Citizeo
Pathway

Australia Permanent Employer-Nominated Visa

Australia Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Australia's Employer Nomination Scheme is a permanent residence route for workers nominated by an Australian employer. It generally requires a qualifying occupation, employer nomination, skills and English evidence, and meeting the stream-specific rules.

Type
Employer-sponsored residence
Employer fit
People with an employer ready to sponsor them in Australia
Core requirements
Employer sponsorship, job terms, and qualifications
Duration
Permanent residence from the date the visa is granted.
Salary requirement
AUD 76,515
Job offer required?
Yes

Summary

The Employer Nomination Scheme visa (Subclass 186) gives permanent residence to a skilled worker nominated by an Australian employer. It has three streams:

The visa is permanent from grant. It is not a points-tested SkillSelect visa, but both the employer nomination and worker's visa application must meet their own requirements.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

All streams require an approved employer nomination, the skills to perform the position, health and character clearance, and compliance with the stream's age, English and employment rules.

For Direct Entry, the main applicant usually must:

For TRT, the applicant must hold an eligible 457, 482 or related bridging visa and usually have completed at least 2 years of full-time eligible sponsored employment during the 3 years immediately before applying. Since the December 2024 reforms, eligible sponsored employment with more than one approved employer can count under the detailed rules. Age is normally under 45, but exemptions include certain high-income, academic, research and regional-medical cases.

The nominated salary must be at least the annual market salary rate and meet the applicable income threshold unless an exemption or labor agreement says otherwise. For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 through 30 June 2027, the Core Skills Income Threshold is AUD 79,423. Thresholds are indexed, so the nomination-date figure controls.

The nomination must describe a genuine position and an employment relationship that meets Australian workplace law. Visa and nomination applications are connected but separately assessed.

What This Route Allows

Subclass 186 grants permanent residence. The holder can live, work and study in Australia indefinitely, enroll in Medicare, include eligible family, sponsor qualifying relatives later, and apply for citizenship if eligible.

The initial travel facility lasts 5 years. After that, a permanent resident who travels generally needs a Resident Return visa to re-enter unless they have become a citizen.

Home Affairs says it expects a 186 holder to work for the nominating employer for at least 2 years and requires employment to begin within the specified 6-month period. The visa is not normally labeled with an employer-only work condition after grant, but a contrived nomination or no genuine intention to take the job can undermine the application.

What This Route Is Not

An employer's job offer is not enough. The employer must lodge a compliant nomination, satisfy salary and employment requirements, and pay employer-side charges that cannot lawfully be passed to the worker where prohibited.

The TRT stream is not simply "2 years with the same company." The time must be eligible sponsored full-time employment within the 3-year window while holding an eligible visa, and the detailed occupation and nomination history matter.

Direct Entry does not waive skills assessment, English, experience or age merely because the applicant is already working in Australia. Likewise, a labor agreement is not a personal exemption; its terms must cover the employer, occupation and applicant.

Next Steps

  1. Identify the correct stream before the employer lodges anything.
  2. For Direct Entry, confirm the current occupation list, assessing authority, 3 years of experience, age and English.
  3. For TRT, audit every day of eligible 457/482-sponsored employment in the previous 3 years and retain payslips, tax and nomination records.
  4. Have the employer check the annual market salary rate and the threshold in force on the nomination date.
  5. Coordinate nomination and visa evidence so occupation, duties, location, salary and start date match.
  6. Gather identity, skills, English, work-history, health, character and family documents.
  7. Do not pay or reimburse an employer for prohibited sponsorship costs; use Fair Work and Home Affairs reporting channels if pressured.
Compare your options

Similar employer sponsored pathways in Australia and other destinations.

Sources