Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186)
Subclass 186 is a permanent visa for skilled workers nominated by their employer. It has three current streams, and the first useful question is which one is in play — because their requirements are genuinely different, and a rule from one does not carry to another.
It sets out what the Department states about this visa and each of its streams, and where every point comes from. It is an overview, not the law: it names what the official pages name, it never carries a rule from one stream to another, and it does not tell you whether you qualify — that depends on your circumstances, and it is what an appointment is for.
What the official page says
Each row below links the official page it comes from.
- Official title — Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa
- How the Department describes it — A visa that lets skilled workers, who are nominated by their employer, live and work in Australia permanently.
- Who nominates — An employer. The nomination is what makes the pathway available.
- Stay — Permanent.
- Streams — Three current streams, each with its own page and its own requirements.
The three streams, and what each one's own page supports
Each row below is sourced from that stream’s own official page and nothing else. Where a stream’s page was not part of the read, the stream is named and linked and its requirements are left to it — they are not guessed at from a sibling stream.
- Temporary Residence Transition stream — For a skilled worker nominated by their CURRENT employer; permanent. Its page requires that the applicant holds a subclass 457, a subclass 482 or an eligible bridging visa; USUALLY two years of eligible sponsored full-time employment in Australia during the three years before applying; and an approved employer nomination. It also requires the skills and qualifications for the occupation, and any licensing or registration that is mandatory for it. No amount or threshold is stated here.
- Direct Entry stream — For an employer-nominated skilled worker; permanent. Its own page requires that the applicant is USUALLY UNDER 45 UNLESS EXEMPT; that the nomination is for an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List; AT LEAST THREE YEARS of relevant work experience UNLESS EXEMPT; a POSITIVE SKILLS ASSESSMENT obtained BEFORE applying, UNLESS EXEMPT; minimum English; and health and character requirements. The three exemptions are the Department's own qualifiers and are kept; what each one covers is on that page.
- Labour Agreement stream — For a worker whose employer is party to a labour agreement. What that stream requires beyond that is on its own page and is not described here; nothing from the other two streams applies to it.
Two described streams, two different tests
Both the Temporary Residence Transition and Direct Entry streams lead to permanent residence, and they ask for genuinely different things. THE TRANSITION STREAM is built around an existing sponsored working relationship: its page requires a subclass 457, a subclass 482 or an eligible bridging visa, usually two years of eligible sponsored full-time employment in Australia during the three years before applying, and an approved nomination by the current employer. THE DIRECT ENTRY STREAM asks instead about the occupation and the applicant’s own record: a nomination for an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List, usually being under 45 unless exempt, at least three years of relevant work experience unless exempt, and a positive skills assessment obtained before applying unless exempt, with minimum English and health and character. NEITHER SET IS STATED FOR THE OTHER, and neither is stated for the LABOUR AGREEMENT stream, whose page has not been read — reading across is how somebody prepares for the wrong test. Separately: subclass 186 is permanent, while the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) is described by the Department as temporary. They are different visas, and nothing here claims one leads to the other.
Where the requirements and the application are published
- Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa — Department of Home Affairs — The page that governs, and the one that links every stream.
- Temporary Residence Transition stream — official page — The stream this page's Temporary Residence Transition content comes from. Its rules are its own.
- Direct Entry stream — official page — Its own requirements are described above and kept separate from the other streams. Do not assume the Temporary Residence Transition rules apply here.
- Labour Agreement stream — official page — For a worker whose employer is party to a labour agreement. Everything else it requires is on this page.
- Visa Pricing Estimator — The Department's own tool for what an application costs. This page states no figure and no threshold.
- Global visa processing times — A live tool. Nothing is quoted from it here: it shows recently decided applications, is a guide only, and is not specific to your application.
- Who can help with your application — Worth reading before you pay anybody for immigration assistance.
What to have ready
Preparation examples, not a checklist of requirements. The stream’s own official page sets out what is actually required, and what a particular application needs depends on the circumstances.
- Which stream is realistic — the three have genuinely different requirements
- The employer, and whether they are willing and able to nominate
- Your current visa and its subclass, and its expiry date
- If the Temporary Residence Transition stream is in play: a record of sponsored full-time employment in Australia, with dates and employers
- The position, and the occupation it would be nominated under
- Your qualifications and skills evidence for that occupation
- Any licensing or registration that is mandatory for the occupation, and its current status
- Your passport, and passports for anyone you would include in an application
- Any previous visa refusal or cancellation, with its reference number
Three current streams: Temporary Residence Transition, Direct Entry and Labour Agreement. Each has its own official page and its own requirements, and a rule from one does not apply to another. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/employer-nomination-scheme-186
Its own page describes a skilled worker nominated by their current employer, for permanent residence. It requires the applicant to hold a subclass 457, a subclass 482 or an eligible bridging visa; usually two years of eligible sponsored full-time employment in Australia during the three years before applying; and an approved employer nomination. The skills and qualifications for the occupation are required, as is any licensing or registration that is mandatory for it. The word “usually” is the Department's, and it is kept. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/employer-nomination-scheme-186/temporary-residence-transition-stream
No — and the difference is the point. Its own page asks about the occupation and your own record rather than an existing sponsored relationship: the nomination must be for an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List, you must usually be under 45 unless exempt, you need at least three years of relevant work experience unless exempt, and a positive skills assessment obtained before you apply unless exempt, alongside minimum English and health and character requirements. None of the Temporary Residence Transition requirements applies here, and none of these applies there. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/employer-nomination-scheme-186/direct-entry-stream
A worker whose employer is party to a labour agreement. That is all this page says about it: its own page has not been read, so nothing further is stated, and nothing from the other two streams is assumed to apply to it. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/employer-nomination-scheme-186/labour-agreement-stream
Yes. The Department describes subclass 186 as letting nominated skilled workers live and work in Australia permanently, and the Temporary Residence Transition stream page describes permanent residence. The Skills in Demand visa, subclass 482, is a different visa and is described as temporary; nothing here says one leads to the other. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/employer-nomination-scheme-186 https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skills-in-demand-visa-subclass-482
No, and deliberately none of the three. Thresholds and costs are set by the Department and change, and processing times are a snapshot of recently decided applications. The Department publishes a pricing estimator and a global processing times guide; both are linked as live tools, and neither is quoted here. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/visa-pricing-estimator https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-processing-times/global-visa-processing-times
Talk to somebody about your own situation
This page explains how the visa is structured and what to prepare. What applies to you depends on your circumstances.
General information about Australian visa processes, not legal advice about your situation. Legal services are provided by Jameson Law.