Employer Nomination 186: TRT vs Direct Entry (2026)

What is the 186 visa?

The Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) is a permanent visa. An Australian employer nominates you for a skilled job, and if the visa is granted you can live, work and study in Australia indefinitely, enrol in Medicare, sponsor eligible relatives and, if eligible, apply for citizenship.

There are three streams. Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) is for people already working in Australia on an employer-sponsored visa. Direct Entry is for everyone else, including people overseas. The third, the Labour Agreement stream, is only for employers with a labour agreement and is not covered in depth here. All rules below were checked against Home Affairs on 30 September 2026.

TRT vs Direct Entry at a glance

Temporary Residence Transition stream

TRT rewards loyalty: you have already proved yourself to an employer on a temporary visa, and that employer now nominates you for permanent residence. It is the most common route from the Skills in Demand 482 visa to PR.

Key requirements

• Hold the right visa: be the primary holder of a subclass 457 or 482 visa (any stream), or a bridging visa linked to a 457, 482, 186 or 187 application where your last substantive visa was a 457 or 482.
• 2 years of eligible sponsored employment in the 3 years before you apply. The work must be full-time, in Australia, while holding a 457, 482 or eligible bridging visa, and in the occupation your visa was granted for.
• The right employer: the nominator must be the employer who last sponsored you to work full-time on your 457 or 482.
• Timing: apply within 6 months of the nomination being approved. You can lodge the visa before the nomination is approved if you have its Transaction Reference Number (TRN).
• Skills: you must have the skills and qualifications for the job. Home Affairs may ask for a skills assessment.
• Licensing: any registration or licence that is mandatory in your state or territory.

If you changed sponsor in the last 3 years, work for the new employer can count from the date an approved nomination was lodged, provided you started working for them before it was approved. If you have held several 457 or 482 visas in that period, work in any occupation you were approved for can count.

Direct Entry stream

Direct Entry does not require any previous time on an employer-sponsored visa. That makes it the option for people overseas, graduates on a 485 visa, or anyone whose employer wants to sponsor them for PR straight away. In exchange, the skills test is tougher.

Key requirements

• Occupation on the CSOL (Core Skills Occupation List). Our occupation list guide explains how the lists work.
• At least 3 years of relevant work experience, unless exempt.
• A positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority, obtained before you lodge and issued no more than 3 years before you apply. Skills assessments obtained for a 485 visa are not accepted.
• Age: under 45 on the date you lodge, unless exempt.
• Competent English.

Some applicants are exempt from the skills assessment, and anyone exempt from the skills assessment is also exempt from the work experience requirement. Examples include certain academics nominated by an Australian university, and holders of a subclass 444 or 461 visa who have worked for the nominating employer in the nominated position for at least 2 of the last 3 years.

Rules for both streams

Age exemptions

The standard rule is "under 45 when you apply". In both streams, exemptions include certain academics nominated by an Australian university, and scientists, researchers or technical specialists at ANZSCO skill level 1 or 2 nominated by an Australian government science agency or university. TRT adds exemptions for some medical practitioners with 2 years of regional service on a 457 or 482, for people who earned at least the Fair Work high income threshold in each year of their sponsored work, and a transitional rule letting some people who held a 457 on 18 April 2017 apply if under 50. Direct Entry adds an exemption for subclass 444 or 461 holders who have worked for the nominating employer in the role for at least 2 of the last 3 years.

English

Main applicants need at least competent English, for example IELTS 6 in each of the four components, or a passport from the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand or Ireland. For TRT there has been no English exemption since 16 November 2019. See our PTE vs IELTS score table for the equivalent scores on other tests.

Salary

For ENS nominations lodged since 7 December 2024, the salary must meet the Core Skills Income Threshold. For nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027 that is AUD79,423. If you earn less than AUD250,000, the employer must also show you will be paid at least the annual market salary rate (what an Australian doing the same job is paid).

Costs

Main applicants must already have competent English to be granted the visa, so in practice the second instalment usually affects adult family members. It is invoiced after all other requirements are met. You will also pay for health checks, police certificates and biometrics. From 1 July 2026, lower charges apply to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens.

