189 Visa

The Skilled Independent Subclass 189 visa is a points-tested permanent visa for skilled workers who are not sponsored by an Australian employer, family member or nominated by a state or territory.

189 Visa Eligibility

Have this Visa

If you are in Australia when you submit your application, you need to have one of the following:

– A substantive visa
– Bridging Visa A (BVA) – subclass 010
– Bridging Visa B (BVB) – subclass 020
– Bridging Visa C (BVC) – subclass 030

If you currently possess, or previously held, either of the following substantive visas:

– Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491)
– Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494)

You must have held that visa for a minimum of three years at the time of your application.

Be invited to apply

You can only apply for this visa if you receive an invitation from us. 

To start, submit an expression of interest (EOI) indicating your desire to apply for the visa.

Once your EOI is submitted, you’ll be ranked alongside other prospective applicants and may receive an invitation to apply for the visa.

Invitations are issued regularly via SkillSelect.

Have a suitable Skills Assessment

To ensure your application is valid, you must confirm that you have a suitable skills assessment at the time of your invitation.

Delegates of the Minister will now accept a skills assessment for your nominated skilled occupation obtained within the 60 days prior to the invitation.

This change follows the decision in Thapa v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2021] FCCA 686 (Thapa). The Minister will implement the Migration Regulations 1994 in line with this decision but reserves the right to argue in court that Thapa was incorrectly decided.

You will need to include a copy of your skills assessment with your application.

For medical and legal practitioners, we also accept the following as valid proof of skills assessment:

– Full, unconditional, or general medical registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
– Conditional specialist registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, which allows practice solely in your specialty without further training or supervision.
– Admission to practice law in the relevant state or territory.

Your skills assessment must have been conducted within the three years leading up to your invitation. If the assessment was for a shorter duration, that timeframe must still be valid.

If your skills were assessed based on a qualification obtained in Australia while you held a student visa, the qualification must be from a course registered on CRICOS.

Be this age

You must be under 45 years old when we invite you to apply for the visa.

If you turn 45 after receiving our invitation, you can still proceed with your application.

However, if you turn 45 after submitting your expression of interest (EOI) but before we invite you to apply, you will not receive an invitation.

Be able to score 65 points or more

The Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189) is a points-tested visa. When you submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect, you’ll receive an indicative points score based on your claimed qualifications, experience, and other factors.

To be eligible for invitation, you must score at least 65 points. However, your actual invitation may require a higher score depending on your EOI claims and competition in your occupation group.

When lodging your visa application, you must provide supporting evidence for all claims made in your EOI.

Use the official points calculator to estimate your score and assess your eligibility.

Have this level of English Language

At the time of your invitation, you must demonstrate at least competent English proficiency.

Skills Requirement

Your occupation must be included in the relevant list of eligible skilled occupations for the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) in the Points-Tested stream.

Health Requirement

You and any family members applying for the visa with you must meet our health requirements.

If requested, family members who are not accompanying you to Australia may also need to fulfill these health requirements.

Character Requirement

You and any family members aged 16 years and older applying for the visa with you must meet our character requirements.

Additionally, family members who are not accompanying you to Australia must also comply with these character requirements.

189 Visa Application Fee Estimator

Include your family

189 visa applicants may be able to include the below family members to their application

• Dependent children/step-children
• Partner’s dependent child or children
• Partner

Partner

Your married or de facto partner can be the same or opposite sex. Applicants must prove:
• the relationship is genuine and continuing
• your partner is at least 18 years of age when the application is lodged (there are some exceptions)
• you are not related by family (if you are in a de facto relationship)
• you and your partner have a mutual commitment to a shared life to the exclusion of all others, and
• you live together, or do not live separately on a permanent basis.

Children

To be eligible to be included or added to a 189 visa, a child must:
• be your child or a stepchild from a current or a previous relationship (in certain circumstances);
• not be married, engaged to be married, or have a de facto partner; and must be:
• under 18 years of age
or
• over 18 years of age but not yet turned 23, and be dependent on you or your partner
or
• over 23 years of age and be unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations and be dependent on you or your partner (Note: The child will still need to meet Australia’s health requirement)
or
• a dependent child of a child who is eligible under 1, 2 or 3 above.

English

Applicants over 18 must demonstrate Functional English. You can demonstrate Functional English without taking an English test if you:
• hold a valid passport issued by the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland
• have completed all years of primary education and at least three years of secondary education in an educational institution in or outside Australia and all instructions were in English.
• have completed at least five years of secondary education in an institution in or outside Australia and all instructions were in English.
• have completed at least one year of full-time study or equivalent part-time study towards a degree, higher degree, diploma, or associate diploma in an institution in Australia and all instructions were in English.
• have completed a degree, a higher degree, a diploma or a trade certificate that required at least two years of full-time study or training in an institution in or outside Australia and all instructions were in English.

English Exemption

You can choose to pay an additional application fee for family members who have less than functional English.

Health & Character

All family members must meet health and character requirements. All applicants over 16 must provide police clearances.