Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass186) Visa (ENS)

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This visa scheme allows employers in any area of Australia to sponsor highly skilled employees for permanent residency; the applicants can either be from outside Australia or be employees already working in Australia on temporary visas.

It has three streams:

  • The Temporary Residence Transition stream. This is for subclass 457 visa holders who have been working in Australia for two years and whose employer wants to offer them a permanent position
  • The Direct Entry stream is for people who have never or only briefly worked in the Australian labour market
  • The Agreement stream. This stream is for applicants who are sponsored by an employer through a labour or regional migration agreement
  • The employer must first nominate the position to be filled and then employee needs to lodge a visa application with DIAC.

The position that the employer nominates must:

  • be on the Consolidated Skilled Occupation List (CSOL) if applying under the Direct Entry Stream, or consistent with or similar to a position sponsored by the sponsor under the subclass 457 visa program for the Temporary Residence Transition stream
  • be a full-time, ongoing position in the applicant’s field available for at least two years
  • pay the market salary rate
  • meet the training requirements for the Direct Entry stream, and maintain or be committed to meeting the training requirements for the subclass 457 visa program for the Temporary Residence Transition stream

The employee must:

  • be under 50 years of age
  • meet any skills and qualification requirements
  • meet any necessary registration or licensing requirements
  • meet the work experience and skills assessment requirements if applying under the Direct Entry stream
  • meet the English language requirements

There are exemptions relating to age, skills and English language requirements. Also, if you do not have an employer who will nominate you, you can lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect. Employers and state and territory governments are then able to view your details and decide whether to nominate you for a visa.

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