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Pathway

Australia Permanent Employer-Nominated Visa

Australia Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Subclass 186 lets an eligible skilled worker become an Australian permanent resident through an employer nomination. The Direct Entry, Temporary Residence Transition, and Labor Agreement options have different rules. The employer’s nomination and your visa application are assessed separately; a job offer alone is not enough.

Job offer required?
Yes, with an approved employer nomination
Usual age limit
Under 45, with specified exceptions
Experience
Direct Entry usually needs three years, a skills assessment, and Competent English; transition usually needs two years of eligible sponsored work in the last three

Summary

An Australian employer can nominate a skilled worker for permanent residence through Subclass 186. The Direct Entry stream commonly serves workers who have not completed the sponsored employment needed for the Temporary Residence Transition stream. The latter covers eligible 457 or 482 holders and certain bridging-visa holders; a third stream operates under an employer's Labor Agreement with the government.

Both the nomination and the worker's application must qualify. This is separate from the points-tested SkillSelect system: a job offer alone is not an approved nomination, and each stream has its own experience, skills, English and other requirements. Permanent residence begins only if the visa is granted.

Applying for employer-sponsored permanent residence
  1. Choose the correct Subclass 186 option Check age, occupation, skills, English, and sponsored-work history.
  2. Coordinate the employer nomination and your evidence Confirm the genuine job, pay, duties, location, and intended start date.
  3. Apply and meet the employment expectations Follow the approved arrangements and the required start period.

An employer nomination is separate from visa approval; prohibited sponsorship costs cannot be passed to the worker.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

All streams require an approved employer nomination, the skills to perform the position, health and character clearance, and compliance with the stream's age, English and employment rules.

For Direct Entry, the main applicant usually must:

For TRT, the applicant must hold an eligible 457, 482 or related bridging visa and usually have completed at least 2 years of full-time eligible sponsored employment during the 3 years immediately before applying. Since the December 2024 reforms, eligible sponsored employment with more than one approved employer can count under the detailed rules. Age is normally under 45, but exemptions include certain high-income, academic, research and regional-medical cases.

The nominated salary must be at least the annual market salary rate and meet the applicable income threshold unless an exemption or labor agreement says otherwise. For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 through 30 June 2027, the Core Skills Income Threshold is AUD 79,423. These amounts are adjusted over time, so use the figure in force when the employer submits the nomination.

The nomination must describe a genuine position and an employment relationship that meets Australian workplace law. Visa and nomination applications are connected but separately assessed.

What This Route Allows

Subclass 186 grants permanent residence. The holder can live, work and study in Australia indefinitely, enroll in Medicare, include eligible family, sponsor qualifying relatives later, and apply for citizenship if eligible.

The visa initially lets you leave and return as a permanent resident for 5 years. After that, a permanent resident who travels generally needs a Resident Return visa to re-enter unless they have become a citizen.

Home Affairs says it expects a 186 holder to work for the nominating employer for at least 2 years and requires employment to begin within the specified 6-month period. The visa is not normally labeled with an employer-only work condition after grant, but a nomination arranged without a genuine job or no genuine intention to take the job can undermine the application.

What This Route Is Not

An employer's job offer is not enough. The employer must submit a nomination that meets the requirements, satisfy salary and employment requirements, and pay employer-side charges that cannot lawfully be passed to the worker where prohibited.

The TRT stream is not simply "2 years with the same company." The time must be eligible sponsored full-time employment within the 3-year window while holding an eligible visa, and the detailed occupation and nomination history matter.

Direct Entry does not waive skills assessment, English, experience or age merely because the applicant is already working in Australia. Likewise, a labor agreement is not a personal exemption; its terms must cover the employer, occupation and applicant.

Next Steps

  1. Identify the correct stream before the employer submits an application.
  2. For Direct Entry, confirm the current occupation list, assessing authority, 3 years of experience, age and English.
  3. For TRT, check every period of eligible 457/482-sponsored employment in the previous 3 years and retain payslips, tax and nomination records.
  4. Have the employer check the annual market salary rate and the threshold in force on the nomination date.
  5. Coordinate nomination and visa evidence so occupation, duties, location, salary and start date match.
  6. Gather identity, skills, English, work-history, health, character and family documents.
  7. Do not pay or reimburse an employer for prohibited sponsorship costs; use Fair Work and Home Affairs reporting channels if pressured.

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Sources