489 Visa

The 489 visa is now closed to new applications

Applicants can hold a subclass 475, 487, 495 or 496 visas (Extended Stay pathway)
Applicants can be sponsored by either a relative who is living in a designated area or a State or Territory Government to be eligible. (Invited pathway)

Be invited to apply:

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

To begin, please submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect to indicate your interest in applying for the visa.

Be sure to specify whether an eligible relative will sponsor you or if you would like a state or territory government agency to nominate you.

Be nominated or sponsored

You must either be nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency or indicate that you will be sponsored by an eligible relative. Here are the details:

• Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI): Complete an EOI for the visa to receive an estimate of your points score.
• If you achieve a sufficient score, state and territory government agencies can view your EOI and may choose to nominate you for the visa.
• Sponsorship by an Eligible Relative: If you indicate in your EOI that you will be sponsored by an eligible relative, the Department may invite you to apply for a visa during an invitation round.

Nomination by an Australian state or territory government agency

If you are nominated for the visa, we will send you an invitation to apply. Each state and territory government agency has its own criteria for selecting nominees.

To learn more about their nomination process and requirements, please contact the relevant state or territory agency directly:

• New South Wales
• Northern Territory
• Queensland
• South Australia
• Tasmania
• Victoria
• Western Australia

Sponsorship by an eligible relative

Your sponsor must meet the following requirements:

• Be 18 years old or older
• Be usually resident in a designated area of Australia
• Be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen
• Be your or your partner’s eligible relative

Eligible relatives include:

• A parent
• A child or step-child
• A brother, sister, adoptive brother, adoptive sister, step-brother, or step-sister
• An aunt, uncle, adoptive aunt, adoptive uncle, step-aunt, or step-uncle
• A nephew, niece, adoptive nephew, adoptive niece, step-nephew, or step-niece
• A grandparent
• A first cousin

Your sponsorship must be approved before you can be granted a visa.

Be this age

To be invited to apply for the visa, you must be under 45 years old.

You can still apply if you turn 45 after receiving the invitation. However, if you turn 45 after submitting your Expression of Interest (EOI) but before receiving the invitation, you will not be invited to apply.

Have a suitable skills assessment

For your application to be valid, you must declare that you have a suitable skills assessment at the time of your invitation. You will need to provide a copy of this skills assessment with your application.

For medical and legal practitioners, the following can also serve as proof of a skills assessment:

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

Your skills assessment must have been obtained within the three years prior to your invitation. If the assessment was valid for a shorter period, that period must not have expired.

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

Be able to score 65 points or more

The subclass 489 is a points-tested visa.

When you submit your Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect, you will receive an indicative points score based on your claims. If you do not achieve a score of at least 65 points, you will not be invited to apply for this visa.

If you are invited to apply, your invitation will specify the minimum points you must achieve when we assess your application for the visa. This required score may be higher than 65 points, depending on the claims made in your EOI.

When you submit your application, you must provide evidence to support your claims.

To find out how points can be awarded, please refer to the points table.

Calculate your points

English

At the time of your invitation, you must have at least Competent English.

Information about Family Members Aged 18 and Over:
If a family member aged 18 or older is applying for the visa with you, they must either:

• Have Functional English, or
• Pay a second installment of the visa application charge.

Meet the skills requirement

Your occupation must be on the combined list of eligible skilled occupations for a Skilled Regional (subclass 489) visa.

The specific list that applies to you will depend on whether you are being:

• Nominated by a state or territory government agency
• Sponsored by an eligible relative

Health

You and any family members applying for the visa with you must meet our health requirements. Additionally, if requested, family members who are not accompanying you to Australia may also need to meet these health requirements.

Character

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 fulfill these character requirements.

Have paid back your debt to the Australian goernment

If you or any family members (including those not applying for the visa with you) owe money to the Australian Government, you must have either paid it back or made arrangements to do so.

Sign the Australian values statement

If you are 18 years of age or older, you must:

• Have read or had explained to you the Life in Australia booklet.
• Confirm that you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws by signing the Australian Values Statement.

Not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused

We will take your immigration history into account when making a decision on your application. This means you may not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa canceled or refused.

However, in certain circumstances, you may still apply for a permanent visa despite a visa cancellation or refusal. For more details, refer to the section on Limitations on applications in Australia.

The 489 visa is now closed to new applications

The 489 visa is now closed to new applications

The 489 visa is now closed to new applications

Applicants can include the following people in their transitional permanent residency 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 or pay an additional application fee to be exempt. Otherwise, if you would like to improve your English score, our English Language School partner can help.

Health and Character

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