Employer Nomination Scheme (186)
Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) (186) Visa
ENS visas are permanent residency visas for skilled workers. They are available both to applicants who are already living and working in Australia as temporary residents, and to those living outside Australia. To be eligible for this visa, a skilled individual must be sponsored by an eligible employer.
This visa provides the holder with Australian permanent residency with no conditions. Dependent family members may be included. The holder can live and work wherever they like in Australia. Although the visa is granted based on the holder being skilled in a specific occupation, once granted, the visa doesn’t require you to seek or maintain employment in this occupation.
Streams
The 186 visa has two streams: the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream, and the Direct Entry (DE) stream. Each stream has different criteria.
To apply in the TRT stream, you must be the holder of a Temporary Skill Shortage (482) visa, or a Temporary Work (Skilled) (457) visa, or a bridging visa granted in association with one of these visas.