa?
- Yes. You have to meet the English requirements to apply for this visa. You must have at least Competent English (IELTS score at least 6 each band) before applying unless you are exempted, for example, if you are a citizen of and hold a valid passport issued by the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland.
- How much does ENS visa 186 cost?
- Employer Nominated Scheme subclass visa 186 costs AUD $4,640 to apply. Additional charge applies for each family member who is included in your ENS visa 186 application. Furthermore, if any of the family members is 18 years of age and older and does not meet the English requirement (Functional English), you will be required to pay the second installment of AUD $4,890.
- Can I apply for an ENS 186 visa while offshore?
- You can apply for ENS visa 186 while you are onshore or offshore. You must be on a substantive or related bridging visa if you are applying onshore. When the decision is made for your application, you can also be onshore or offshore.
- How long will the process take until I get the decision?
- ENS visa 186 will generally take about 7 to 12 months to be processed, assuming you have met all the requirements and provided all additional information.
ENS 186 Visa Four Steps Process
Check your eligibility and visa requirements
Before applying for the visa, you have to check your eligibility and make sure you have met all the requirements for the application.
Check your employer’s eligibility and ensure that your employer has nominated you for the right ENS visa 186 stream
Employer Nomination Scheme Visa 186 has three different streams which are; Direct Entry stream, Labour Agreement stream, and Temporary Residence Transition stream.
All three streams have different requirements for the visa application. Make sure your employer has nominated you in the right stream and is eligible to nominate you.
Apply for ENS visa 186
After you are sure you have met all the eligibility requirements, your employer has nominated you in the right stream and is eligible to nominate you, then you can proceed with the visa application.
Make sure you provide all the right documents within the application.
Granted Subclass Visa 186
The processing time estimation will vary for each stream, however, basically, it will take around 6 – 12 months.
If your application is successful, you will be granted a visa. You have to start your employment with your employer within 6 months of the visa grant date and have to work for the same employer for at least 2 years.
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“Massive thanks to all the team specially Indah and Jamie. My visa conditions was very complicated but they did a great job. Definitely one of the best.”
Maria Helen De Guzman
Bridging Visa E
Indah Melindasari, B.Com
Lead Migration Agent – MARN 0961 448
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