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Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186)

ABOUT THIS VISA

The Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) is a permanent visa that allows skilled workers who are nominated by their employer, to live and work in Australia permanently. This visa has 3 distinct streams: DIRECT ENTRY STREAM, LABOUR AGREEMENT STREAM, TEMPORARY RESIDENCE STREAM. Each stream has its own requirements and as such is discussed individually below after the general information is provided about this visa.

COSTS & DETAILS OF THE EMPLOYER NOMINATED VISA SUBCLASS 186

The Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) currently costs $4045AUD for the main applicant and additional fees for each family member.  There are other costs for skills assessments, health checks, police certificates, biometrics or to cover the cost of other checks as may be required. You can be inside or outside Australia when you apply for this visa.

WHAT THIS VISA LETS YOU DO

The Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) is a permanent visa that lets you stay in Australia indefinitely.  You can work and study in Australia, enroll in Medicare, and apply for Australian citizenship if eligible. This visa enables you to travel as many times as you like to and from Australia for 5 years. After this time you will either need Australian citizenship or to apply for a Resident Return Visa. You can include family members in your application however they need to pass all health and character tests.

DIRECT ENTRY STREAM

 

DIRECT ENTRY STREAM

 

The direct entry stream Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186), allows skilled workers who are nominated by their employer to work in live in Australia permanently. To be eligible for this visa you will need to be nominated by your Australian employer, you must have at least competent English, and your occupation must be on the relevant list of skilled occupations. The Direct Entry Stream is for people who have never, or only briefly, worked in Australia.

ELIGIBILITY FOR THE EMPLOYER NOMINATED VISA SUBCLASS 186 - DIRECT ENTRY STREAM

 

To be eligible for the Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) DIRECT ENTRY STREAM, you will need to:

  • Your occupation must be on the relevant list of eligible SKILLED OCCUPATIONS.

  • Have relevant work experience of at least 3  years in the desired occupation unless exempt. Those exempt from the skills assessment are also exempt from the work experience.

  • Have appropriate licensing, membership or registration (if it is required for your occupation).

  • Have the relevant skills assessment. Your skills assessment must have been obtained within the past 3 years. You can be exempt from the skills assessment if you have been:

    • nominated as an academic (university lecturer or faculty head at the Academic level A, B, C, D, or E) by an Australian University.

    • Have been nominated as a scientist, researcher, or technical specialist by an Australian government scientific agency,

    • or hold a Special Category Visa (Subclass 444) or New Zealand Family Relationship Visa (Subclass 461) and have worked for the employer who nominated you, in the nominated position for at least 2 years in the past 3 prior to the date you applied for this visa.

  • Be NOMINATED by your employer. Your employer must be eligible to nominate you and apply to do so.

  • Be under the age of 45 when invited to apply. If you are 45 or over after invited, you can still apply. People exempt from from this age restriction include those who are nominated as an academic (university lecturer or academic head) by a university in Australia, those who have a Special Category (Subclass 444) visa and have worked for your employer for more than 2 years and 3 months immediately before you apply, and finally if you are nominated as a scientist, researcher, or technical specialist by an Australian government scientific agency.

  • You must be able to demonstrate that you have at least COMPETENT ENGLISH.

  • Meet necessary health requirements.

  • Meet character requirements

  • Sign the Australian values statement.

  • Not had previous visas cancelled or refused.

  • Pay back any debts to the Australian government.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS REQUIREMENTS

.For the Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) - DIRECT ENTRY STREAM you will need to demonstrate that you have the necessary English requirements to be eligible for the nominated position as specified in the Visa Nomination Occupation List.

All applicants must have an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of at least 6 in each band score. Certain occupations have a higher standard of English for the purpose of state nomination. If you have been working in your state or territory for at least 6 months, you may be exempt from meeting the higher English language requirements.

Alternative English Language Tests can also be accepted by the Department of Home Affairs for the purpose of the Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) including the: OET, TOEFL, PTE Academic and Cambridge English Advanced (CAE), and the iBT.

If you are a citizen of the U.K, U.S.A, Canada, Ireland, or New Zealand, you do not need to submit and English language test.

LABOUR AGREEMENT STREAM

 

LABOUR AGREEMENT STREAM

 

The LABOUR AGREEMENT STREAM - Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186), allows skilled workers who are nominated by their employer to work in live in Australia permanently. The Labour Agreement stream might be for you if you currently work, or will work, for an employer who is party to a labour agreement.

ELIGIBILITY FOR THE EMPLOYER NOMINATED VISA SUBCLASS 186 - LABOUR AGREEMENT STREAM

 

To be eligible for the Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) LABOUR AGREEMENT STREAM, you will need to:

  • You must currently work, or will work for your employer under a labour agreement.

  • You must have suitable English language skills, experiences, skills and attributes for the position. The labour agreement will provide guidance on these.

  • Have appropriate licensing, membership or registration (if it is required for your occupation).

  • Be NOMINATED by your employer. Your employer must be eligible to nominate you and apply to do so.

  • Be aged under 45 when you apply (unless the labour agreement provides otherwise).

  • You must currently hold a subclass 457 or TSS visa issued under the labour agreement.

  • Meet necessary health requirements.

  • Meet character requirements

  • Sign the Australian values statement.

  • Not had previous visas cancelled or refused.

  • Pay back any debts to the Australian government.

