Australia Sets Six Conditions for Skilled Worker Visa

Australia's Department of Home Affairs has outlined six conditions that skilled workers must meet to apply for the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa subclass 186 under the Direct Entry stream, which allows successful applicants to live and work in Australia permanently. These requirements, applicable to applications lodged in 2026, include: being under 45 years of age at the time of application (unless exempt), being nominated by an employer for an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List, having at least three years of relevant work experience (unless exempt), holding a positive skills assessment obtained before application submission (unless exempt), meeting minimum English language proficiency standards, and satisfying health and character requirements.

The visa is employer-driven, requiring a prospective migrant to be nominated by a qualifying Australian employer. Notably, the skills assessment must be completed prior to application submission, and the age requirement is assessed at the time of lodgement.