You must provide documents to support your application for this visa. We can make a decision using the information you provide when you lodge your application. It is in your interest to provide as much information as possible with your application. Provide certified copies of original documents. Do not include original documents unless we specifically ask for them. Documents not in English must be accompanied by accredited English translations. Use this checklist to make sure your application is complete. Please note, that DIBP may require or change this checklist any time. Upload scans of your documents when you lodge your application online. Do not send us physical copies of documents through the mail unless we ask you to send them.

Forms

• A completed application form at Application for Permanent Employer Sponsored or Nominated Visa.
• A completed declaration form declaring whether or not you have engaged in activity that constitutes a breach of section 245AS of the Migration Act 1958 (the Act):
  • •  Declaration form (134KB PDF)
    • Paying for visa sponsorship – declaration requirement

• For anyone included in the application who is 18 years of age or older and is not your partner:
  • Form 47a Details of child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over (238 kB PDF).

• For each person included in the application who is 16 years of age or older:
  • Form 80 - Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment (373 kB pdf).

Charges

• Pay the visa application charge.

Receiving assistance

• If someone gives you advice or lodges your application for you:
  • Form 956 Advice by a migration agent/exempt person of providing immigration assistance (133 kB pdf) (the agent or exempt person completes the form and you must sign it).
• If you would like someone else to receive correspondence from us on your behalf:
  • Form 956a Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (116 kB pdf) (the recipient completes the form and you must sign it).

Personal documents for all applicants

• Certified copies of the biographical pages of the current passports or travel documents of all people included in the application (these are the pages with the holder's photo and personal details and the issue/expiry dates).

• If your name has changed or the name of anyone included in your application has changed: a certified copy of evidence of the name change.

Your family relationships

• A certified copy of your birth certificate showing both parents’ names. If you do not have a birth certificate and are unable to get one, you must provide a certified copy of the identification pages of at least one of the following documents:
  • family book showing both parents’ names
  • identification document issued by the government
  • court-issued documents that verify your identity.
• If you are unable to provide one of the above documents, you must provide other acceptable evidence that you are who you claim to be.

• Certified copies of marriage certificates or relationship registrations for you and anyone else included in your application, even if they are not joining you in Australia.

• If you are living in a de facto relationship: independent evidence that your relationship is genuine and continuing (for example, joint bank account statements, billing accounts in joint names or joint ownership of major assets).

• If you or anyone included in the application has been widowed, divorced or permanently separated: a certified copy of the death certificate, divorce documents, or statutory declaration separation documents.

Your children

• Certified copies of birth certificates or the family book showing the names of both parents of all your dependent children.

• If any dependent child included in the application is adopted: certified copies of the adoption papers.

• Evidence of financial dependency for all your family members aged 18 or older:
  • a certified copy of their birth certificate and proof of their relationship to you
  • proof that they live in your household
  • proof that they have been financially dependent on you for at least the 12 months immediately before you lodge your application.

You do not need to provide this if your family members currently have a subclass 457 visa that was granted to them on the basis that you are the primary holder of a subclass 457 visa.

• If you want to bring a child younger than 18 years of age with you to Australia, and that child’s other parent is not included in the application: documentary evidence that you have the legal right to bring that child to Australia, such as:
  • certified copies of official legal documents, such as a court-issued parental responsibility (custody), access or guardianship order
  • statutory declaration (80 kB pdf) giving their permission
  • Form 1229 Consent form to grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18 years (125 kB pdf). If you use Form 1229 or a statutory declaration, you will have to attach a certified copy of the other parent’s government-issued identification document (such as a passport or driver's licence) with their photograph and signature.

Character requirement

Police checks for you and everyone included in your application, whether they are migrating or not, who is at least 16 years of age. When required, you must provide a scanned colour copy:

• • of an Australian national police check for anyone who has spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia since turning 16 years of age
  • of police certificates from each country in which anyone in your application has spent a total of 12 months or more in the past 10 years since turning 16 years of age.

If you or anyone included in the application has served in the armed forces of any country, a certified scanned colour copy of military service record or discharge papers.

