What is the 186 visa cost? A clear breakdown of the ENS visa application charge, second instalment, SAF levy, skills assessment and who pays what.
The subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa has three separate money pieces, and confusing them is where people get their sums wrong. There’s the nomination that the employer lodges, the visa application charge that the visa applicant pays, and the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy the employer pays for the nomination. The main visa application charge is a set government fee, with lower additional charges for a partner and each child included in the application. The SAF levy is usually the biggest single business cost, and it’s the employer’s to pay by law. On top of the government charges, plan for a skills assessment, English testing, health checks, police clearances, and professional fees. Because Home Affairs updates these amounts, always confirm the current figures before you commit.
Here’s how the 186 visa cost breaks down, who pays each part, and what pushes the total up.
A subclass 186 application is really two applications working together, plus a levy. Keep them separate in your head:
1. The nomination (lodged by the employer). This identifies the position and the business. It carries a nomination fee and, separately, the SAF levy. 2. The visa application (lodged by the worker and their family). This carries the visa application charge, which is the fee most people mean by “186 visa cost”. 3. The SAF levy (paid by the employer). A training levy tied to the nomination, calculated on the size of the business and the length of the position.
Understanding which party pays which piece prevents the most common argument between employers and workers.
The visa application charge is the government fee the applicant pays to lodge the visa. There’s a base charge for the main applicant, then lower additional charges for each family member included, split by whether they’re 18 or over or under 18. So a single applicant pays less than a family of four.
The base charge is insert current subclass 186 base visa application charge from Home Affairs at publish date. Additional applicant charges are insert current additional charges for adults and children. If you’ve held a related visa before, or you’re adding family later, second-instalment rules can apply in limited situations, and we’ll flag those.
The Skilling Australians Fund levy is paid by the sponsoring employer, not the worker, and it’s often the single largest cost in the whole process. It’s charged per nomination and scales with:
The levy is insert current SAF levy amounts for small and large businesses. Because it’s a legal obligation on the employer, a business that tries to pass it to the worker is breaking the rules, and that can jeopardise the nomination.
Government charges aren’t the end of it. A realistic 186 budget also includes:
Individually these are smaller than the levy, but together they’re a meaningful part of the total.
The 186 has different pathways, and the pathway can change what you need to pay for:
Choosing the right stream affects both your eligibility and your outlay, so it’s worth getting that decision right before you spend on assessments you may not need.
This is one of the most searched questions, so to be clear:
Some employers choose to cover more as part of a package, and that’s a matter for negotiation, but the levy split is fixed by law.
We work out the true total cost for your specific situation, split correctly between employer and worker, so there are no surprises or unlawful arrangements. We confirm the right ENS stream so you don’t pay for a skills assessment you don’t need, we prepare both the nomination and the visa application, and we manage the health, police and English requirements in the right order. For employers, we make sure the SAF levy is handled correctly so the nomination isn’t put at risk.
The total combines the visa application charge (paid by the worker), the nomination fee and SAF levy (paid by the employer), and personal costs like skills assessment, English test, health and police checks. The levy is usually the largest piece. We’ll give you a full itemised estimate for your case.
The employer must pay the nomination fee and the SAF levy by law. The worker usually pays the visa application charge and their own personal costs. The levy cannot be passed to the worker.
The Skilling Australians Fund levy is a training charge the sponsoring employer pays with the nomination. For the permanent 186 it’s a one-off amount that scales with the size of the business.
Each family member added to the visa application attracts an additional charge, at different rates for adults and children. A family therefore pays considerably more than a single applicant.
Often yes, and it has its own fee. Some applicants on the Temporary Residence Transition stream may not need a fresh one, which is one reason choosing the right stream matters for cost.
They’re structured differently. The 482 (Skills in Demand) levy is charged per year of sponsorship, while the 186 levy is a one-off. Over time the permanent 186 can work out more cost-effective, but it depends on your circumstances.
No. It’s unlawful for a sponsor to transfer or recover the SAF levy from the visa applicant. If an employer asks you to, that’s a warning sign.
Generally the visa application charge is not refunded if an application is refused. That’s why getting the nomination and visa right the first time is so important.
These vary by provider and by how many countries you need police clearances from. They’re modest compared with the levy but should still be budgeted for each applicant.
Usually when you lodge the visa application. Some limited situations involve a second instalment, which we’ll identify for you in advance.
Guesswork is expensive with employer-sponsored visas. If you want an accurate, itemised cost for your ENS application, split correctly between employer and worker, talk to a registered migration agent at BYD. See our Employer Nomination (ENS) visa page, or call 0434 893 901 to book a consultation.
