This points-based visa is for skilled workers who are not sponsored by an employer, a state or territory, or a family member. With this visa, you can live and work permanently anywhere in Australia and eligible family members can be included in your application. This is a permanent visa and allows visa-holders to remain in Australia indefinitely with full work rights.
The Skilled Independent Subclass 189 visa replaced both the offshore Skilled – Independent Subclass 175 visa and the onshore Subclass 885 visa in 2012-2013.
To be able to submit a valid application for this visa you need to first submit an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect. You can do this in or outside Australia.
Application conditions:
Applications are by invitation only. To be invited to apply, you must:
- have experience in a nominated occupation on Australia’s Skilled Occupations List
- have a skills assessment with the relevant assessing authority for that occupation
- submit an Expression of Interest
- be older than 18 and less than 50 years of age when the invitation is issued
- meet general Skilled Migration basic requirements, including English language, health, and character checks
- be able to score at least 60 on the points test
You can also try our free online Australian General Skilled Migration points test to see if you score enough points for this visa.
If you are invited to apply for this visa, you will then have 60 days in which to submit your online application and fulfill other requirements. Your invitation letter will explain the process you should follow. In fact, invitations are based on claims made in your Expression of Interest at the time you are invited to apply. Moreover, your application must reflect the information provided in your Expression of Interest, and be supported by relevant evidence.
- Family
You can include the following family members in your visa application:
Your partner child and reltive.
Processing:
Priority processing arrangements apply to this visa. Furthermore, they determine the order in which Australian immigration considers applications regardless of when they have been submitted. To find out more about the priority processing arrangements Australian immigration has in place, please see our Priority Processing page.
Entitlements:
However, this visa allows you and your accompanying family members to:
- live and work permanently in Australia
- study in Australia
- enrol in Medicare, Australia’s scheme for health-related care and expenses
- access certain social security payments
- apply for Australian citizenship (subject to residency criteria)
- even sponsor family members for permanent residence.
