Employer Sponsored  Visas

Temporary Work Skilled visa (subclass 457)

This visa lets skilled workers migrate to Australia and work in a nominated occupation for an approved sponsor(business). This is a sponsored visa that lasts for up to four years and leads to a permanent visa, so after two years you can apply for a permanent visa ENS 186 and RENS 187 to work for your sponsored employer or for someone else.

You can apply for 457 visa if you have been sponsored by an approved business and nominated for a particular position in a business and you have the required skills to fill a position.

The Employer Nomination Scheme visa (ENS, subclass 186)

This visa is a permanent residence visa and a part of the Permanent Employer Sponsored Visa program. It is designed for skilled workers who want to work in Australia and it involves a two-step process,
nomination by an approved Australian employer who seeks to nominate an applicant to fill a skilled vacancy in their business. An employer nomination is made online via the e-lodgment facility for a position within the employer’s business.

Application under the nominated stream.

You can be in or outside Australia at the time of application. If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or a bridging visa A, B or C.

The visa has three streams:
  1. The Temporary Residence Transition stream is for subclass 457 visa holders who have worked for two years, while holding a subclass 457 visa, in the same occupation with their nominating employer (who has lodged a valid nomination with them under the Temporary Residence Transition stream), who wants to offer the applicant a permanent position in that occupation.
  2. The Direct Entry stream is for people who have been nominated by their employer under the DE stream. People who have never, or only briefly, worked in Australia, or temporary residents who do not qualify for the Temporary Residence could be eligible for this stream.
  3. The Agreement stream is for people sponsored by an employer through a labor agreement.

Regional Employer nomination Scheme visa (RENS, subclass 187)

The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme(RSMS) is a permanent employer sponsored visa which allows Australian employers in regional, remote or low population growth areas of Australia to sponsor foreign skilled workers to fill vacancies in their business.

This visa is a permanent residence visa for skilled workers who want to work in regional Australia. It allows you to work in Australia under one of three streams: the Temporary Residence Transition stream is for subclass 457 visa holders who have worked with an Australian employer for at least 2 years out of the last 3 years in the nominated position with their nomination employer, and their employer wants to offer them a permanent positon in the same occupation.

The Direct Entry stream is for applicants who are untested in the Australian labour market, or have not held a subclass 457 visa for at least 2 years out of the last 3 years with their nomination employer, or who are applying directly from outside of Australia.

The Agreement stream is for applicants who are being sponsored by an Australian employer through a tailored and negotiated labor agreement.

This visa also involves a two-steps process:
  1. Nomination by an approved Australian employer for a job in regional Australia (regional Australia does not include the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong or Melbourne).
  2. Application under the stream for which you were nominated.

You must be under 50 years of age and meet the skills, qualifications and relevant work experience requirements, unless you are exempt. For adequate level of English you need to provide a minimum English language test score for both Temporary Residence Transition stream and Direct Entry stream. The test result must have been achieved within three years immediately before lodgment of your application.