189 Skilled Independent Visa
The Points Based Skilled (Permanent) subclass 189 visa
What is 189 Visa - Skilled Independent ?
Visa 189 is one of the most popular visa for Medium and Long Term Skilled Occupations. This is a Points-tested based permanent residency visa. Applicants are not required to have an employer to sponsor them or be nominatetd by a State or Territory government.
Who needs Visa 189 Australia?
This visa is for eligible skilled workers who wish to live and work in Australia as a permanent resident.
The nomination requirement is quite simple and most people with eligible occupations can apply.
If you are granted a 189 visa, you can:
- Live and work in any part of Australia permanently (Not like 491 Visa or 190 visa that you are obliged to live in a designated regional area or state that nominated you)
- Have Medicare card cover most medical and health benefits
- Sponsor your immediate family unit members for Australian PR
- Apply Australian citizenship once you meet certain requirements.
What are the application requirements?
To be eligible for the Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189), you must meet the following criteria:
- Be under 45 years of age.
- Have a nominated occupation on the Medium and Long Term Strategic Skilled List (MLTSSL).
- Have an eligible positive skills assessment of the nominated occupation.
- Have at least competent English. The minimum requirement is IELTS 6.0, PTE Academic scores for tests taken before August 7, 2025 are 50 in each component, while for tests taken on or after August 7, 2025, the scores are Listening: 47, Reading: 48, Writing: 51, Speaking: 54, or equivalent scores across all bands. However, higher scores may be required to be awarded additional points.
- Score at least 65 points from the Points Test.
- Be invited to apply by the Federal Government.
- Meet health and character requirements.
How to increase your EOI Points for 189 Visa applications?
In the 189 Visa process, you must meet minimum 65 points to be able to lodge an expression of interest (EOI).
However, there are many applicants who can reach 65 points or even higher in the pool, that makes some of the occupations becoming more competitive.
This way, you may wish to gain more points by considering those key factors:
- Partner Skills and English - Your partner has positive skills assessment and minimum competent English : maximum 10 points
- Obtained NAATI for extra 5 points
- Professional Year program for Engineering, IT and Accounting applicants: 5 points
- Higher English proficiency test for a maximum additional 20 points
- Gain more work experience in Australia
What is the application process?
Check eligibility with EOI points test calculator
Obtain positive skills assessment and required English test results
Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect
Submit visa application within 60 days of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) and include all supporting documents for the application
Do note that this is a simplified overview of the steps involved. Preparing and providing the right documents and information as required is an important factor in ensuring your application is processed smoothly.
Benefit of 189 Visa and why it is so popular?
Although there are fewer occupations available for 189 visa than the others in the skilled migration stream, the visa applicants may have their exclusive rights that makes them want to obtain it.
Direct Grant Permanent Residency for 189 Visa holders
Like 190 state nominated visa, 189 visa is a direct grant Permanent Residency of Australia.
Besides that, main applicants can bring eligible family members to apply for visa 189 together in the same application.
This benefits the applicants who want to purchase property in Australia (No FIRB at around 7-8% of the property value)
No residential obligation or condition post Visa 189 granted
Another benefit of 189 visa is that holders do not need to stay in a desginated area or be attached by a condition.
All holders of 189 visa will be able to live, work and study anywhere and anytime in Australia or make a decision to leave Australia and work in another country.
This is not like other visas such as 491 or 190 when you may be obliged to stay in the nominated state or stay in regional areas of Australia.
No skilled employment required and less difficult criteria than other subclasses
As mentioned, there are not many requirements to apply for 189 visa Australia.
The primary criteria is you must be les than 45 years of age, have a skill assessment of a nominated occupation that is in the MLTSSL and score a minimum of 65 points.
In fact, recently, there has been a lot of invitation to applicants who are scoring 65 points.
There is no working experience or high English score required, however, it is recommended to gain more points by those factors to increase chance of being invited.
189 Visa Application Cost
The Department of Home Affairs periodically updates its visa application fees. The current fees are as follows:
- Primary Applicant: AU$ 4,910
- Secondary Applicant (18+ years): AU$ 2,455
- Secondary Applicant (under 18): AU$ 1,230
Note: The total cost will vary depending on the number and age of the family members included in the application. These fees are subject to change by the Department of Home Affairs.
How can Work Visa Lawyers help?
Work Visa Lawyers is highly experienced in all parts of the General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa application process. We are able to assist with all aspects of the application, and can also advise on complications in relation to:
- nominating the appropriate ANZSCO code
Lodgement of skills assessments
difficulties in obtaining documents to demonstrate work experience or family relationships
upcoming deadlines which will affect your points total, such as age or expiring documents. We prepare your application efficiently to enable your visa application to be submitted as quickly as possible
Work Visa Lawyers will provide an eligibility assessment before advising you to proceed with a visa application.
Our team of experienced Immigration Lawyers and Migration Agents look forward to assisting you with your Australian visa or appeal.
Based in Adelaide South Australia, we provide Australian Immigration advice to people and businesses from all over the world.
