Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189) – Australia

Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189) is undoubtedly the best pathway for foreign workers to settle and work in Australia. The subclass 189 stream provides permanent residence in Australia from the very first day you get this visa.

Australian immigration pathways provide a chance to thousands of applicants from around the world to work and settle in the developed country with family members. Every year, alone for “Skilled Independent Visa (subclass189) a separate quota is set aside to allow several foreign workers to enter Australia.

For the year 2023-2024, a quota of 30,375 has been set aside out of a total of 190,000 for this category. Please note a separate set of requirements is used for the citizens of New Zealand and Hong Kong for this visa.

Subclass 189 at a Glance

Topics	Details
Duration	This is a permanent residency visa.
Cost	AUD 4,640 for the main applicant, additional fees for dependents.
Family Sponsorship	Eligible to be included in the application under specific conditions.
Skills Assessment	You need a suitable skills assessment for your occupation from the relevant authorities.
Invitation Required to apply	Yes, you need an initiation to apply for the PR visa.
Points Test	Yes, the subclass 189 visa is points-based and you must score a minimum of 65 points to get an invitation to apply for the visa.
Skills requirement	Your occupation should be from the occupations list for subclass 189.

What is a Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189)

The Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189) works on a points-based system. To be able to get an invitation to apply for a PR visa, the candidates must prove that they score a minimum of 65 points against their skills assessment, qualifications, work experience, and language proficiency (and additional factors).

The process to apply for this visa stream is simple, you submit an “Expression of Interest” through a portal Skillsselect to let the Australian immigration department know that you are interested in this visa. Upon successfully assessing your claimed points, you are asked to submit a visa application through immi portal.

You do not need a nomination, sponsorship, or a job offer from Australia as an eligibility factor. You can get enough points even without these utilities to be eligible for an invitation to apply for permanent residence.

Benefits of Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189)

You can do this through a skilled independent visa in Australia:

• Work, study, and enroll in Medicare.
• Support eligible relatives’ visits.
• Travel to and from Australia.
• Apply for citizenship if eligible.
• Sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residency.
• Permanent residency starts upon visa grant or entry.

Additionally, once you start work in Australia, you are protected by Australian workplace laws.

Eligibility Criteria

The applicant must fulfill the eligibility requirements to be invited to apply for the PR after submitting an EOI (expression of interest).

Age requirements

You must be under 45 years of age to apply. If you turn 45 after submitting EOI, you will be eligible to apply.

Skills requirement  

Your occupation must be on the eligible skilled occupations list for subclass 189. It means the work experience you have gathered over time and your job title must be from the eligible occupations list. Australia has designed the skilled independent visa to overcome the skilled workers in the local labor market.

Suitable skills assessment

Applicant must receive a suitable skills assessment from relevant authorities. Your report of assessment must not be older than 3 years at the time you apply for the visa. You can check here the skills assessment process and awarding bodies.

English proficiency

You must show your English language proficiency to be eligible for the visa program. A competent level of English language through accepted test results is mandatory. You still will not be able to score points for this level of English.

Be invited to apply  

You require an invitation via SkillSelect. You cannot apply for this visa if the Australian Immigration Department does not invite you to do so. You should submit an expression of interest (EOI) through the Skillselect portal. You should also indicate there if you want to be sponsored by a family member in Australia or nominated by the state or territory government agency to nominate you.

Scoring 65 Points

You must score 65 points against the skills assessment, age, qualification, English proficiency, and other factors. Once you submit your expression of interest through the SkillSelect portal, you can be invited by the Australian immigration department to apply for a permanent residence visa. The points calculator is given below.

Points Calculator for a Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189)?

You must score 65 points to be eligible for the invitation to apply for a PR visa. The points calculator is as follows for all skills and requirements:

English Language

English	Points
Competent English	0
Proficient English	10
Superior English	20

Following are the approved tests in English and their proficiency levels:

Test Name	Functional English	Vocational English	Competent English	Proficient English	Superior English
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)	4 each in Listening and Reading and 14 each for Writing and Speaking	5 Overall and 4 for each of the 4 modules	6 for each of the 4 modules	7 for each of the 4 test modules	8 for each of the 4 test modules
(TOEFL iBT)	32 for overall all 4 modules	4 each in Listening and Reading and 14 each for Writing and speaking	12 for listening, 13 for reading, 21 for writing, and 18 for speaking	24 for listening, 24 for reading, 27 for writing, and 23 for speaking	28 for listening, 29 for reading, 30 for writing, and 26 for speaking
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic)	30 for each of the 4 components	36 for each of the 4 components	50 for each of the 4 components	65 for each of the 4 test components​	79 for each of the 4 test components
Occupational English Test (OET)		B for each of the 4 components	B for each of the 4 components	B for each of the 4 test components	A for each of the 4 test components
​Cambridge C1 Advanced test	​147 in each of the 4 components	154 in each of the 4 components	​169 in each of the 4 components	185 in each of the 4 test components	200 in each of the 4 test components

Applicants who are citizens of the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, or the Republic of Ireland do not need to show the above-mentioned test certificates.

