186 ENS Employer Nomination Visa Checklist 2026
The Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) Visa is a permanent residence visa for skilled workers nominated by an approved Australian employer. It has three streams: the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream for those who have held a 482/457 for at least 3 years with the same employer, the Direct Entry (DE) stream for those applying directly from overseas or without prior 457/482, and the Labour Agreement stream.
The TRT stream is generally faster and has lower documentation requirements since much of the evidence of work history and employer commitment is already established. The DE stream is more document-intensive — you need a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority, as well as employment reference letters, qualifications, and evidence of your work history.
The employer nomination and the individual visa application are two separate lodgements. The nomination must be approved before the visa can be granted. Age requirements apply: you must be under 45 at the time of nomination unless you are an exempt occupation or have an existing 186 grant that is being renewed.
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Common 186 document mistakes to avoid
- Age limit of 45 — you must be under 45 at the date of nomination (not visa grant); some exempt occupations (medical practitioners, certain academics) are not subject to this limit but must be specifically declared.
- Skills assessment for DE stream — many occupations require a formal skills assessment; this must be from the correct assessing body for your ANZSCO code and must remain valid through to grant.
- Employer nomination and visa application timing — if the employer nomination is withdrawn or refused after you have lodged the visa, your application may fail; maintain communication with your employer throughout.
- Three-year genuine employment requirement for TRT stream — all 3 years must be with the same employer in the same occupation and on a 457/482 visa; gaps or employer changes complicate this calculation.
Identity documents
3 itemsClear colour scan of your current valid passport photo page.
Official birth certificate showing your full name and date of birth.
Marriage certificate, deed poll or other official proof if your name has changed.
Sponsorship & nomination
2 itemsApproval from the Department of Home Affairs confirming your employer's nomination, the nominated position, salary and occupation.
Signed contract from your sponsoring employer confirming your full-time permanent position, salary meeting the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), and start date.
Skills & qualifications
5 itemsCertified copies of your degree, diploma or trade certificate for your nominated occupation.
Official transcripts for each qualification provided.
Letters from each employer confirming your job title, duties, employment dates and hours per week. Must demonstrate at least 3 years of relevant experience for the Direct Entry stream.
Evidence of salary payments corroborating your claimed work experience.
Positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority, required for most Direct Entry stream occupations.
Temporary Residence Transition evidence
2 itemsVisa grant notice confirming you have held a Subclass 482 or 457 visa sponsored by the same employer.
Payslips, TFN declarations, tax returns or superannuation statements confirming at least 2 years of employment with your approved sponsoring employer in the last 3 years, in the nominated occupation, on the 482 or 457 visa.
English language
1 itemIELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, OET or Cambridge CAE results, or evidence of an exemption (passport from an exempt English-speaking country or Australian qualifications).
Health & character
3 itemsMedical examination completed through an approved Panel Physician or by booking a Health Assessment Portal (HAP) appointment. Results are sent directly to the Department of Home Affairs. Book early — appointments can take several weeks.
National police certificates from each country you have lived in for 12 or more months since age 16.
Completed Form 80 for Character Assessment. Fill for free →
Current residential address (if in Australia)
1 itemIf you are currently in Australia: driver licence, utility bill (electricity, gas or water), bank statement or council rates notice showing your name and current Australian residential address. Required by the Department for onshore applicants.
Ready to lodge your Employer Nomination Scheme?
Answer a few quick questions to get a checklist tailored to your exact situation — only the documents that apply to you. Upload each file, then export a clean ZIP ready to attach.
Build my personalised checklist →Frequently asked questions
What documents do I need for a Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) application?
The Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) typically requires 17 documents across 7 categories: Identity documents, Sponsorship & nomination, Skills & qualifications, Temporary Residence Transition evidence, English language, Health & character, Current residential address (if in Australia). Use the personalised builder above to filter this list to your exact circumstances — it removes items that don't apply based on your profile.
How do I prepare my documents for the Employer Nomination Scheme?
Work through each category in the checklist. Scan or photograph every document as a clear colour PDF at 150–200 DPI. The Department of Home Affairs (ImmiAccount) has a 5 MB per-file limit — compress any oversized file using VisaPacks' built-in tool. Combine multi-page documents (e.g. bank statements, payslips) into a single PDF using Merge. VisaPacks automatically renames your files on export, ready to attach to your ImmiAccount lodgement.
Can I prepare my Employer Nomination Scheme documents myself without a migration agent?
Yes. Many applicants successfully self-prepare their documents using publicly available Department of Home Affairs guidance. VisaPacks provides a free personalised document checklist and upload tool to help you organise everything correctly. For complex cases — such as those involving previous refusals, health waivers, character issues, or difficult relationship circumstances — consulting a registered migration agent (MARA) may be worthwhile.
What file format should Employer Nomination Scheme documents be in?
The Department of Home Affairs accepts PDF, JPG, and PNG files up to 5 MB each. Most documents should be submitted as PDF. Passport photos can be JPG. If a scan exceeds 5 MB, use VisaPacks' built-in PDF compressor to reduce file size while maintaining legibility — it uses three quality levels (screen, standard, or high) so you can choose the right trade-off.
Is this checklist official Department of Home Affairs guidance?
No. This checklist is based on publicly available Department of Home Affairs guidance but is maintained by VisaPacks as a convenience tool only — it is not legal advice and does not replace the assessment of a registered migration agent. Always verify current requirements on the Department of Home Affairs website.
What are the most common mistakes when preparing Employer Nomination Scheme documents?
The most common errors are: exceeding the 5 MB per-file ImmiAccount limit without compressing first; omitting certified NAATI translations for non-English documents; submitting uncertified copies when originals or certified copies are required; including documents expiring within 6 months (particularly passports); and forgetting documents for a spouse or dependent children on the same application. VisaPacks addresses all of these — it includes a built-in PDF compressor, auto-naming to a consistent convention, and per-applicant sections for family members included in the application.
How does VisaPacks compare to the Department of Home Affairs checklist tool?
The Department of Home Affairs website shows a static document list for each visa type. VisaPacks goes further: it personalises the list to your circumstances (employment type, relationship status, whether children are included), lets you upload documents against each item, includes built-in PDF compression and merging to meet the 5 MB limit, auto-renames files to a consistent naming convention, and exports a complete ready-to-lodge ZIP. VisaPacks is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Home Affairs.