Australia Employer Nomination Scheme ENS (Subclass 186)

This visa lets skilled workers, who are nominated by their employer, live and work in Australia permanently.

Basic Eligibility

  • You must have the necessary skills for the job
  • You must be nominated by an Australian employer
  • You must meet our health and character requirements

Direct Entry Stream
This visa lets skilled workers, who are nominated by an employer, live and work in Australia permanently.

  • you must be nominated by an Australian employer
  • your occupation must be on the relevant list of eligible skilled occupations.
  • you must have at least Competent English

 

Under Direct Entry Stream with this Visa, you can

  • stay in Australia indefinitely
  • work and study in Australia
  • enrol in Australia’s public health care scheme, Medicare
  • sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia
  • travel to and from Australia for 5 years
  • apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible

How long you can stay

This is a permanent visa – it lets you stay in Australia indefinitely.

You become a permanent resident on the day the visa is granted.

Your permanent residency for citizenship purposes starts:

  • on the day the visa is granted if you are in Australia
  • on the day you enter Australia on this visa if you are outside Australia

Include family

You can:

  • include family members in your application when you apply
  • add family members to your application after you apply but before we decide on your visa

For this visa, your family members are:

  • your partner
  • your dependent child or stepchild
  • your partner’s dependent child or stepchild
  • the dependent child or stepchild of your or your partner’s dependent child or stepchild

You can also include someone who holds a subclass 457 visa or subclass 482 visa if we granted them that visa on the basis, they are a member of your family.

Family members who apply for the visa with you must meet our health and character requirements.

Family members who do not apply for the visa with you might also have to meet the requirements.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Have an eligible occupation
  • Have relevant work experience
  • Licensing, registration or membership – 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.
  • Have a positive skills assessment
  • Be nominated (must be nominated by an Australian employer whose business is actively and lawfully operating)

Visa can’t be granted if:

  • we are aware of adverse information about your nominator or any person associated with them, unless it is reasonable to disregard this information, or
  • the nomination is withdrawn, or
  • the position is no longer available
  • Visa application must be within 6 months of the nomination being approved
  • Age must be under 45 years when you apply

You are exempt from these criteria if any of the following applies to you:

  • you are nominated as an academic (university lecturer or faculty head at Academic Level B, C D or E) by a university in Australia
  • you are nominated as a scientist, researcher or technical (scientific) specialist at ANZSCO skill level 1 or 2 by an Australian scientific government agency
  • you currently hold a Special Category (subclass 444) or New Zealand citizen’s family member (subclass 461) visa and have worked for the employer who nominated you, in the nominated position, for at least 2 years in the last 3 years immediately before you apply. The 2 years excludes periods of unpaid leave.
  • Meet health & character requirement
  • Sign the Australian value statement
  • Have the required level of English language score
  • Have paid back the debt to the Australian government
  • Not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused

Labour Agreement Stream

This visa lets skilled workers who are nominated by their employer live and work 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.

  • ​​The employer must have a labour agreement

Temporary Residence Transition Stream

  • ​​​​​You must hold a 457, TSS or related bridging visa A, B or C
  • Usually, you must have worked for your employer full-time for at least three years
  • You must be nominated by your employer