Commonwealth of Australia
Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186): total cost to complete
By Sam Parks · Last checked:
A source-linked budget for a subclass 186 employer-nominated permanent-residence application: the current applicant visa charge, ENS nomination fee, one-off SAF levy, CSIT/AMSR salary evidence, stream eligibility gates, English, health, character, Direct Entry skills-assessment exposure, family charges, and functional-English second instalments.
What does the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) actually cost?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are A$10,496-A$13,050. Refundable proof-of-funds requirements are tracked separately at A$79,423, because that money is shown or blocked rather than normally lost.
Verified against Home Affairs - cost of sponsoring on 1 July 2026.
What it actually costs
A source-linked budget for a subclass 186 employer-nominated permanent-residence application: the current applicant visa charge, ENS nomination fee, one-off SAF levy, CSIT/AMSR salary evidence, stream eligibility gates, English, health, character, Direct Entry skills-assessment exposure, family charges, and functional-English second instalments.
Money you don't get back
A$10,496-A$13,050
Mandatory fees, services and one month of insurance.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
A$79,423
For ENS nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, pay must be no less than the Annual Market Salary Rate and no less than the CSIT of AUD 79,423 unless a specific agreement/exemption applies.
| Cost line | Amount | Type | When / who |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENS nomination application fee | A$540 | Gov fee | Employer-side subclass 186 nomination fee, subject to stream and location. Home Affairs says nomination and sponsorship costs cannot be transferred to the visa holder or family. Home Affairs - cost of sponsoring |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy for ENS nomination | A$3,000-A$5,000 | Gov fee | One-off ENS SAF levy: AUD 3,000 for businesses with annual turnover under AUD 10m, or AUD 5,000 for businesses with annual turnover of AUD 10m or more. Payable in full at nomination and not transferable to the worker. Home Affairs - cost of sponsoring |
| Visa application charge (main applicant) | A$6,140 | Gov fee | Home Affairs current pricing table lists AUD 6,140 for the main applicant in the Direct Entry, Temporary Residence Transition and Labour Agreement streams from 1 July 2026. Home Affairs - current visa pricing table |
| ENS salary evidence (CSIT and AMSR) | A$79,423per annual salary | Proof of funds | For ENS nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, pay must be no less than the Annual Market Salary Rate and no less than the CSIT of AUD 79,423 unless a specific agreement/exemption applies. Home Affairs - salary requirements |
| Employer nomination and eligible business gate | A$0 | Service | The applicant must be nominated by an Australian employer that is actively and lawfully operating and has a genuine skilled position. Home Affairs - Employer Nomination Scheme visa |
| Stream eligibility gate | A$0 | Service | One stream must fit: Direct Entry, Temporary Residence Transition, or Labour Agreement. Stream choice changes the occupation, employment history and skills-assessment evidence. Home Affairs - Employer Nomination Scheme visa streams |
| Direct Entry CSOL and 3-year work-experience gate(optional) | A$0 | Service | Direct Entry applicants generally need an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List and at least 3 years relevant work experience unless exempt. Home Affairs - 186 Direct Entry stream |
| Temporary Residence Transition 2-year sponsored-employment gate(optional) | A$0 | Service | TRT applicants must generally have 2 years of eligible sponsored employment in the 3 years before applying and hold a 457, 482 or eligible bridging visa. Home Affairs - 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream |
| Skills assessment where required(optional)· indicative | A$0-A$1,200 | Service | Most Direct Entry applicants need a positive skills assessment before lodging unless exempt. TRT and Labour Agreement cases may be asked for an assessment. Home Affairs - skills assessment requirement |
| English-language test· indicative | A$410-A$520 | Service | The main applicant generally needs competent English. Some passport/evidence scenarios can reduce the external test cost to zero. Home Affairs - English language visa requirements |
| Health checks· indicative | A$350-A$650 | Service | Home Affairs requires health evidence for applicants and can ask about family members not migrating. Panel-physician fees vary by country and exam components. Home Affairs - health requirement |
| Police certificates / character documents· indicative | A$56-A$200 | Service | Applicants aged 16+ must meet character requirements; Australian and overseas police-certificate costs vary by country and fingerprint route. Home Affairs - character requirements for visas |
| Biometrics collection where requested(optional)· indicative | A$0-A$120 | Service | Conditional on country, applicant history and collection channel. Home Affairs - biometrics |
| Document translation / certification(optional)· indicative | A$0-A$300 | Service | Conditional: only needed where documents are not in English or an assessing authority/state authority requires certified copies. Country-specific - verify by document language and assessing authority |
| Adult dependant visa application charge(optional) | A$3,070per adult | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line for each adult additional applicant. Home Affairs - current visa pricing table |
| Child dependant visa application charge(optional) | A$1,535per child | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line for each child additional applicant. Home Affairs - current visa pricing table |
| Second instalment for main applicant without functional English(optional) | A$9,800 | Gov fee | Charged only where the main applicant is assessed as not having functional English and no exemption applies. Home Affairs - current visa pricing table |
| Second instalment for adult family member without functional English(optional) | A$4,890per adult dependant | Gov fee | Charged only where an adult secondary applicant is assessed as not having functional English and no exemption applies. Home Affairs - current visa pricing table |
Baseline sunk cost models a single subclass 186 main applicant with competent English, no dependants, and no functional-English second instalment: ENS nomination fee, small-to-large business one-off SAF levy range, main applicant visa application charge, one English test, health check range and police-certificate range. Employer-side nomination and SAF costs are included for total-route budgeting but Home Affairs says they cannot be passed to the visa holder or family. The CSIT/AMSR salary line is shown separately as salary evidence, not a fee paid away. Optional Direct Entry skills assessment, dependants, second instalments, biometrics, translations and migration-agent costs are excluded unless applicable. Last checked 1 July 2026.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This cost model is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite Visa Atlas for the compiled sunk/refundable split and cite each linked authority or provider source for the underlying line item.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) cost-to-complete model", https://visaatlas.org/cost-to-complete/australia-subclass-186-employer-nomination-scheme. Last verified 1 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/cost-to-complete
FAQs
What does the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) actually cost to complete?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are A$10,496-A$13,050 in the current model. Separately, refundable proof-of-funds requirements are A$79,423. The line table explains each item and source.
Is proof of funds a sunk cost?
No. Proof of funds is money you must show, hold or block. It can still be a cash-flow barrier, but it is different from application fees, document costs and insurance payments that you do not normally get back.
Why are some lines marked indicative?
Some third-party costs vary by country, provider and document count. Those lines use a range and are marked indicative so they are not confused with a single government tariff.