Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186): permanent residence through the employer

Eligibility requirements

• Temporary Residence Transition stream: the applicant must hold a subclass 482 (or legacy 457) visa and have worked full-time for the nominating employer in the nominated occupation for at least two years (excluding unpaid leave) within the three years before the nomination. The occupation must fall within the same ANZSCO unit group as the temporary visa; no occupation list applies.
• Direct Entry stream: the occupation must be on the Core Skills Occupation List, the applicant must hold a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority and have at least three years of full-time relevant work experience after qualifying.
• Both streams: the position must be genuine, full-time and available for at least two years, paid at or above the Core Skills Income Threshold and at least the annual market salary rate. Labour agreement nominations follow the terms of the agreement.
• Age: under 45 at the time of application unless an exemption applies. Exemptions include Temporary Residence Transition applicants whose earnings met the Fair Work high income threshold in each qualifying year, certain medical practitioners and academics, and other prescribed classes. Check the current list; it is narrow.
• English: Competent English (for example IELTS 6 in each component) in both streams unless an exemption applies; some passport holders are exempt from testing.
• Health, character and, for the Direct Entry stream, any occupational licensing or registration required to practise in Australia.

Legal framework

Build the evidence

Prepare records that substantiate the relevant criteria. The final checklist depends on the applicant, route and filing authority.

• Employer: evidence of lawful and active operation, the position description and contract, salary benchmarking against the market rate, and proof of payment of the Skilling Australians Fund nomination levy.
• Temporary Residence Transition: payslips, payment summaries or income statements, superannuation records and leave records covering the two qualifying years with the same sponsor, together with the 482 visa grant notice and nomination.
• Direct Entry: the skills assessment, employment references stating duties and hours, and evidence of three years of post-qualification experience.
• Applicant: passport, English test results or exemption evidence, qualifications, health examinations, police certificates for every country of residence of 12 months or more in the last ten years, and Form 80 or equivalent character disclosure where requested.
• Family: partner relationship evidence, children's birth certificates and, for a child over 18, evidence of dependency.

How to apply

1. 01

   Confirm the stream and test the age rule early

   Calculate the applicant's age at the intended lodgement date and the two-year employment record. Where the applicant will turn 45 before the record is complete, assess the Direct Entry stream, an exemption, or a points-tested alternative.

2. 02

   Benchmark the salary

   Confirm the salary is at or above the Core Skills Income Threshold applying at nomination and at least the annual market salary rate. For Temporary Residence Transition, the same salary analysis used for the 482 nomination is usually updated rather than redone.

3. 03

   Lodge the nomination

   The employer lodges in ImmiAccount with the position and salary evidence and pays the levy. The nomination must be approved, or at least lodged, before the visa application is assessed; the two are linked.

4. 04

   Lodge the visa application

   The applicant lodges with the stream-specific evidence and family documents. A Bridging visa keeps the applicant lawful if the 482 expires while the application is pending.

5. 05

   Respond to checks and the decision

   Answer any request for information within the time allowed. Priority follows Ministerial Direction 122: priority sectors first, then onshore applicants, then offshore single applicants.

6. 06

   On grant, record the travel facility

   Note the five-year travel facility on the grant notice and the date from which citizenship residence can be counted. The nomination's two-year position expectation remains a matter for the employer's records.

After approval & family planning

• A partner and dependent children included in the application receive the same permanent visa. The family may live, work and study anywhere in Australia; the children are domestic students, and the family becomes eligible to enrol in Medicare.
• There is no statutory obligation on the visa holder to remain with the employer for a fixed period, but the nomination is assessed on the premise that the position is ongoing for at least two years, and the Department may examine an early departure where the genuineness of the arrangement is in doubt.
• The permanent visa carries a five-year travel facility. A holder who is outside Australia when it expires needs a Resident Return visa (subclass 155) to return; two years' residence in the preceding five keeps that straightforward.
• Citizenship by conferral generally requires four years of lawful residence immediately before applying, including twelve months as a permanent resident, with limited absences. Time on the 482 counts towards the four years.

What this route builds, and what it opens

WG assesses every route on three returns: the knowledge it adds, the cognitive capability that sustained work abroad develops, and the institutional opportunity it opens or closes. Real work is the mechanism in each case.

Programme context. Where a participant has completed two years in a genuine role with a qualifying Australian affiliate on a subclass 482, this permanent step may be assessed. The affiliate must be prepared to nominate on its own evidence; the programme does not alter the employer's obligations. Read the framework ↗

Frequently asked questions

Points to consider

• The 2026-27 Budget allocated the largest part of the skill stream to employer-sponsored places; demand still exceeds supply and processing is sequenced by Ministerial Direction 122 rather than lodgement date.
• Employer insolvency, restructure or sale during the qualifying period can break the two-year record; corporate planning and the immigration plan should be read together.