Direct Entry Stream

Provide these documents only if you are applying for this visa through the Direct Entry stream. You must provide a skills assessment with your application. A skills assessment provided after you have applied for your visa cannot be accepted. Some skills assessments are issued for the purpose of a subclass 485 visa.  Skills assessments which have been obtained for the purposes of the subclass 485 visa are assessed solely on qualifications and do not assess the applicant’s work experience.  As a result, these types of skills assessments are not appropriate to demonstrate skills under the ENS programme.

Skills and qualifications (must hold at time of application)

• Evidence that your skills have been assessed as suitable by the relevant assessing authority for your occupation and this assessment was not obtained for the purposes of a subclass 485 visa as these types of skills assessments are not considered full skills assessments for permanent skilled migration purposes. A relevant skills assessment is different to being registered with an appropriateregulatory body.
• Your curriculum vitae (CV).
• Certified copies of all qualifications and work experience (for example, employment references).
• Registration, licensing or professional membership, if required for your occupation in the state or territory in which you will be working.  Documents from the relevant Australian registration and licensing authorities that show you hold, or will be able to meet, necessary registration and licensing requirements.  The documents must specify both of the following:
  • the type of registration or licensing held
  • the name and contact details for the registration or licensing authority.
• If you are exempt from the skill requirement, you must provide evidence that one of the following applies to you:

• • You are a researcher, scientist or technical specialist at ANZSCO skill level 1 or 2 who is going to be employed by an Australian government research agency.
  • You are an academic employed at academic level A, B, C, D or E by a university in Australia.
  • You are someone who will be earning at, or above, the top individual income tax rate as determined by the Australian Taxation Office.
• If you are a New Zealand citizen or a dependant of a New Zealand citizen, have been in Australia as the holder of a Special Category visa (subclass 444) or a New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa (subclass 461) and have been working with your nominator for a period of at least two years before applying:
  • a detailed statement from the employer declaring that you have worked for them for at least two years (the letter should cover employment period, details of paid leave taken, details of unpaid leave taken, details of any overseas trips for training or work)
  • evidence of tax assessment notices for the two-year period
  • PAYG payment summaries for the period of employment
  • pay slips
  • extracts of leave records.

Age

You must be under 50 years of age at time of application to satisfy the age requirement, or be exempt.

• If you are exempt from the age requirement, you must provide evidence that one of the following applies to you:
  • You are a researcher, scientist or technical specialist (scientific) at ANZSCO skill level 1 or 2 who is going to be employed by an Australian government research agency.
  • You are an academic employed at academic level A,B,C,D or E by a university in Australia.
  • You are a medical practitioner who has been working in your nominated occupation as the holder of a subclass 422 visa for at least four years immediately before applying and at least two years of that employment was located in regional Australia and the nominated position is located in regional Australia.
  • You are a medical practitioner who has been working in your nominated occupation as the holder of a subclass 422 visa before becoming the holder of a subclass 457 visa for two years in the four years immediately before applying and at least two years of that employment was located in regional Australia and the nominated position is located in regional Australia.
  • You are someone who currently holds a subclass 444 (New Zealand citizen) or subclass 461 (New Zealand citizen’s family member) visa and you have been working for the employer who nominated you in your nominated occupation for at least two years in the three years immediately before applying.

English language ability (must be demonstrated at time of application)

• The results of a specific English language test that you took less than three years before lodging your application and showing that you have at least competent English. To prove that you have competent English you must provide evidence of one of the following:
  • You hold a valid passport issued by the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland and you are a citizen of that country.
  • You have achieved a score of at least 6 in each of the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) in an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test that has been undertaken in the three years immediately prior to lodging the visa application.
  • You have achieved a score of at least 'B' in each of the four test components of an Occupational English Test (OET) that has been undertaken in the three years immediately prior to lodging the visa application.
  • You have achieved the following minimum test scores in each of the four test components: 12 for listening, 13 for reading, 21 for writing and 18 for speaking, in a Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT) test that has been undertaken in the three years immediately prior to lodging the visa application.
  • You have achieved a test score of at least 50 in each of the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) in a Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic that has been undertaken in the three years immediately prior to lodging the visa application.
  • You have achieved a test score of at least 169 in each of the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) in a Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) test that has been undertaken on or after 1 January 2015 and prior to lodging the visa application.
• If you are exempt from the English language requirement, you must provide evidence that one of the following applies to you:

