Skilled Independent visa subclass 189 is a type of Australian skilled visa for skilled workers who are not appointed by territory/ state, employee or family/ relatives. If you want to live, work or study permanently in Australia then this visa is best for you. You can move to Australia permanently with a Skilled independent visa (subclass 189) and it will allow you to work, live and study anywhere in Australia. In simple words, Skilled Independent visa subclass 189 permits you to stay in Australia legally with full work rights. You can apply for this visa from in or outside of Australia. Independent subclass 175 visa and subclass 885 visa are replaced with the skilled independent subclass 189 visa in 2012-2013. To apply for 189 skilled visa, you need to check your occupation is available on skilled occupation lists or not. The Australian government has provided a list of eligible occupations. The eligible occupations include positions like engineers, nurses, architects, construction managers, teachers, physicians, foresters, programmers, dentists, welders, social workers, electricians, carpenters and more.
Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189 Processing Time
| Stream | 75% of application | 90% of application |
| Points Tested Stream | Not available | Not available |
| New Zealand Stream | 11 months | 16 months |
Cost for 189 Visa Australia
| Stream | Cost |
| Points Tested Stream | AUD 4045 |
| New Zealand Stream | AUD 4045 |
Benefits of Skilled Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189
- You can move to Australia permanently with a Skilled independent visa (subclass 189) and it will allow you to work, live and study in Australia.
- You can request for Australia citizenship if you are eligible
- You can take advantage of the medicare system and you can use Australia’s scheme for health-related care.
- You can include defector partner and spouse
- You can include your relatives and parents with your application.
- You can travel to and from Australia for 5 years.
- You can sponsor your family members for permanent residence.
- You need to follow all Australian rules and policies.
- If your dependent children are financially helpless then you can include them with your application.
Requirements for Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189
- You must be invited to apply for a Skilled Independent visa.
- You need to fulfil the occupation requirement.
- The Australian government has provided a list of eligible occupations. The eligible occupations include positions like engineers, nurses, architects, construction managers, teachers, physicians, foresters, programmers, dentists, welders, social workers, electricians, carpenters and more.
- You must be under 50 years.
- You need to achieve at least 60 points on Australia’s points test system.
- You need to provide evidence of English proficiency.
- You need to achieve at least 6 points in listening, reading, writing and speaking on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test.
- You need to provide the character certificate.
- You need to provide Health Insurance.
There are two-streams in Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189 as following
1) Points Tested Stream: For this stream, you must be appointed by any Australian registered worker.
Eligibility for Point Tested Stream
- Your age must be under 45 years
- You need to fulfil special return criteria and public interest criteria
- You need to provide a character certificate
- You need to provide a health insurance certificate
- you need to fulfil skilled occupation requirement
2) New Zealand Stream: If you are a citizen of New Zealand who has incontestable contribution and commitment then this visa allows you to live and work in Australia.
Eligibility for New Zealand Stream:
- Your age must be under 45 years
- You must have a subclass 444
- You need to provide a character certificate
- You need to provide a health insurance certificate
Steps to apply Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189
1) First of all, you need to check your occupation is available on skilled occupation lists or not. The Australian government has provided a list of eligible occupations. The eligible occupations include positions like engineers, nurses, architects, construction managers, teachers, physicians, foresters, programmers, dentists, welders, social workers, electricians, carpenters and more.
2) You need to fulfil these criteria:
- Must be under 50.
- Capable of speaking English
- Fulfil the character requirement
- Fulfil the health requirement
- Do not have any outstanding obligation to the Australian government
3) You need to achieve the required score in the skill appraisal test to get the skilled independent visa subclass 189.
4) You need to provide an aspect of interest by skill select. This program is known as EOI and The Australian Authorities will check your expression of interest. It is an important program for the skilled independent visa Subclass 189. EOI will ask you some questions related to your skills, background and previous.
5) You need to be appointed by a family member, state or territory government or employer. For this, you need to find a sponsor who is registered by the Australian government. The sponsor will send you a letter to an invitation to apply for the visa.
6) After finding a sponsor, you will be required to have them appoint you for the skilled independent visa. Even you can often request this visa at that time when he/she lodges his/her application.
7) After completing this process, you need to wait for the decision. The processing time for the skilled independent visa (Subclass 189) was 3 months.
8) After receiving the visa you can start your work in Australia
If you are thinking to move Australia and want advice then please contact migration services Adelaide and Best migration agent Adelaide will assist you for your visa process.