186 visa requirements

The 186 visa is a PR visa for migrants who wish to permanently settle in Australia through eployer sponsorship.With this visa you and your family can live, work, and study in Australia permanently, with a pathway to citizenship.

The Employer Nomination Scheme visa (SC 186) is a Permanent Residency visa. This visa has 3 streams thorough which you can apply for PR. You have to select the most approriate stream according to your circumstances for a successful outcome for your visa application. The 3 main streams are:

1. Direct Entry Stream: If you are applying for the  186 visa directly, you can explore this stream whether you are onshore or offshore. If you currently hold any temporary visa other than the 482 visa and you are hoping to apply for PR directly then this stream is for you.
2. Temporary Residence Transition stream: You can apply for this stream if you are currently holding an 482 visa.
3. Labour Agreement Stream: This stream is for applicants whose employers have an agreement with the Australian government.

• Be under 45 years of age, unless you are exempt
• Be licensed, registered or a member if a professional body if its mandatory in the state/territory that you intend to work in.
• Be under 45 years of age, unless exempt
• Have at at least 2-3years work experience
• Have a positive skills assessment, if applicable
• Be nominated by an Australian employer
• Meet character and health requirement
• Have at least IELTS 6.0 for each band or for any equivalent English tests.
• Not have a previous visa cancelled or refused

Apart from the above gneral eligibility requirements there are stream specific requirements for the Direct Entry Stream, they are

• Have an occupation in the Core Skills Occupation List
• Have at least 3 years of work experience in the nominated field
• Have a positive skills assessment
• Be paid a salary at or above the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT).

Apart from the above gneral eligibility requirements there are stream specific requirements for the Direct Entry Stream, they are

• Hold a 482 visa or a Bridging visa associated with a 482 visa or a 186 visa
• Be licensed, registered or a member if a professional body if its mandatory in the state/territory that you intend to work in.
• Have 2 years of work experience while on 482 visa in the last 3 years
• Have a positive skills assessment, only if applicable for your occupation
• Be nominated by the employer who sponsored your current 482 visa

• Nominate the worker for an eligible occupation in the skilled occupations list
• Be unable to find an Australian resident as a worker
• Pay the annual market salary rate
• Have a genuine position available
• Have a written contract of employment
• Not engage in discriminatory practices
• Employment conditions must be equivalent to Australian workers
• Have no adverse information

The Direct Entry stream of the 186 visa has a mandatory salary requirement. It's that the employee must be paid at least to the value of CSIT. 

The CSIT is the Core Skills Income Threshold and is similar to the TSMIT. It sets the minimum salary a sponsoring employer must pay to ensure the sponsored employee's salary is fair, aligns with Australian market standards, and is not less than that of an Austrlian worker in a similar role.

The CSIT was introduced on 7th December 2024. The current CSIT for the year 2025-2026  is set at AUD 76,515 per annum.

Direct Entry stream: Applicants need to have at least 3 years of work experience

Transition Stream: Applicants must have worked under the 482 visa for at least 2 years during the last 3 years. You can work for different employers as long as its under the 482 visa to accumulate the 2 year work experience.

Dependents who are older than 18 years must have at least Functional English which is equivalent to 4.5 IELTS average score. If they dont have Functional English then, they will have to pay a second installment of AUD 4,890.