Live and work in Australia: Employer sponsored visas and IELTS requirements

Australia is fast becoming a popular destination for people from Asia, the UK, South America and South Africa to relocate to for work. Most move here because of its robust economy, rewarding employment opportunities, modern amenities, and high standard of living.

If you're interested to explore visa options that allow you to work in Australia, consider the Employer Sponsored visa that leads to Permanent Residency.

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An employer sponsored visa allows skilled workers to live in Australia and work for the employer who sponsored them. Its only available to applicants who have experience in a job listed on the skilled occupation list.

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The employer nomination scheme subclass 186 visa is the main employer sponsored visa which allows overseas workers to live and work in Australia on a permanent basis. There are three streams available for this visa:

• Direct entry stream

• Labour agreement stream

• Temporary Residence Transition stream

Subclass 186 - Employer nomination scheme visa (Direct entry stream)

This visa allows you to:

• Live, work and study in Australia permanently 

• Sponsor eligible family members

• Apply for Australian citizenship if you meet other eligibility requirements

Subclass 186 direct entry stream requirements

In order to be eligible to apply for a subclass 186 visa under the direct entry stream you must:

• Be nominated by an Australian employer

• Have an occupation which is also one of the eligible skilled occupations for this visa

• Have a minimum of three years experience in your chosen occupation (unless exempt)

• Have a positive skills assessment (unless exempt)

IELTS requirements

In order to apply for a subclass 186 visa under the direct entry stream, you must demonstrate that you have Competent English skills. This is equivalent to an IELTS band score of at least 6.0 for each of the four components. 

If you include any family members on your visa application and they have less than Functional English skills, you may need to pay an extra charge. Functional English is equivalent to an average band score of at least 4.5 based on the four test components.

Subclass 186 - Employer nomination scheme (Labour agreement stream)

The labour agreement stream of the subclass 186 visa is very similar to the direct entry stream, with a few key differences. Differences include:

• The employer who is sponsoring your visa must have a valid labour agreement

• You must be under 45 years old when you apply for the visa (unless the labour agreement states otherwise)

• You may not need to provide a skills assessment (the Department of Home Affairs will let you know if you do need to provide one)

IELTS requirements

There is no specific IELTS requirement for the labour agreement stream of the subclass 186 visa. You must meet the English language requirements of whichever labour agreement is in place with the employer sponsoring your visa. Check your employer's labour agreement to find out the level of English skills you need to demonstrate for this stream.

Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme (Temporary Residence Transition stream)

This visa allows skilled workers, who are nominated by their employer, live and work in Australia permanently.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​You must hold a 457, TSS or related bridging visa A, B or C

• Usually, you must have worked for your employer full-time for at least three years

• You must be nominated by your employer

IELTS requirements

In order to apply for a subclass 186 visa under the direct entry stream, you must demonstrate that you have Competent English skills. This is equivalent to an IELTS band score of at least 6.0 for each of the four components. 

This visa allows you to live and work in Australia on a temporary basis. There are two streams for this visa:

• Short term stream

• Medium term stream

Applicants who apply under the short term stream must have a job listed on the short term skilled occupation list (STSOL). If granted a visa, you may stay in Australia for up to two years (or up to five years if you hold a Hong Kong passport).

Applicants applying under the medium term stream must have a job listed on the medium and long term strategic skilled list (MLTSSL). If granted a visa, you may stay in Australia for up to four years (or five years if you hold a Hong Kong passport). 

Both short term and medium term applicants must:

• Have a positive skills assessment

• Have worked in their nominated occupation for at least two years

• Work for their nominating employer only while in Australia

IELTS requirements

Short term applicants must achieve an IELTS overall band score of 5.0, with a score of at least 4.5 in all four test components. 

Medium term applicants must achieve an IELTS overall score of 5.0, with a score of at least 5.0 in all four test components.

Subclass 494 - Regional employer sponsored visa (provisional)

This visa allows you to live, work and study in a specific regional area of Australia for up to five years. This visa also allows you to apply for permanent residency three years after your visa is granted.

Visa requirements

To be eligible for this visa you must:

• Be nominated for a job which is listed on the relevant skilled occupation list

• Have at least three years experience in your chosen job

• Have a positive skills assessment

• Work only for your nominating employer while in Australia

IELTS requirements

To apply for a subclass 494 visa you must demonstrate that you have Competent English skills. This is equivalent to an IELTS band score of at least 6.0 in all four test components. 

Would you like a better score? To help you feel confident going into your IELTS test, we’ve developed IELTS One Skill Retake. You can now retake any one component of the test; Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking without redoing all four sections. IELTS One Skill Retake can help you back on track.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs accepts IELTS One Skill Retake with the exception of applications for subclasses 476, 482, and 485, which need scores from a single sitting/attempt. It's important to check the Department’s website to understand for which visa subclasses you can use IELTS One Skill Retake.

Check out how to book IELTS One Skill Retake, or learn the difference between One Skill Retake and an Enquiry on Result (or a re-mark). We also have 5 tips on how to best prepare for One Skill Retake and a guide on how to get your IELTS One Skill Retake results.

Achieving a great IELTS score takes time and planning. You can’t just book and take your test in a matter of days – no matter how strong your English skills are. Successful test takers create a schedule to help them study everything they need to know before they sit an IELTS test. They make time to practise all four English skills – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking – as they know that each one is different.

If they have trouble with a topic, they attend a FREE Masterclass with an IELTS expert who can teach them how to improve. And, when they’re almost ready to take IELTS, they will complete as many practice tests as they can find. 

So, when there are hundreds of resources to help you study, where do you begin? Click here to access your go-to guide to IELTS preparation. All of our most important materials – both free and paid – are listed here, divided by category.

Start preparing now

Legislation about immigration changes frequently. It’s important to check the Australian Department of Home Affairs website for changes that may apply to you. If you are interested in Australian student visas, work visas, or looking to migrate permanently, you need to lodge an application with the Australian Government. You may want to consider getting support from a lawyer or migration agent.