The employer pays its own costs, which cannot be passed on to you: a nomination fee (Home Affairs lists AUD540, "subject to stream and location") and the Skilling Australians Fund levy, a one-off AUD3,000 for businesses with turnover under AUD10 million or AUD5,000 for larger businesses.

Steps and processing

1. Confirm the stream, occupation, salary and your age on the planned lodgement date.
2. Collect your evidence: English test, skills assessment (Direct Entry), and for TRT your payslips, contracts, PAYG payment summaries and leave records.
3. The employer lodges the nomination and gives you the TRN.
4. You lodge the visa in ImmiAccount, adding family members at the same time if you can.
5. Arrange health checks and police certificates, and respond to any requests for more information quickly.

There is no fixed processing time. Since 19 September 2026, the 186 has been processed under Ministerial Direction 122: first applications linked to construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, resources, law enforcement or defence; then applicants who were in Australia when they applied; then single applicants outside Australia; then everyone else. Check the Home Affairs processing time guide for current figures.

After the visa is granted

• You become a permanent resident on the grant date (or on arrival, if granted offshore).
• You must start work for the nominating employer within 6 months of the grant or your arrival, and Home Affairs expects you to work for them for at least 2 years.
• You can travel freely for 5 years. After that you need a Resident Return visa to re-enter as a permanent resident.

Which stream fits you?

• Already on a 482 and happy with your employer? TRT is usually simpler: no CSOL check, no mandatory skills assessment and no 3-year experience test.
• Overseas, on a 485, or without 2 years of sponsored work? Direct Entry is the route, if your occupation is on the CSOL and you can get a positive skills assessment.
• No employer willing to nominate you? Look at points-tested visas instead. Start with our PR pathways guide and the points test guide.

Common mistakes

• Counting part-time work towards the TRT 2 years. The work must be full-time sponsored employment, and Home Affairs asks for leave records as evidence.
• Missing the age deadline. Age is tested on the day you lodge. Turning 45 while you wait for a nomination can end your eligibility.
• Using a 485 skills assessment for Direct Entry. It is not accepted.
• Letting the nomination go stale. For TRT you must apply within 6 months of approval.
• Forgetting family members' English. Without functional English, each adult family member triggers an AUD4,890 second instalment.
• Using last year's salary figure. Nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 must meet AUD79,423.

Frequently asked questions

What is the age limit for the 186 visa?

Usually you must be under 45 when you apply, in both the Temporary Residence Transition and Direct Entry streams. Exemptions exist, for example for certain academics, scientists and researchers, some regional medical practitioners, and high earners in the Temporary Residence Transition stream.

How long do I need to work on a 482 before applying for the 186 TRT?

Usually 2 years of full-time eligible sponsored employment in the 3 years before you apply, while holding a 457 or 482 visa (or an eligible bridging visa).

What English level do I need for the 186?

At least competent English for the main applicant in both streams, for example IELTS 6 in each component. Family members aged 18 or over need functional English or must pay a second instalment of AUD4,890.

Do I need a skills assessment for the 186 Direct Entry stream?

Most applicants do. It must be positive, obtained before you apply and no more than 3 years old. Skills assessments obtained for a 485 visa are not accepted.

How much does the 186 visa cost?

The base charge is AUD6,140 for the main applicant, AUD3,070 for each additional applicant aged 18 or over and AUD1,535 for each child under 18. The employer separately pays a nomination fee and the Skilling Australians Fund levy.

Do I have to stay with my employer after getting the 186?

Home Affairs says it expects you to work for your nominating employer for at least 2 years, and you must start within 6 months of the grant date or your arrival.

Sources

• 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream – Home Affairs
• 186 Direct Entry stream – Home Affairs
• Salary requirements to nominate a worker – Home Affairs
• Cost of sponsoring – Home Affairs
• Current visa pricing – Home Affairs
• Skilled visa processing priorities – Home Affairs
• Competent English – Home Affairs

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