TEMPORARY RESIDENCE TRANSITION STREAM

 

TEMPORARY RESIDENCE TRANSITION STREAM

 

The TEMPORARY RESIDENCE TRANSITION STREAM - Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186), allows skilled workers who are nominated by their employer to work in live in Australia permanently. For the temporary residence transition stream, it is important to note the date 18 April 2017.

To apply for this visa, you must have held either a Subclass 457 Visa, Temporary Skilled Shortage Visa (Subclass 482), or related Bridging Visas A, B, or C. You usually have had to work for your employer for at least 3 years on those visas and have been nominated by an Australian employer whos nomination was approved in the 6 months before you apply.

If your Subclass 457 visa was applied for PRIOR to 18 April 2017, and was subsequently granted, you can apply for the Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) once you have worked with your sponsor for a minimum of two years (in the past 3 years). You must be under 50 years of age to apply. (Yes you read the age correctly). Otherwise you will need to be under 45 unless exempt (See below).

​​ELIGIBILITY FOR THE EMPLOYER NOMINATED VISA SUBCLASS 186 - TEMPORARY RESIDENCE TRANSITION STREAM

To be eligible for the Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) LABOUR AGREEMENT STREAM, you will need to:

  • You must have the required skills and qualifications needed for the nominated position. You may be asked by the Department to demonstrate that you have those skills.

  • 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 will need to have the relevant work experience. Your employer must have sponsored you to work full time on your subclass 457 or 482 visa for at least 3 years prior to nominating you for the subclass 186 OR if you held the subclass 457 visa by 18 April 2017, your employer must have sponsored you to work full time for at least 2 of the 3 years prior to nominating you for this visa.

  • If the business ownership of the subclass 457 or subclass 482 sponsor has changed in the last 3 years - for example, due to a business sale, takeover or restructure - you might still be able to count the time you worked for the previous business.

  • Be nominated by the employer who sponsored you for the temporary work visa such as the subclass 457 or 482. Your employer will need to meet eligibility requirements for nomination.

  • You must currently hold either a Subclass 457 Visa, Subclass 482 Visa, or a Bridging Visa A, B, Or C.

  • You need to meet age requirements. Generally this is under 45 years of age unless you meet the following exceptions:

    • You were granted the Subclass 457 visa prior to 18 April 2017 in which case you can be under 50 years old OR

    • You were nominated as an academic (university lecturer or faculty head at academic level B, C, D, or E) by an Australian university OR

    • You were nominated as a scientist, researcher, or technical specialist at ANZSCO skill level 1 or 2 by an Australian scientific government agency OR

    • As a subclass 457 or TSS visa holder, you have been working in the nominated occupation for the nominating employer for at least the last 3 years, and your earnings were as much as the Fair Work High Income Threshold for each year of that period.

    • You are a medical practitioner who has worked in your nominated occupation for at least 3 years as a 457 or TSS visa holder, and for 2 of those 3 years were employed in regional Australia, and the position is in regional Australia.

  • You need to meet necessary English requirements. You must have at least competent English. There are no exceptions.

  • As stated, you need to hold either a Subclass 457 visa NOT granted under a labour agreement street, or a TSS for an occupation on the Medium to Long Term Strategic Skills List or a related Bridging Visa A, B or C. (The Bridging visas must have been granted after your subclass 457 or TSS visa expired).

  • Meet necessary health requirements.

  • Meet character requirements

  • Sign the Australian values statement.

  • Not had previous visas cancelled or refused.

  • Pay back any debts to the Australian government.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS REQUIREMENTS

.For the Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) - Temporary Residence Stream you will need to demonstrate that you have the necessary English requirements to be eligible for the nominated position as specified in the Visa Nomination Occupation List. There is no exception to this. Identical to the Direct Entry stream:

Most applicants must have an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of at least 6 in each band score. Certain occupations have a higher standard of English for the purpose of state nomination. If you have been working in your state or territory for at least 6 months, you may be exempt from meeting the higher English language requirements.

Alternative English Language Tests can also be accepted by the Department of Home Affairs for the purpose of the Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) including the: OET, TOEFL, PTE Academic and Cambridge English Advanced (CAE), and the iBT.

If you are a citizen of the U.K, U.S.A, Canada, Ireland, or New Zealand, you do not need to submit and English language test.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT DEFINES AN ELIGIBLE BUSINESS TO NOMINATE

For the Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) - Temporary Residence Stream your employer must be an Australian employer whose business is actively and lawfully operating in Australia.

You must apply for the visa within 6 months of the nomination being approved. You must understand that your visa cannot be granted if the Department becomes aware of any adverse information about your nominating employer or any person associated with them. Alternatively, your visa will be refused if the nomination is withdrawn or the position is no longer available.

 

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE SKILLED INDEPENDENT VISA SUBCLASS 186

 

 

The Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186). This visa needs to be done right first time and to avoid unnecessary delay, use a registered migration agent Mark Pelley - Principal Migration Agent for Visas To Australia. The Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) requires substantial documentation to support claims made in the application. This process can be lengthy and confusing. Failure to correctly apply for the Employer Nominated Visa (Subclass 186) could result in a rejection from the Department of Home Affairs and having to reapply and to pay all costs again. Contact VISAS TO AUSTRALIA to help you apply for this visa.

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT TODAY

Book an appointment with VISAS TO AUSTRALIA today by calling us on 0403 875 409 or send us an email visastoaustralia@yahoo.com.au.

To see other WORK visas available, click on the links above or to go back to a list of the different types of visas, click HERE.

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