Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186): all about 186 visa

Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visas or subclass 186 visa allows the skilled worker to
work and reside permanently in Australia. This visa is available:

● To those applicants who are already living and working in Australia as a temporary
residence
● To those applicants who are living outside Australia but are willing to work and reside
here permanently.

As this visa is employer nominated, getting this visa is tougher as compared to other visas. The
applicants have to qualify for a skill test to get this visa.

Benefits of Employer Nomination Scheme Visa (Subclass 186)

This visa provides you and your family members (mentioned in the application) almost all the
benefits of permanent residence in Australia which include:

● Reside in Australia for an unspecified time

● Opportunity to Work and study in Australia without any restriction
● Permit you to apply for Australian citizenship
● Allow you to travel in and out of Australia for five years from the date the visa is granted
● Access to Australia's national health care scheme
● You can sponsor your eligible relative for permanent and temporary visas

Eligibility criteria applying for Employer Nomination Scheme Visa (Subclass 186)

Visa 186 has three streams and the eligibility criteria for each stream is somewhat different.
Let's first see the general eligibility criteria of 186 visas, required by all three streams:

● Applicants must be skilled workers - you have to possess certain skills to carry out
the job mentioned in the skilled occupation list. You must be an experienced skilled
worker, at least with a minimum of three years of work experience. You have to prove
yourself skilled by qualifying for the skill assessment test or by showing a relevant
license.

● Applicants must be sponsored by an approved Australian employer - your

employer has to go through an official channel to nominate you for a 186 visa. Your
employer must be an Australian resident whose venture is currently operated lawfully in
Australia. The nomination will be withdrawn if your employer puts false information about
them.

● Applicant's age must be less than 45 years - your age must be less than 45 years at
the time applying for 186 visa. There are some special dispensations for academic
 lecturers, scientists and researchers, or if you already have a 444 visa or you already
work for the employer who nominated you.

● The applicant must fulfil health requirements - you or any family member travelling
with you must meet the minimum health requirement so that there is no extra burden on
the Australian healthcare system. A registered healthcare employee will examine your
health and submit the report on your behalf.

● The applicants must meet the character requirements - you are denied to get a 186
visa if you do not provide your character certificate. It is to ensure that you are of good
character and you don't have any criminal record.

● Your occupation must be mentioned in the skilled occupation list - The occupation
list is always updated to meet the changing demand. All occupations are not eligible for
all types of visas. So, do check if your occupation is listed on the 186 visa list or not.

● Applicants must meet the minimum English standards - you must be competent in
the English language otherwise you will be exempted. You need to qualify for either of
the tests such as IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, OET or Cambridge C1 Advanced
test, to prove yourself to be qualified in the English language.

Visa 186 allows its holder to work in Australia under one of these three streams:

● Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream - This stream is for those skilled
workers who are temporarily living and working in Australia under a class 457 visa. They
must have worked at least two years for the same employer who has lodged a
nomination for them to offer them a permanent position in that occupation. The employer
must have submitted a valid nomination with the Australian Department of Home Affairs
(DHA) under the Temporary Residence Transition Stream.

● The Direct Entry Stream - This stream is for those people who have never or fleetingly
worked in Australia. A subclass visa 457 holders who are temporarily residing in
Australia and could not qualify for the Temporary Residence Transition stream, may also
apply under this stream to acquire a permanent residence in the country.

● Labour Agreement stream - This stream is for those skilled workers who are also a
holder of Subclass 457 visas and are nominated by an employer through a labour
agreement. Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria of age, skills, English language
and other criteria stated in the agreement and submit the form along with a health and
character certificate.

Step by step application process: A guideline to apply for visa 186 have been discussed
here:
 ● Check if you meet all the requirements to apply for visa 186 - The applicants must
meet general requirements as well as specific requirements of that stream under which
they are applying for visa 186.

● Your employer must lodge a nomination for you - you must be nominated by an
approved employer of Australia under the Australian Department of Home Affairs (DHA).
Once the nomination is approved, apply for the visa within six months from being
nominated.

● Get all your paperwork done - you have to submit several documents along with an
application form to prove the claims made by you.

● Apply online for visa 186 - once you have prepared all the required documents, lodge
your application online. Be ready with all of your documents and credit card to pay the
fees.

● Wait for the decision - it may take months for the DHA to review your application. The
immigration department may ask for more information such as biometrics if needed.
They will request it from you. Respond to their request as soon as possible to get your
visa.

● Receive your visa - Once the application is approved, you will receive your visa. And if
it is refused, they will tell you the reason and advise you to take the next step.

Application processing time and fees of each stream:

The application processing time of 186 visa under each stream is different. Know the processing
time of each stream here:

● Temporary residence transition stream: 75% of applications are processed within 11

months and 90% of all the applications are processed within 16 months.

● Direct entry stream: 75% of applications received in this stream are processed within 7
months and 90% of the applications are processed within 11 months.

● Labour agreement stream: Just like the direct entry stream, the labour agreement
stream takes the same time. 75% of applications received under the labour agreement
stream are processed within 7 months and 90% of the applications are processed within
11 months.

All these three streams cost AU$4,045 as application fees for 186 visa.