Skilled Visa

Skilled Independent Visa – Subclass 189

The subclass 189 skilled independent visa is a no-strings-attached permanent visa that lets you live and work in Australia with no restrictions as to location or employer. It is aimed at facilitating easy migration to Australia for people with skills that are in demand across Australia.

Application process

1. Identify an occupation on the MLTSSL
2. Apply for and receive a positive skills assessment for your skilled occupation
3. If necessary, sit an English test
4. Lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) with SkillSelect
5. Receive invitation to apply
6. Make application within 60 days

Visa eligibility criteria

The major criteria for a subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa are:

• A positive skills assessment  for your occupation
• Achieving an English standard of at least IELTS 6 or equivalent
• Aged between 18 and 45 inclusive. In other words, you cannot have turned 45 at the time of invitation.
• Standard health and character criteria.
• Having at least 65 points on the General Skilled Migration points test

The points test

All candidates to migrate to Australia through the General Skilled Migration program are ranked based on a points test. Applicants must reach at least 65 points, but those with higher pointsare given priority for invitation than lower pointed applicants. Click here to work out how many points you currently have.

There is a limited number of invitations that will be issued for each occupation in any given year, but in practice very few occupations will ever reach this occupation ceiling. Occupations that are likely to reach the occupation ceiling are handled differently to other occupations and you may require a higher score than 60 points to receive an invitation for one of these occupations.

Common problems for applicants

• It’s important to nominate the correct occupation for the position you are nominating. The nominated occupation can be the difference between visa grant and visa refusal, and you cannot change your mind after the application has been lodged.
• We recommend that visa applicants attend an English test as soon as possible after deciding to apply for a General Skilled Migration visa, if you have not already achieved the required level of English in the last three years.
• If you want to apply from within Australia, always be aware of your current visa’s expiry date and conditions. Letting a visa expire without applying for a new one can have severe consequences, even if you try to apply the next day.

Skilled independent visa applicant FAQ