The Employer Nomination Scheme Visa (Subclass 186) is a permanent residency visa that allows skilled international workers nominated by an approved Australian employer to live, work, and study anywhere in the country indefinitely. Expert Education and Visa Services delivers corporate and individual immigration assistance to streamline your pathway to Australian permanent residency.
What the Subclass 186 Visa Offers
Attain immediate permanent resident status from the date your visa is officially granted.
Gain immediate coverage under Medicare, Australia’s public health insurance scheme.
Travel to and from Australia as frequently as you like for 5 years from the visa grant date.
Include eligible family members (partner and dependent children) in your permanent application.
The Three Active Application Streams
The Subclass 186 framework is divided into three distinct pathways tailored to your current visa and employment status:
1. Direct Entry Stream
This stream is designed for qualified professionals who are either currently offshore or do not qualify for the transition pathway.
You must be under 45 years of age at the time of application, unless an explicit exemption applies.
You must possess at least 3 years of relevant, full-time work experience in your occupation.
You must hold a valid, positive skills assessment from your occupation's authorised assessing authority.
Your nominated role must be actively listed on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL).
Competent English is mandatory (IELTS minimum 6.0 in each band or a matching PTE Academic score).
2. Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) Stream
This streamlined pathway allows current employer-sponsored temporary visa holders to transition into long-term permanent status.
You must have worked full-time for your nominating employer for at least 2 years within the past 3 years while holding a valid Subclass 482 or 457 visa.
Unlike the Direct Entry stream, a formal skills assessment is generally not required for the TRT stream.
You must be under 45 years of age, though regional medical practitioners, certain high-income earners, and academics may be granted age exemptions.
Competent English is required.
3. Labour Agreement Stream
This stream applies if your nominating employer is actively party to a formal, customised Labour Agreement negotiated directly with the Australian Government.
Age, skills, and language requirements are entirely dictated by the terms of the specific corporate Labour Agreement under which you are being sponsored.
Key Financials and Processing Rules
From AUD 4,910 for the primary applicant.
An additional fee of AUD 4,890 applies for any accompanying dependent aged 18 or older who has less than Functional English skills.
Sponsoring employers must demonstrate that the salary meets market-standard guidelines and satisfies the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), currently set at $76,515 (indexed to $79,499 from 1 July 2026).
Important Financial Notice & Disclaimer: Government application fees, department charges, and minimum salary thresholds (CSIT) change frequently due to annual indexation and policy revisions. Because these costs vary dynamically over time, please check the official Australian Department of Home Affairs website or speak directly with our registered migration agents to confirm the latest exact costs before initiating your application.