The Employer Nomination Scheme Subclass 186 Visa is a permanent residence visa granted to overseas individuals who have skills required in the Australian job market and are nominated by their Australian employers. Both the employer and the nominee have to meet the specific eligibility criteria.
While obtaining this visa will allow you to stay permanently in Australia and enjoy numerous benefits, submitting an incomplete application will lead to application rejection. Read this blog to avoid any chance of Subclass 186 Visa refusal.
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Understand the Three Streams of Subclass 186
Before you start your application, it is important to be aware of the three streams of this visa – the Direct Entry Stream, the Labour Agreement Stream, and the Temporary Residence Transition Stream. Details are discussed here.
Direct Entry Stream
The Direct Entry Stream allows an overseas applicant to stay, work, and study permanently in Australia, provided an Australian company nominates them. The occupation should be on the relevant skilled occupations list.
Labour Agreement Stream
If you are currently working or want to work for an Australian employer with a labour agreement with the Government of Australia, you can apply for this Visa Subclass 186 stream.
Temporary Residence Transition Stream
You can choose this stream if you have been nominated by an Australian employer and meet the following eligibility requirements.
- You must hold a 482 or 457 Visa at the time of application.
- You should have worked for your employer for a minimum of 3 years before making the application.
Check if You Meet All the Subclass 186 Eligibility Requirements
Your Employer-Sponsored Visa 186 requires that you meet the following eligibility criteria.
- An Australian company should nominate you.
- At the time of application, you must be under 45 years old.
- For the nominated occupation, you must have the necessary skills and qualifications. To prove it, you will be required to undergo a skills assessment arranged by a relevant authority.
- If you are from a non-English speaking country, you must meet the essential English language requirements.
- Meeting the health and character requirements is another necessary condition.
- In addition to the general requirements, you must also satisfy stream-specific eligibility criteria.
- There should be no outstanding debts to the Australian Government.
- There should be no visa refusal records.
Make Sure Your Employer Meets All the Requirements
For your Employer Nomination Scheme Visa Subclass 186, your employer must meet several eligibility requirements. The company should be operating for over 12 months in Australia, and to prove that they are legally working, they must provide:
- A valid Australian Business Number
- Proof of having a proper business infrastructure
- A balance sheet for the recently-ended financial year
Your employer is also required to satisfy several nomination requirements, as follows.
- Check if they are employing you as a full-time worker in the advertised job position for at least 2 years from the date you are issued your Subclass 186 Visa.
- Also, make sure the terms and conditions specified on your contract do not rule out any extension possibilities.
Your Employer Must Provide Adequate Information on the Contract
The nominator must submit an authorised copy of the employment contract for verification. The contract should contain the following information:
- The period of employment
- Name of the nominee
- The specific title of the employment position and specific job responsibilities
- The salary and employment conditions, which also include access to statutory entitlements
Submit All the Documents Properly
If you want your visa application to be successful, arrange and submit all the documents correctly. Usually, the following documents are included in a 186 Visa checklist.
Identity Documents
Providing sufficient identity proof is mandatory for every visa application. As an overseas individual, your primary identity document is your passport. In addition, you can also submit:
- A copy of one of your national identity cards
- A name change document, if applicable
Licensing and Professional Membership Documents
To perform some nominated occupations in a territory or state, you may need to hold a professional membership or licence. For the Direct Entry Stream and the Temporary Residence Transition Stream, you will be required to submit these documents.
Documents to Prove that You Have Skills and Qualifications
Because you will be employed in a job position, you will need to submit relevant skill and qualification documents, which are as follows.
- A positive skills assessment document
- Work experience documents, if applied
- Your CV or resume
Keep in mind that for specific nominated occupations, assessing authorities are different.
Age Exemption Documents
If you apply for the Direct Entry Stream or the Temporary Residence Transition Stream and your age is not under 45 years, you must provide relevant age exemption documents.
You will not be required to satisfy the age criterion if:
- An Australian university nominates you as an academic such as a faculty head or a university lecturer,
- An Australian scientific government agency nominates you as a researcher, scientist, technical specialist, or
- You are a holder of the Visa Subclass 444 and have worked for your nominator for a minimum of 2 years before making the 186 Visa Australia application.
English Language Documents
Competent English is required for the Direct Entry Stream and the Temporary Residence Transition Stream. For example, if you take the IELTS, you must score at least 6 in each test band.
However, you will be required to have functional English for the Labour Agreement Stream. In that case, you must score at least 4.5 in each IELTS component.
Health and Character Documents
Valid health examination reports and police clearance certificates are required.
Other Documents
Other important documents include:
- Dependent applicant documents
- A filled out Form 956 if you take application help
Keep in Mind the 186 Visa Processing Time
For the three different streams, the 186 Visa processing time is different. Several factors like the number of submitted applications and applicants’ personal circumstances affect the processing time.
- Direct Entry Stream: 3-10 months
- Labour Agreement Stream: 49 days-6 months
- Temporary Residence Transition Stream: 4-20 months
How Can an Immigration Agent Adelaide Help You?
For application help, consulting an experienced immigration agent Adelaide is a practical idea. These agents have been working in their respective fields for many years and thus can give you advice according to your individual circumstances. So, hire them and achieve the best visa application results.