Employer Sponsored Visas

Employer sponsored visa works two-way. It allows the Australian employers in shortage of skilled labor to sponsor specific skilled labor to serve their business needs. And, it also allows any kind of skilled labor of a foreign country to explore their employment options with Australian employers, in case they may need their skills.

With this visa, you can

work in Australia for your sponsor for up to 4 years, or up to 5 years if you are a Hong Kong passport holder

study (you won't receive government assistance)

travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while the visa is valid

if eligible, apply for permanent residence

For this stream of the visa, you must be sponsored to work in an occupation listed on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSS L), or the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL).

Current temporary skilled visa holders from Hong Kong will be eligible for an extension of 5 years (from 9 July 2020) in addition to the time they’ve already been in Australia.Current and future temporary skilled visa holders from Hong Kong will also have a pathway to permanent residency after 5 years.

Include family

You can include other family members (called 'secondary applicants') in your visa application. The family members you can add will depend on whether you currently hold a subclass 457 or TSS visa.

You can include, or add your family members, when you submit your subclass 457 or TSS visa, when the visa is still under processing, or after the visa is granted. However, the procedure is different in each scenario.

Your obligations

You and your family must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.You must begin your employment within 90 days of:

entering Australia, if you are outside Australia when grant the visa

the visa grant date, if you are in Australia when we grant the visa

Travel

You can travel outside Australia and return as many times as you want while the visa is valid. The time you spend outside Australia does not extend the visa.

Visa Conditions

Conditions attached to this visa include that you work in Australia only in the occupation you were nominated for and only for your nominating business or in some circumstances, an associated entity of the business.Your family can also live, study and work in Australia.

Health & Character

Meet the health and character requirements (Unless you are exempt). This requires police and medical checks.

The Subclass 186 Visa has 3 streams:

Direct Entry Stream

For applicants who are qualified or have sufficient experience in an eligible occupation.

Transition Stream

For 457 visa or 482 TSS Visa holders who have worked for their nominating employer for a minimum of two or three years.

Agreement Stream

For applicants who are sponsored by an employer under a labour agreement.

With this visa, you can

work in Australia indefinitely

study in Australia

travel to and from Australia for 5 years

enrol in Medicare (Australia’s public healthcare system)

sponsor your relatives to come to Australia

apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible

186 Visa General Eligibility

Sponsor

You must be nominated by a business in Australia before lodging your visa

Experience

Applicants must have at least 3 years of work experience in the nominated occupation. Part-time work may be considered. Casual work will not be considered.

Age

The age limit is 45, unless exempt.

English

The primary applicant for the 186 Visa must have Competent English.

You will need to take an English test unless one of the following applies:

you are a passport holder from Canada, Ireland, UK, USA or NZ

If you need to take an English test, you can take one of the below tests:

Include family

You can include other family members when you submit your visa application, or add them in when the visa is under processing.

Employer Nomination

Applicants must be nominated by an Australian employer before applying for this visa and must apply within 6 months of the nomination being approved if the applications aren’t lodged together.

The visa cannot be granted if:

the nomination is withdrawn, or

the position is no longer available

Length of stay

This is a permanent visa, however, the 186 visa has a travel component that expires 5 years after the date of visa grant.

After this time, applicants can apply for one of the below:

Australian Citizenship

Resident Return Visa