What is the Subclass 186 visa?
The Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) is a permanent visa that allows an approved Australian employer to sponsor a skilled worker directly for permanent residency. It has three streams: the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream, for workers already employed by their nominating employer on an eligible temporary visa for a qualifying period; the Direct Entry stream, for workers without that pathway; and the Labour Agreement stream, for nominations made under a formal labour agreement. This guide focuses on Direct Entry, since it's the route most often used by workers who haven't already been on a 482 with the same employer.
For an employer, sponsoring directly to permanent residency through Direct Entry can also be a genuine retention strategy — rather than sponsoring a worker on a temporary 482 first and hoping to transition them later, a business confident in a new hire's long-term fit can pursue permanent sponsorship from the outset, provided the worker meets the skills assessment and experience requirements.
Direct Entry vs Temporary Residence Transition
The TRT stream lets an employer nominate a worker who has already been employed with them on an eligible temporary visa (typically the Subclass 482) for a qualifying period, in which case that work history substitutes for a fresh skills assessment in many cases. Direct Entry exists for everyone else — workers being nominated by an employer without that prior temporary sponsorship history — and instead relies on a positive skills assessment plus a minimum period of relevant work experience to demonstrate the same underlying standard.
Who is eligible for Direct Entry?
- Nomination by an approved Australian employer for a genuine, skilled position on the relevant occupation list.
- A positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for your nominated occupation.
- Generally at least three years of relevant, full-time work experience in the nominated occupation or a closely related one.
- Age under 45 at the time of application, with limited exemptions.
- Competent English, or an accepted exemption.
- Standard health and character requirements.
What about the Labour Agreement stream?
Some employers operate under a formal Labour Agreement with the Australian government — a negotiated arrangement that allows tailored sponsorship terms outside the standard occupation lists, often used in industries or regions facing specific skill shortages. Nominations under a Labour Agreement follow the terms of that specific agreement rather than the standard Direct Entry criteria, so eligibility depends on the agreement itself, not the general rules covered in this guide.
The application process, step by step
- Skills assessment — obtain a positive outcome from the relevant assessing authority for your nominated occupation.
- Employer sponsorship — the business becomes (or confirms it already is) an approved sponsor.
- Nomination application — the employer nominates the specific position, demonstrating it's genuine and meets Direct Entry requirements.
- Visa application — you apply for the visa itself, with evidence of skills, experience, health and character.
- Assessment and grant — the nomination and visa application are assessed as related but separate decisions.
Processing times
Because Direct Entry involves a skills assessment stage that TRT applicants often skip, it can take longer overall to reach the point of lodging a nomination and visa application, even before Home Affairs' own assessment time is counted. Published processing times for the nomination and visa stages are updated regularly and vary by occupation and case complexity, so we check current figures for your specific situation rather than quoting a number that may already be outdated.
Employer obligations
As with the Subclass 482, sponsoring employers under the 186 take on genuine obligations — the position must be genuine and ongoing, the salary must meet the relevant market rate, and the employer must comply with workplace law and any applicable levy contributions. Because the 186 grants permanent residency directly, getting the nomination right the first time matters even more than with a temporary visa, since there's no renewal cycle to correct course later. A nomination that's rejected, or a visa refusal, can also carry consequences for the sponsoring business's standing as an approved sponsor, which is another reason to get proper advice before lodging rather than after a problem surfaces.
What does it cost?
Costs generally include the sponsorship application charge (if not already an approved sponsor), the nomination application charge, the visa application charge for the worker and any family members included, and any professional fees. Government charges are indexed and reviewed periodically, so we provide a current, itemised estimate rather than a fixed figure that may already be out of date.
Can I bring my family?
Yes — your partner and dependent children can generally be included in the same nomination and visa application, or apply to join you later once you've been granted permanent residency. Because the 186 grants permanent residency directly, included family members become permanent residents at the same time as you, rather than holding a separate temporary status. This is a meaningful difference from a temporary sponsorship, where family members' status remains tied to your own ongoing visa.
Documents typically required
- From the business: evidence of legal establishment and the genuine, ongoing nature of the nominated position.
- Skills assessment outcome for the nominated occupation.
- Evidence of relevant work experience — detailed reference letters, payslips and contracts covering the required period.
- English test results, unless exempt.
- Health examinations and police clearance certificates for the worker and any included family members.
Common issues we see
- Assuming TRT-style evidence (time worked for the employer) is sufficient without the Direct Entry skills assessment.
- Work experience that doesn't clearly match the nominated occupation's duties.
- Nominated position that doesn't reflect a genuine, ongoing business need.
- Age or English exemption claims that aren't properly substantiated.
Why work with a MARA registered migration agent
Direct Entry succeeds or fails on the strength of the skills assessment and experience evidence, since there's no prior 482 history to fall back on. As your registered agent, we manage the skills assessment strategy, build a nomination that clearly demonstrates a genuine position, and prepare the evidence of experience the assessing authority and Home Affairs actually need to see, for both the sponsoring employer and the worker being nominated.