The subclass 186 visa: employer nomination and PR

What the 186 is

The subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme is Australia's main permanent employer-sponsored visa. Where the 482 is temporary and gets you into the country, the 186 is permanent and lets you stay indefinitely as a permanent resident. An approved employer nominates you for an ongoing, permanent position, and a successful application confers permanent residency, with the rights and security that brings.

For many UK and Irish GPs, the 186 is the destination the whole visa journey points toward. It is the difference between being in Australia on a time-limited basis and being settled there, and it changes your relationship with the moratorium that shaped your early years. This guide is a spoke off the visa options hub and sits within the complete relocation guide.

The streams

The 186 has more than one stream, and which applies depends mostly on your history. The Temporary Residence Transition stream is for people who have held an eligible temporary visa, such as a 482, and worked for the sponsoring employer for a qualifying period before transitioning to permanent residency: the natural next step after time on a 482. The Direct Entry stream is for those applying without that prior period, meeting the requirements directly. There is also a labour agreement stream for particular arrangements. Most UK and Irish GPs who arrive on a temporary visa use the transition stream, but direct entry genuinely suits some; the Department sets out both on its Employer Nomination Scheme pages.

The common path from a 482

The most common shape for a GP is a two-step journey: arrive on a 482, work for the sponsoring practice, and transition to a 186 through the Temporary Residence Transition stream. The temporary visa gets you working quickly, and the permanent visa follows once you and the practice have settled into the arrangement. The transition is not automatic, though: there are usually conditions about how long you have held the temporary visa and worked for the employer before the permanent step opens, and both you and the sponsor have to meet the requirements at that point. This is why the sequence is worth planning from the start, with your recruiter and migration agent aware of where you want to end up. A practice that has taken GPs through this transition before is a real asset, as what a good job looks like explains.

What it requires

A 186 tests more than a temporary visa. The broad requirements cover the employer and the role, your occupation, and criteria around skills, age, English, and health and character. Precise thresholds differ by stream and change over time.

Two of these deserve a flag. There is often an age consideration on permanent skilled visas that does not apply the same way to temporary ones, which can affect timing for some applicants, so it is worth raising your age with your agent early. And the visa's English requirement is again separate from the AHPRA English standard, though most UK and Irish GPs clear both. Your registration and your visa remain distinct processes throughout.

Permanent residency and the moratorium

The 186 matters beyond the visa itself because permanent residency interacts with the moratorium. Under section 19AB, the 10-year location restriction ends after the served period for those who are permanent residents or citizens, whereas it continues for those who remain temporary residents, so becoming a permanent resident is part of how the moratorium concludes cleanly. That makes the timing of your residency a genuine planning question: your visa sequence, your served time under the moratorium and any scaling you have earned come together, and getting them in a sensible order can shorten the road to unrestricted practice. The section 19AB guide covers the moratorium side in full; plan the move from temporary to permanent alongside that timeline, not separately.

Timing, cost and what changes

A transition from a temporary visa usually has a qualifying period behind it, so the 186 tends to sit a while after your arrival, often coinciding with progressing your moratorium years. Permanent visa fees are real and typically larger than temporary ones; build them into your budget using the cost breakdown and weigh them against the security residency brings. Streams, thresholds, age rules and fees are all revised over time, so work from current information rather than a colleague's account from a few years ago. Knowing the 186 is your goal shapes earlier choices too: the practice you join, the stream you will use, and how it sits with the moratorium, which is why asking a prospective employer whether they have taken GPs from a 482 to a 186 before is worth doing early.

Use a migration agent

Permanent residency is a significant, regulated grant, and paid immigration assistance is restricted to registered migration agents and lawyers. Use a registered migration agent for the application, check them on the official migration agent register, and confirm every detail with the Department of Home Affairs. The agent handles the visa and the residency strategy; the path from a first temporary visa to permanent residency is one many GPs have travelled, and it is far more manageable planned than improvised.

Where to go next

If employer sponsorship is not your route, the points-tested 189, 190 and 491 family is the alternative to permanent residency. Whichever you choose, read the section 19AB guide so you can time your permanent step against the moratorium, and take your job offer, stream and age to a registered migration agent to plan the sequence.

Sources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Read them directly and confirm anything time-sensitive on the day.

Frequently asked questions