Employer Nomination Scheme Visa – Labour Agreement stream for Sponsors
Stay
Permanently
Cost
There is no cost to nominate an applicant if the position is located in regional Australia.
If the position is not located in regional Australia, AUD540.00. You are also required to pay the Skilling Australians Fund levy.
Processing times
For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.
With this visa the applicant can
- live, work and study in Australia indefinitely
- sponsor eligible family members to come to Australia
- apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible
See all conditions
Check your eligibility
Things for the nominator to note
You must currently be party to a labour agreement that includes an option for permanent residence.
Cost to nominate
There is no cost to nominate someone for the visa if the position is located in regional Australia.
If the position is not located in regional Australia, it costs AUD540.00 to nominate someone for the visa. You are also required to pay the Skilling Australians Fund levy.
How long nominations last
Approved nominations end if the employee you nominate is refused a subclass 186 visa.
Nominators must
You must:
- employ the worker under the terms and conditions agreed to under the labour agreement. The terms and conditions must be no less than as those for Australian citizens or permanent residents doing the same work in the same place. Terms and conditions include but are not limited to salary for the nominated position, hours of work and leave entitlements.
- pay the worker the annual market salary rate
- comply with Australian immigration and workplace relations law
Be an eligible business
Your business must:
- have no adverse information known about it or any person associated with it, or it is reasonable to disregard this information
- pay the Skilling Australians Fund levy when you submit your employer nomination application
- have complied with Australian immigration and workplace relations laws
Have a current labour agreement
You must:
- currently have a labour agreement in place with the Australian Government
- have met any nomination requirements specified in the agreement
The occupation you are nominating must be listed in the labour agreement as an occupation you can nominate.
Permanent residence is only available through the subclass 186 Labour Agreement stream if it has been included as an option in the subclass 457 or subclass 482 negotiated labour agreement.
Step 1
Before you apply
Make sure your employee is eligible
Make sure the employee you want to nominate is eligible for this visa through the Labour Agreement stream.
If they are not eligible we might refuse your application.
Step 2
Gather your documents
Applicant's employment contract
You must include the applicant's employment contract, including information about their salary. See more about salary requirements.
See more about labour agreements.
Step 3
Apply
- Complete your nomination application in ImmiAccount.
- Attach documents.
- Pay the application fee. We will not process your application until you pay the fee.
- If required, pay the Skilling Australians Fund levy.
- Note the nomination Transaction Reference Number (TRN). Your employee will need it to apply for their visa.
Step 4
After you apply
Send more documents
If you did not include all documents when you applied, send them as soon as you can. We might also ask you to provide more information.
Tell us if things change
Contact the relevant visa processing office to report changes that could affect your application.
When you write to us, include your:
- business name
- ABN or ACN
- Nomination Transaction Reference Number (NTRN)
Withdraw your nomination application
You can withdraw your application any time before we decide on your employee's visa application.
Note: Removing your application from ImmiAccount does not withdraw the nomination. Generally, we do not refund the nomination fee.
Step 5
Visa outcome
Nomination decision
If your nomination is approved, we will send you a letter containing your nomination approval number.
If your nomination is not approved, we will send you a letter stating:
- why it was refused
- whether you have a right to a review of the decision