Ptlabs Consulting

Employer Nominated Scheme (ENS)

Introduction
Australia welcomes highly skilled workers and professionals who are able to secure a permanent job offer from a suitable Australian employer to migrate to Australia via the Employer Nominated Scheme (ENS). The ENS program is administered by the Australian Department of Immigration & Citizenship (DIAC) to facilitate the smooth entry of employer sponsored workers into Australia as permanent residents of Australia.

There are several major pathways within the ENS program, and they are as follows:
• Employees who are currently outside of Australia (Subclass 121/119)
• Employees who are currently in Australia (Subclass 856/857)

There are complex legislative requirements and departmental policies that underpin each visa subclass that the employer and aspiring migrants must meet in order to be successful in a visa application under the ENS program.

Employer requirements
The Australian employer must meet legislative requirements in order to successfully nominate the employee under the ENS program. This includes being lawfully operating a business in Australia, have a training strategy for Australian employees and have a genuine need for an employee in the nominated position. The position must be for an occupation on the Employer Nominated Scheme Occupations List (ENSOL) and must meet the specified minimum salary rate for that occupation.

Employee requirements
The employee applicant under the ENS program must generally be under 45 years of age, have good English skills, in some instances the employee have obtained a positive skills assessment from the relevant skills assessment authority, and meet other legislative requirements depending on the applicant's personal circumstances. An employee who is over 45 years of age will need to argue to be exempted from the age limit by proving exceptional circumstances to the Department of Immigration & Citizenship. Ptlabs Consulting has experience in such matters, although each case is decided on its own merits by DIAC.

Skills Assessment
Under certain circumstances, the employee who wishes to apply under the ENS program may need to have his or her qualitications and/or work experience assessed by the relevant skills assessing authority. Ptlabs Consulting is able to provide assistance and advice to our clients for the skills assessment application where applicable.

Health and Character
All ENS visa applicants must be of good character and must meet certain health requirements before the visa applied for can be granted.

Initial Assessment Service
If you would like to get an initial assessment on your eligibility for an ENS visa, please use our Assessment tool.