Age

Age	Points
18 but less than 25 years	25
25 but less than 33 years	30
33 but less than 40 years	25
40 but less than 45 years	15

Skilled Employment (outside Australia)

Years	Points
Less than 3 years	0
At least 3 but less than 5 years	5
At least 5 but less than 8 years	10
At least 8 years	15

Skilled Employment (inside Australia)

Number of years	Points
Less than 1 year	0
At least 1 but less than 3 years	5
At least 3 but less than 5 years	10
At least 5 but less than 8 years	15
At least 8 years	20

Educational Qualification

Education	Points
A Doctorate (with recognized standards).	20
At least a Bachelor’s degree (recognized standard).	15
A diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution.	10
Obtained qualification that is recognized by the relevant assessing authority for your nominated skilled occupation.	10

Specialist Educational Qualification

Requirement	Points
A master’s degree in research or a Doctorate from an Australian educational institution that includes at least 2 academic years of study in a relevant field. The qualified fields are: – Natural and physical sciences – Information technology – Engineering and related technology	10

Spouse/Partner

Requirement	Points
Your spouse must also be an applicant for this visa and meet age, English, and skill criteria. Additionally, you will need to provide evidence that when you were invited to apply for this visa they: – had nominated a skilled occupation that is on the same skilled occupation list as your nominated skilled occupation – were under 45 years old – had a suitable skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for their nominated skilled occupation, and the assessment wasn’t for a Subclass 485 visa. – had competent English (for example a score of 6 overall in IELTS)	10
Your spouse must also be an applicant for this visa and have competent English (such as an overall score of 6)	5
Your partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident or you are single.	10

Points for Skills from Australia

Skills in Australia	Points and Explanation
Australian Study Requirements	You can score 5 points if you have at least 1 degree, diploma, or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution that meets the Australian study requirement.
Professional Year in Australia	If you have passed a professional year in the fields of Accounting, ICT/Computing, or Engineering, then you also score 5 extra points.
Credentialled community language	If you hold this credential, you can score 5 points as well.
Study in regional Australia	If you have studied for a year in a degree, trade, or diploma qualification, you can be awarded 5 points. The qualification must meet the Australian study requirements.

Fee or Cost of Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189)

The fee depends upon whether you are applying for the visa alone or with family members.

Applicant type	Visa Fee in AUD	Installment type
Main Applicant	4,640	1st (at the time of submitting the visa application)
Additional Applicant Charge 18+	2,320	1st (at the time of submitting the visa application)
Additional Applicant Charge Under 18	1,160	1st (at the time of submitting the visa application)
*Extra fee if your dependent applicant has English language proficiency less than Functional (this is for example for an IELTS test 4.5 overall score)	4,885	2nd (this fee is paid as the second installment when you are asked by the immigration department)

There are other costs associated with this visa as well according to your country of origin:

• cost of health tests;
• police certificates;
• biometrics;
• any translations in English of your documents in another language; and
• obtaining the language tests.

Processing Times

Please note the processing times are subject to change. Following are the estimated periods in case your visa application has complete documentation:

Processing Times*	Points Based Stream	New Zealand Stream
50% processed	69 days	26 months
90% processed	8 months	36  months

If you already hold a temporary visa of Australia

Subclass 189 has especially been designed to attract foreign workers from abroad who are coming to Australia for the first time. But if you are already in Australia, you can also apply for this permanent residence visa if you hold any of the following visas (otherwise your application will not be processed):

• substantive or a subclass 010 Bridging A visa;
• a subclass 020 Bridging B visa; or
• a subclass 030 Bridging C visa.

If you have been living on following visas, you can apply it after you have been holding these for 3 years minimum:

• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491); or
• Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494)

Step-by-Step process of visa application

Step 1: First actions

You should:

• Submit an expression of interest (EOI) through SkillSelect: Initiate the visa application process by formally expressing your interest;
• Ensure accuracy and compliance with visa requirements are maintained;
• Check your occupation against the combined list of eligible skilled occupations: Verify alignment with the visa criteria; and
• Obtain a suitable skills assessment within the 3-year validity period: Ensure competency and relevance to the nominated occupation.

Step 2: Invitation and Nomination

In the second step, you:

• wait for a potential invitation to apply for the visa based on your EOI submission and eligibility criteria;
• can also be nominated by state or territory government and if nominated, you receive confirmation from relevant authorities and proceed with the application process. Please note these authorities have different requirements for the eligibility criteria.

Step 3: Document Compilation

In the third step you:

• gather essential identity documents such as your passport and any proof of name change if applicable;
• submit documentation validating your skills assessment, including reference numbers or qualifications;
• compile documentation demonstrating English language proficiency with test results not older than three years; and
• obtain proof of adequate health insurance coverage for yourself and accompanying dependents.

Step 4: Visa Application Preparation

In the final step, you:

• initiate the visa application process by logging in or creating an account on the designated platform called ImmiAccount;
• ensure all necessary paperwork is submitted along with your application including attaching the required documents online; and
• finalize the payment of the application fee and note the Transaction Reference Number (TRN) for future reference. The fee is paid online on the same portal for you and the additional applicants. In the first installment, you pay for you and any other 18 plus or under 18 applicants.

Step 5: Outcome of the Visa Application

Your visa application may be granted or refused. If the visa has been granted, you will be informed about the next steps. Australian visas are digital and are not labeled on the passport physically.

Going to Australia with a Subclass 189 Visa

Departing for Australia

Once you have obtained the “Skilled Independent Visa”, before you leave you must make sure you check the following:

• Verify that your passport and visa are valid, current, and updated.
• Complete an Incoming Passenger Card.
• Use SmartGate for quicker airport departure.

Leaving Australia

You are allowed multiple entries to and from Australia. Once you want to leave Australia for a holiday or visit your home in your country of origin you should:

• Ensure valid travel documents.
• Check visa conditions and expiry.
• Use SmartGate for faster airport departure.
• Request international movement records for travel proof.

Frequently Asked Questions