Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme:
Permanent Residency in Brisbane
Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme:
Permanent Residency in Brisbane
The Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) is a permanent residency visa for skilled workers nominated by an Australian employer. For many Brisbane professionals, it is the destination at the end of the employer-sponsored journey: full permanent residency, with the right to live and work in Australia indefinitely. Nationwide Migration and Education's Brisbane migration agents help workers and employers choose the right 186 stream and prepare a strong application.
What Is the Subclass 186 Visa?
The 186 is a permanent employer-sponsored visa. Once granted, there is no expiry on your right to remain in Australia. The travel facility lasts 5 years and is renewed via a Resident Return Visa. It has three streams:
Temporary Residence Transition
For workers who have held a 482 or 457 visa
Direct Entry
For workers who have not been sponsored long-term on a 482 or 457
Labour Agreement
For workers sponsored under a labour agreement
Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) Stream
If you have been working in Australia on a 482 (or 457) visa, the TRT stream may be your route to permanent residence. Since the rules changed on 25 November 2023, the required period dropped from three years to two. You generally need to meet all of the following:
Visa, Employment and Nomination
- Hold a subclass 457, 482 or eligible bridging visa
- Have worked in eligible sponsored employment for at least 2 years full time while holding that 457 or 482 visa
- Employer changes during that period are permitted, so you are not locked to one sponsor
- Have a nomination from an Australian employer that was approved in the 6 months before you apply
Personal Requirements
- Under 45 at the time of application, unless you are exempt
- Competent English, which generally means IELTS 6.0 in each band or an equivalent result in another accepted test
- A passport exemption may apply for UK, USA, Canada, NZ or Ireland passport holders
- Meet health and character requirements
The accepted English tests changed on 7 August 2025, so we confirm what applies to you before you book a test.
Criteria are set by the Department of Home Affairs and can change. Check the current requirements on the Department's Temporary Residence Transition stream page.
Direct Entry (DE) Stream
The DE stream may suit skilled workers who have not done the 2-year temporary visa pathway. You generally need to meet all of the following:
Core Skills Occupation List
You must be nominated for an occupation on the CSOL
3 Years Relevant Work
At least 3 years of relevant work experience, unless you are exempt
All Direct Entry Requirements
- Be under 45 years old on the date you lodge your application, unless exempt
- Be nominated for an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List
- Have at least 3 years relevant work experience, unless you are exempt
- Have a positive skills assessment before you lodge your application, unless you are exempt
- Meet minimum standards of English language proficiency
- Meet health and character requirements
Check the current requirements on the Department's Direct Entry stream page.
482 to 186: Timing Your Move to Permanent Residence
A common Brisbane pathway is 482 Skills in Demand to 186 TRT after 2 years. Planning this early, ideally when you first apply for the 482, means the timing and the paperwork are lined up when you get there. Whether it is open to you depends on your occupation, your employer and your circumstances, and every decision is the Department's.
Get Your 482 Visa
Start on the Skills in Demand temporary visa with your sponsoring employer
Work 2 Years Full Time
Work in eligible sponsored employment for at least 2 years full time (employer changes are permitted)
Lodge the 186 TRT
Your employer nominates you, and you apply within 6 months of that nomination being approved
A Decision from the Department
If granted, the right to live and work in Australia indefinitely
Two rules people miss: you generally need 2 years full time in eligible sponsored employment, and employer changes during that period are permitted. Separately, your employer's nomination must have been approved in the 6 months before you lodge your visa application. Leave it later than that and the nomination has to be done again.
What the Employer Must Do
A 186 nomination requires the Australian employer to meet specific obligations before the visa can be granted.
Genuine Position
Identify a genuine, full-time position likely to exist for at least 2 years.
Salary Requirements
Pay at or above the annual market salary rate and the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT). The CSIT is AUD79,423 for nominations lodged on and between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027. Thresholds are indexed by the Department each 1 July.
Nomination Fee and SAF Levy
Pay the nomination fee and the one-off SAF levy. The levy amount depends on business turnover.
No Adverse Information
Have no adverse information and engage in non-discriminatory recruitment practices.
We Help Both Workers and Employers
For Workers
- We assess your eligibility for TRT or Direct Entry
- We prepare your full application including skills assessments, English tests, health checks, and police clearances
- We liaise with your employer so the nomination and the visa application line up
- We track your application and keep you updated at every stage
For Employers
- We prepare the employer nomination application
- We explain your sponsorship obligations and what you need to do to meet them
- We handle the paperwork so your business is not disrupted
- We advise on salary thresholds, the SAF levy, and genuine position requirements
Where we act for both the sponsoring business and the visa applicant, we tell each of you in writing about the potential conflict of interest before we act, and we ask each of you to confirm in writing that you still want us to act. We do not find or arrange employers or sponsors.
