Skilled-Independent visa (subclass 189)

Visa 189

The Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189) is a permanent resident visa for skilled workers who want to work and live in Australia. The 189 visa allows the holder to stay indefinitely in Australia, travel to and from the country, work, bring family to work or study and enrol in Medicare.

The Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189) process includes three steps:
  1. Submission of Expression of Interest by the applicant

    An Expression of Interest (EOI) is a method of showing your interest in applying for a skilled visa to migrate to Australia. The EOI form, which asks a series of questions about your skills, is accessible through an online service called "SkillSelect". It is used to calculate your ability to meet the points test and can be made available to state and territory government agencies if you would like to be considered for a sponsored skilled visa.

  2. Invitation to apply

    The invitation is permission from the Department of Immigration that allows interested persons to apply for a visa under the skilled migration program. Invitation rounds are held once or twice a month and are subject to occupation ceiling; this means that there is a limit on how many invitations are issued in different subclasses for a particular occupation.

  3. Visa application

    A person who receives an invitation will have 60 days to lodge an online visa application.

Who can get the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)? Applicants must
  1. Nominate an occupation that is on the relevant skilled occupation list;

  2. Pass a suitable skills assessment for that occupation;

  3. Meet the pass mark in the skilled migration points test (based on the information provided in the applicant’s EOI). The pass mark is currently 60;

  4. Have at least competent English;

  5. Be under the age of 50;

  6. Satisfy health and character requirements.

Cost: As of July 2016, visa application fees are $3,600 for the main applicant, $1,800 for every secondary applicant who is at least 18 and $900 for every secondary applicant who is less than 18.
We can assist you with many aspects of your future in Australia. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require further information or have any questions.