• • You will be earning at, or above, the top individual income tax rate as determined by the Australian Taxation Office (please note that if you are not able to demonstrate that you have functional English, you will be required to pay the second instalment of the visa application charge).
• For each of your dependants aged 18 years or older at the time you apply, one of the following (this is not required to be demonstrated at the time you lodge your application; however, your application will not be finalised until this evidence is provided):
  • They have functional English. See How can I prove I have functional English? for more information.
  • If they have less than functional English, a statement indicating that you intend to pay the second visa application charge.

Temporary Residence Transition stream

Provide these documents at time of application lodgement if you are applying for this visa through the Temporary Residence Transition stream.

Skills and qualifications (must hold at time of application)

Your skills do not need to be assessed because you have already worked for your nominating employer for two years in Australia.

• Registration, licensing or professional membership, if required for your occupation in the state or territory in which you will be working.
• Documents from the relevant Australian registration and licensing authorities that show you hold, or will be able to meet, necessary registration and licensing requirements.  The documents must specify both of the following:
  • the type of registration or licensing held
  • the name and contact details for the registration or licensing authority.

Age

You must be under 50 years of age at time of application to satisfy the age requirement, or be exempt.

• If you are exempt from the age requirement, you must provide evidence that one of the following applies to you:

• • You are a researcher, scientist or technical specialist (scientific) at ANZSCO skill level 1 or 2 who is going to be employed by an Australian government research agency.
  • You are an academic employed at academic level A,B,C,D or E by a university in Australia.
  • You are a medical practitioner who has been working in your nominated occupation as the holder of a subclass 457 for at least four years immediately before applying and at least two years of that employment was located in regional Australia and the nominated position is located in regional Australia.
  • You are a medical practitioner who has been working in your nominated occupation as the holder of a Subclass 422 visa before becoming the holder of a Subclass 457 visa for two years in the four years immediately before applying and at least 2 years of that employment was located in regional Australia and the nominated position is located in regional Australia.
  • You have been working for your nominating employer as the holder of a subclass 457 visa  for at least the four years immediately before applying and whose annual earnings for each year in the four year period was at least equivalent to the Fair Work High Income Threshold.

English language ability (must be demonstrated at time of application)

• The results of a specific English language test that you took less than three years before lodging your application and showing that you have at least vocational English. To prove that you have vocational English you must provide evidence of one of the following:
  • You hold a valid passport issued by the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland and you are a citizen of that country.
  • You have achieved a score of at least 5 in each of the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) in an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test that has been undertaken in the three years immediately prior to lodging the visa application.
  • You have achieved a score of at least 'B' in each of the four test components of an Occupational English Test (OET) that has been undertaken in the three years immediately prior to lodging the visa application.
  • You have achieved the following minimum test scores in each of the four test components: 4 for listening, 4 for reading, 14 for writing and 14 for speaking, in a Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT) test that has been undertaken in the three years immediately prior to lodging the visa application.
  • You have achieved a test score of at least 36 in each of the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) in a Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic that has been undertaken in the three years immediately prior to lodging the visa application.
  • You have achieved a test score of at least 154 in each of the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) in a Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) test that was undertaken on or after 1 January 2015 and prior to lodging the visa application.
• If you are exempt from the English language requirement, you must provide evidence that one of the following applies to you:

• • You will be earning at, or above, the top individual income tax rate as determined by the Australian Taxation Office (please note that if you are not able to demonstrate that you have functional English, you will be required to pay the second instalment of the visa application charge).
• You have completed at least five years of full-time study in a secondary and/or higher education institution where all of the tuition was delivered in English.
• For each of your dependants aged 18 years or older at the time you apply, one of the following (this is not required to be demonstrated at the time you lodge your application; however, your application will not be finalised until this evidence is provided):
  • They have functional English. See How can I prove I have functional English? for more information.
  • If they have less than functional English, a statement indicating that you intend to pay the second visa application charge.