If you are a skilled worker and want to move to Australia permanently, you may consider applying for the Employer Nomination Visa 186. Australia is an excellent option for job seekers, and so every year, thousands of applications for permanent work visas are submitted. Subclass 186 visa Australia is one such visa. This blog discusses all the important points you should keep in mind while applying for a visa.
What are the benefits of this visa?
The Visa Subclass 186 is an Australian permanent residency visa, letting the holder and their family members stay and work permanently in Australia. In addition, you can enjoy other benefits, too.
- You can study permanently in Australia, without any restrictions.
- You can enrol in Medicare, the national health care scheme of Australia. It will allow you to enjoy cheaper and free treatments at public hospitals.
- You can leave and return to Australia as many times as you want for the next 5 years from the visa grant date.
- After living for several years in Australia, you can apply for citizenship.
- You can also sponsor eligible relatives for their visas if they want to visit Australia.
- One thing to note here is that you will need a Resident Return Visa to return to Australia after five years.
What are the eligibility criteria for the Subclass 186 Visa?
The Subclass 186 Visa has three different streams – Temporary Residence Transition Stream, Direct Entry Stream, and Labour Agreement Stream. All these three streams have different eligibility requirements, and therefore, applicants must be cautious while applying. You should also remember that the eligibility criteria will be different for both the employer and the employee.
Temporary Residence Transition Stream
If you already hold or have previously held a Temporary Visa Subclass 457, your employer may nominate you to apply under this stream. The employer must meet the following criteria.
- The company should be legally operating in Australia.
- It should have continued to satisfy the relevant training requirements.
- The nominated position should be the same (or a closely related) position in which the employee was employed while holding a 457 Visa.
- The position should be genuine.
- It should be full-time and available for at least 2 years from the visa grant date.
- The market salary rate and different conditions should be continuously satisfied.
The visa applicant has to satisfy the following requirements.
- They should hold or have previously held a 457 Visa for a minimum of 2 years before making the application.
- They should have worked in the same or a closely related job position.
- Functional English is needed.
- Meeting health and character requirements is necessary.
Direct Entry Stream
If you cannot meet the Temporary Residence Transition Stream requirements, you can apply for the Direct Entry Stream.
The eligibility criteria for the employer include the following.
- The company should be legally operating in Australia.
- Relevant training requirements must be met.
- The nominated position should be a genuine and full-time one and available for at least 2 years.
- The position should be related to an occupation present on the relevant skilled occupations list.
The eligibility requirements for the visa applicants are as follows.
- The age must be strictly under 50 years.
- Competent English is necessary.
- For the nominated occupation, a positive skills assessment is essential.
- A minimum of 3 years of relevant work experience is essential.
- You should also satisfy health and character requirements.
Labour Agreement Stream
If your nominating employer is part of a Labour Agreement with the Government of Australia, you can apply under the Labour Agreement Stream. For this stream, you should satisfy the specific age, English language, and skills requirements associated with the relevant Agreement, apart from the general health and character requirements.
What are the documents required for the visa?
In line with the 186 Visa requirements, you have to submit the documents at the time of application. The list of records will usually include:
- English language certificate not more than 3 years old
- Police clearance certificates as evidence for good character
- Filled out Form No. 80
- A statutory declaration
- Positive skills assessment documents related to the nominated occupation
- Exemption documents related to skills assessment, if applicable
- Curriculum vitae
- An id proof like birth certificate, passport, national id card
- Name change proof, if applicable
- Certificate of marriage, if applicable
- Evidence of having good health
- Signed Australian values statement
- Documents of partners or dependent children, including character documents, ID proof, health examination results, English test documents
A step-by-step application procedure for the Subclass 186 Visa
You can apply for the Subclass 186 Visa online following the steps discussed below.
- First of all, you should check whether you meet all the eligibility requirements for the visa.
- Confirm that your employer has nominated you under the specific stream. Once you are nominated, you can ask for the Transaction Reference Number (TRN) from them.
- Gather all your documents in the next step. Go through the relevant skills assessment, take English tests, health and character assessments.
- Note that you must apply for the visa within six months of receiving the nomination. You can be offshore or onshore in Australia while applying. Make sure to complete the payment.
- After the application is submitted, the Department of Home Affairs may request additional information like biometrics and other data. Note that you must respond as fast as possible.
- You can know about the visa decision through email. If the Department refuses it, they will cite proper reasons and clarify whether or not you can review their decision.
For convenience, you may take help from an immigration agency in Adelaide.
How much time does the visa take to get processed?
The 186 Visa processing time varies according to the three different streams.
Temporary Residence Transition Stream
For 75% of applications, the procedure takes 14 months to complete. On the other hand, the processing time is about 19 months for 90% of applications.
Direct Entry Stream
75% of applications get processed in 6 months, while 90% of them take about 11 months to get processed.
Labour Agreement Stream
The processing time for 75% of applications is 7 months, while for 90% of applications is 11 months.
What are the visa conditions?
There are certain 186 Visa conditions that you will need to comply with while living in Australia.
- You cannot start a de facto relationship or marry your partner between applying and entering Australia.
- While staying in Australia, you and your dependent family members should maintain good character.
If you violate these conditions, it will be a punishable offence.
What is the fee structure?
Currently, the fee for all the streams is the same. It is around AUD 4115. If you include your spouse and your dependent children, separate application fees should be paid. If they fail to meet the English language requirement, you will need to pay a second instalment.
Final words
Hiring a registered and experienced immigration agent Adelaide will be the best option for the best visa outcome. However, if you want to apply for the Employer-Sponsored Visa to live in Adelaide, you may consider contacting a Perth-based immigration agency.