Last Updated on July 19, 2023 by Ozlinks Education

Subclass 191 Visa Overview

What is the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS)?

The subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa is a permanent residency visa for skilled workers nominated by their employer to live and work permanently in Australia. The visa 186 is available to applicants who are currently living and working in Australia as temporary residents as well as those who reside outside Australia. The Subclass 186 Visa has three distinct streams:

  • Direct Entry Stream
  • Labour Agreement Stream.
  • Temporary Residence Transition Stream

The Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) application procedure consists of two steps: nomination and visa application.

ENS Direct Entry Stream

What Is the ENS Subclass 186 Direct Entry Stream?

The subclass 186 Direct Entry Stream visa is for applicants, who are nominated by an employer. This visa skilled workers live and work in Australia permanently. To be eligible for this stream, the applicant must be nominated by an Australian employer, your occupation must be on the applicable subclass 186 occupation list, and you must have Competent English unless exempt (click here to see if you are exempt). For full requirements, see the Direct Entry Stream tab below.

ENS Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) Stream

What is the ENS Subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition Stream?

The ENS subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition Stream is for 457 visa or 482 TSS Visa holders who have worked for their nominating employer for at least two or three years. To qualify for the TRT stream of visa 186, the applicant must be nominated by an Australian employer, hold a 457 visa or 482 TSS visa, and have Competent English, unless exempt (click here to see if you are exempt). For full requirements, see the Temporary Residence Transition Stream is tab below.

ENS Labour Agreement Stream

What is the ENS Subclass 186 Agreement Stream?

The subclass 186 labour agreement stream is for individuals nominated by an employer via a customised and negotiated labour agreement. The labour agreement is an agreement between the government and industries or organisations for the temporary or permanent recruitment of foreign workers into Australia. The employer is required to have a labour agreement, and the age, skill, and English requirements are specified in the labour agreement. The application must meet the requirements in accordance with the labour Agreement. See the Agreement Stream tab for detailed requirements.

ENQUIRE FORM

Direct Entry Stream

If you have been nominated by your employer, your nomination application has been approved, and you meet the following criteria, you may be able to apply for the ENS Subclass 186 Visa Direct Entry Stream:

Relevant Occupation

Your occupation must be on the approved Employer Nomination Scheme Subclass 186 skilled occupations list.

Age Requirement

You must be under 45 years of age at the time of visa application lodgement unless you are exempt.

Work Experience

You are required to have a minimum of three years’ worth of experience working in the relevant occupation.

Skills Assessment

You must have the necessary skills to perform the job. To meet this criterion, you must have your skills assessed by an authorised assessing authority and you must obtain a positive skills assessment outcome. The skill assessment requirement varies depending on the occupation.

If you need assistance with the skills assessment for subclass 186, Direct Entry Stream, please contact us.

English Language

Competent English language requirements for subclass 186 visa applications are mandatory and must be met at the time of application.

Test Type

Listing

Reading

Writing

Speaking

IELTS Academic or General Training

6

6

6

6

TOEFL iBT

12

13

21

18

PTE Academic        

50

50

50

50

OET

B

B

B

B

Cambridge (CAE)  

169

169

169

169

The English test is waived for applicants with passports from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, or Ireland. For more information on the English language requirement, please visit this page.

Application Process

The Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) application procedure consists of two steps: nomination and visa application.

Step 1: Employer Nomination Application

Applicants must be nominated by an Australian employer, and the nominated occupation must be on the MLTSSL occupation list. The Australian employer must meet all of the conditions outlined in the nomination application including the Skilling Australians Fund levy.

Step 2: Visa Application

The second stage in the procedure is the visa application, and to apply for a subclass 186 visa, the applicant must have a valid nomination approval for the relevant occupation, which was nominated by the sponsor. Your visa application is submitted to the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA) either concurrently with the nomination application or within six months of the nomination’s approval by DOHA.

In addition to the main criterion, you also must fulfil the medical health and character check requirements.

TRT Stream

If you have been working for your employer on a subclass 457 or 482 TSS visa, your nomination application has been approved, and you meet the following requirements, you may be eligible to apply for a subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition Stream visa.

Current Visa

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ You must hold a subclass 457 or 482 TSS visa.

Age Requirement

You must be under 45 years of age at the time of visa application lodgement unless you are exempt.

Work Experience

You must have worked full-time for your employer on a subclass 457 or 482 visa for at least three years. If you held a subclass 457 visa on April 18, 2017, your employer must have sponsored you for full-time employment for at least two of the three years prior to your nomination application.

English Language

Competent English language requirements for subclass 186 visa applications are mandatory and must be met at the time of application.

 

Listing

Reading

Writing

Speaking

IELTS Academic or General Training

6

6

6

6

TOEFL iBT

12

13

21

18

PTE Academic        

50

50

50

50

OET

B

B

B

B

Cambridge (CAE)  

169

169

169

169

The English test is waived for applicants with passports from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, or Ireland. For more information on the English language requirement, please visit this page.

Application Process

The Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) application procedure consists of two steps: nomination and visa application.

Step 1: Employer Nomination Application

Applicants must be nominated by an Australian employer, and the nominated occupation must be on the relevant occupation list. The Australian employer must meet all of the conditions outlined in the nomination application including the Skilling Australians Fund levy.

Step 2: Visa Application

The second stage in the procedure is the visa application, and to apply for a subclass 186 visa, the applicant must have a valid nomination approval for the relevant occupation, which was nominated by the employer. Your visa application is submitted to the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA) either concurrently with the nomination application or within six months of the nomination’s approval by DOHA.

In addition to the main criterion, you also must fulfil the medical health and character check requirements.

Labour Agreement Stream

To be eligible for the Labour Agreement Stream 186 visa, your employer must first nominate you, and your employer must hold one of the following labour agreements:

  • Company Specific labour agreements
  • Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA)
  • Global Talent Employer Sponsored (GTES) agreements
  • Industry labour agreements
  • Project agreements

Age Requirement

Unless otherwise specified in the labour agreement, you must be under the age of 45 at the time of lodgment.

Work Experience

You must be working for your employer on a subclass 457 or 482 visa or your work experience in accordance with your employer labour agreement.

 English Language

You must have adequate English language skills. The labour agreement will provide guidelines on this.

The English requirement is waived for applicants with passports from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, or Ireland. For more information on the English language requirement, please visit this page.

Subclass 186 Visa FAQs

Do I need a positive skill assessment for a subclass 186 visa?

If you want to apply for the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) Direct Entry subclass 186, you must have a positive skills assessment from one of the assessing authority bodies. The assessing authorities can be found on this page.

In order to apply for a subclass 186 visa through either the direct entry or temporary residence transition stream, you are required to show proof that your English language abilities are at the competent level. The competent level is equivalent to at least 6.0 in reading, speaking, listening, and writing on the IELTS (or PTE equivalents).

The subclass 186 visa has no condition that says you must remain with your employer for 2 years. Likewise, there is no condition that your employer commit to your employment for two years.

Disclaimer: 

Information under ANZSCO Occupations (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations) section is published in accordance with a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia licence guideline. ANZSCO Version 1.3 updated on 25 March 2021 and original source can be accessed on Australian Bureau of Statistics website.

This section does not intend to provide immigration assistance pursuant to section 276 of Migration Act (Cth) 1994 as described in the Migration laws. It is based on public guidelines available at Department of Home Affairs’ Website. It is your responsibility to verify accuracy and status of provided information with your Registered Migration Agent (RMA) who is bound by the MARA code of conduct before submitting any visa applications.