Why Nationwide Migration and Education in Brisbane?
Registered Migration Agent
Your matter is handled by Suman Dua, MARN 1800859, registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) and bound by the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
We Map the Full Pathway
From your first sponsored visa onwards, we guide each step. The decision at every stage is the Department's.
TRT vs Direct Entry
We work through which stream fits your situation before anything is lodged.
Brisbane-Based
We check the Department's current rules before we advise, and we are easy to reach.
What Our Clients Say
The personalised services made us feel special and cared about. You made us stress free and took away our worries.
Your professionalism made this journey smooth and stress-free. You have played a pivotal role in this significant milestone.
It was a soft journey for me. They looked after the end to end process on behalf of me.
These are genuine reviews left by our clients, reproduced word for word from the reviews they posted publicly, and published with their permission. They describe each client's own experience of our service. They are not a prediction of any outcome, and no migration agent can guarantee a visa result. All visa decisions are made solely by the Department of Home Affairs.
Our Google Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Subclass 186 ENS is a permanent visa. Once granted, you can live and work in Australia indefinitely. The travel facility lasts 5 years and is renewed via a Resident Return Visa.
Through the Temporary Residence Transition stream. You generally need at least 2 years of full time eligible sponsored employment while holding a 482 or 457 visa. Since 25 November 2023 you are not locked to a single employer for that period, so changing employers does not automatically reset the clock. Your employer then nominates you, and you apply within 6 months of that nomination being approved.
TRT is for workers who have held a 482 or 457 visa and completed the required period of sponsored employment. Employer changes during that period are permitted, and no skills assessment is required in most cases. Direct Entry requires an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List, a positive skills assessment unless exempt, and at least 3 years of relevant work experience unless exempt.
You generally need to be under 45 on the date you lodge your application, unless you are exempt. Exemptions are limited and are set by the Department, so we confirm whether one applies to you before you plan around it.
Competent English is generally required, which usually means IELTS 6.0 in each band or an equivalent result in another accepted test. A passport exemption may apply if you hold a UK, USA, Canadian, NZ or Irish passport. The accepted tests changed on 7 August 2025, and the Department does not accept tests taken completely online, so check the current list before you book.
Government charges are set by the Department of Home Affairs and change. There is also a nomination fee and the SAF levy payable by the employer, and the levy depends on business turnover. Use the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator for the current visa application charge, and we set out the full cost picture including our professional fees at your consultation, in a written service agreement before we act for you.
No. No migration agent can guarantee a visa outcome or a processing time. All decisions are made solely by the Department of Home Affairs, and no agent can influence, prioritise or speed up an application. What we can do is check which stream fits, prepare the nomination and visa applications carefully, and tell you honestly if we think the pathway is not realistic in your circumstances.
Important: This page is general information only and does not constitute personal migration advice. Immigration assistance is provided by Suman Dua, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 1800859, registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) and bound by the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
We do not find, provide or arrange employers or sponsors, and we do not sell, issue or grant visas. All nomination and visa decisions, and all processing times, are set and decided solely by the Department of Home Affairs. We do not guarantee any visa outcome or any timeframe, and no migration agent can influence, prioritise or speed up an application.
Nationwide Migration and Education is not affiliated with the Australian Government or the Department of Home Affairs. Occupation lists, income thresholds, English requirements and visa criteria change without notice. The figures on this page were checked against the Department of Home Affairs on 1 September 2026. Check the current position at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.
Talk to a Brisbane Registered Migration Agent
Nationwide Migration and Education is a migration practice. Immigration assistance is provided by a registered migration agent. Suman Dua, MARN 1800859. This page is general information only and does not constitute personal migration advice. We do not guarantee visa outcomes; all decisions, queue positions and processing times are set by the Department of Home Affairs and may change.
Code of Conduct
Consumer Guide
Whether you are sponsoring talent or seeking sponsorship, our Registered Migration Agent, Suman Dua (MARN 1800859), manages the full process and maps the permanent residency options that may apply to you.
Contact
Phone: +61 7 37265183
Email: [email protected]
Address: 320 Adelaide St Brisbane QLD 4000
Nationwide Migration and Education
(by Appointment-only)
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