Subclass 186 Visa

What are the details and how to apply? (Step By Step)

There are 3 different streams of visas: Direct Entry, labor agreements, and temporary resident transition.

Direct Entry

If your occupation is on the list of eligible skilled occupations and you have a nomination from an Australian employer, then you can submit an application for direct entry. This will allow staying in Australia permanently.

Labor Agreement Streams

If you are an employee of a company that has signed up to a labor agreement, you may be able to nominate yourself by providing the company with a skilled occupation list. This is only available to employees who do not already hold an Australia visa.

Temporary Resident Transition Streams

To apply for this employer nomination scheme, you must have worked full-time for your current employer for at least three years. Other visa requirements include a 457, TSS, or other bridging visas. The 186 visa would allow you to live in Australia permanently and continue working while in the country.

Application Process

• If your employer is willing to sponsor you under the Direct Entry stream and provide you with a TRN (Transaction Reference Number) then that may help you to gather more information for your application.
• Ensure that you’ve completed relevant qualifications, and have achieved a minimum entry score in English tests and any other applicable skills assessment tests.
• If you receive a nomination, you need to apply for the visa within 6 months and use your ImmiAccount. You can be in or out of Australia when making this application. The fee has been paid automatically by the nominating company.
• The immigration authorities may request more information in order to process your application such as biometrics or other data. They will provide you with a deadline within which to respond and it is important you do so as soon as possible.
• When the decision has been finalized, you will get an email with the result and information. If the refusal is refused, they will tell you why and advise if a review of the decision is possible.

Processing time

Direct Entry System: You will be informed of the status of your application within six months or 83 days, depending on which way you enter the process.

Labour Agreement Stream: At this time, there are no statistics available.

Temporary residence transition stream: In the temporary residence transition stream, over 75% of applications are processed within 6 months and 90% of applications within 10 months.

Try checking your ImmiAccount to see if they require any more information.

Cost For Applying

It would cost AU$ 4,115 to get into the Direct Entry stream, labor agreement stream, and Temporary residence transition stream.

Eligibility criteria

There are a lot of criteria to apply for the 186 visa. You need to be skilled – this means you need skills that are on the skilled occupation list, such as work experience, generally from 5 years. You may need to provide proof of your skills or prove that you have the required licenses, registrations, or membership with a governing body.

Nomination by an Australian employer must be done through official channels and is checked for compliance. The nomination will not happen if the nominator has any information that implies that they are not operating lawfully or in your best interests.

You must be under 45 years old in order to apply for this visa.

There are some exceptions to the 457 visa, such as people who work in research or lecturers at universities.

You must meet certain character requirements: These character requirements are mainly to check that you’re a good person. Your visa may be denied if you have any history of criminal conduct, affiliation with anti-social groups, and the potential to engage in criminal/ anti-national activities.

You need to have scored either a 7.0 on IELTS, TOEFL, PTE Academic or Cambridge C1 Advanced.

Documents required

Some documents will be required for you and any family members who are traveling with you. It’s best to gather these as soon as possible so you’re prepared in case immigration requests them from you. It’s also possible that some documents won’t be needed, or they’ll ask for more.

• English competency certificates that are no more than three years old.
• Make sure you have valid certificates of good character.
• Form 80 to determine the character’s level of accuracy.
• Your resume, cover letter, and everything else they require.
• You’ll need to provide documents like a birth certificate or passport to show your ID.
• Provide a document proving your name change, if relevant.
• Copy of the marriage certificate, if relevant.
• You have to read and agree with an Australian values statement.
• In order to prove your health status, you will need to submit a medical certificate provided by your healthcare provider.

Visa Conditions

• If you’re already in Australia and are thinking of marrying/starting a defacto relationship, get your visa sorted first. If you don’t tell the immigration department, they may cancel your visa.
• In Australia, you are expected to maintain good character and obey their laws. If you breach the terms of your visa, get charged with a crime, or disrupt the peace of Australian communities, you may be deported.