We request you to contact us by Email: [email protected]
Australia: 1800 847 243
India: +91-7598 338 336
We request you to contact us by Email: [email protected]
Australia: 1800 847 243
India: +91-7598 338 336
Subclass 189 visa Points-tested Stream – Skilled Independent Visa
Newly arrived residents may have to wait before they can access certain Australian Government payments and benefits.
This is a permanent visa. It lets you stay in Australia indefinitely. The Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream) has a travel component that expires 5 years after the date of visa grant.
You become a permanent resident on the day the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs grant the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream).
For citizenship purposes, your permanent residence starts on the day:
Include family
You can include members of the family unit in your application. You can:
Family members who apply for the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream) must meet The department of Home Affairs health and character requirements.
If your partner or dependent children are not included in this application, tell the department of Home Affairs the reason why (for example, they already hold Australian citizenship or are a permanent resident).
The Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream) costs AUD4,045 for the main applicant.
There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream) with you.
To work out what your visa will cost use the Visa Pricing Estimator.
You might have to pay an extra charge for any applicant 18 years old or older who has less than functional English. This charge is the second instalment. Pay it only when the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs ask you to. The case officers at the Department of Home Affairs ask for the charge only if they are going to grant the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream).
The second instalment charge for family members is AUD4,885.
The Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream) Pricing Estimator does not include the second instalment or other costs. You might also have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream) and when the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs decide on your application, but not in immigration clearance.
If you apply in Australia, you must hold a substantive or a subclass 010 Bridging A visa, a subclass 020 Bridging B visa or a subclass 030 Bridging C visa, otherwise your application will not be processed.
The case officers at the Department of Home Affairs assess applications on a case-by-case basis, and actual processing times can vary due to individual circumstances including:
You can travel in and out of Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs grant the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream). After 5 years you will need a Resident Return (RRV) visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.
Subclass 189 visa Points-tested Stream – Skilled Independent Visa: Visa label
The case officers at the Department of Home Affairs will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.
Be invited to apply
You can only apply for this visa if the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs invite you to apply. See before you apply.
Submit an expression of interest (EOI) to let the department of Home Affairs know you would like to apply for the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream).
After you have submitted an EOI, you will be ranked against other intending applicants and might be invited to apply for the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream).
Invitations are issued regularly through SkillSelect.
Have a suitable skills assessment
For your application to be valid, you must declare that you have a suitable skills assessment at the time of invitation.
You will need to provide a copy of this skills assessment with your application.
For medical and legal practitioners, the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs also accept the following as proof of a skills assessment:
Your skills assessment must have been obtained in the 3 years before the date of your invitation. If the assessment was for a shorter period, that period must not have passed.
If your skills were assessed on the basis of a qualification you got in Australia when you held a student visa, the qualification must be from studying a course registered on CRICOS.
You must be aged under 45 when you are invited to apply for the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream).
You can still apply for the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream) if you turn 45 after you are invited to apply.
If you turn 45 after you submit your EOI, you will not be invited to apply.
Be able to score 65 points or more
This is a points-tested visa.
When you submit your EOI in SkillSelect you will be given an indicative points score based on the claims you have made. If you do not obtain a score of 65 points you will not be invited to apply for this visa.
If you are invited to apply for the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream), your invitation will state the number of points that you must score when the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs assess your application for grant of the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream) (this score may be higher than 65 points, depending on your claims in the EOI).
When you lodge your application, you must provide evidence supporting your claims.
To calculate how many points you may score use the points calculator.
Have this level of English language
At the time of invitation, you must have at least competent English.
Your occupation must be on the relevant list of eligible skilled occupations for the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) Point-Tested stream.
You and any family who apply for the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream) with you must meet The department of Home Affairs health requirement.
If requested, family members not accompanying you to Australia might also need to meet The department of Home Affairs health requirement.
You and family members aged 16 years and over who apply for the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream) with you must meet character requirement.
Family members not accompanying you to Australia must also meet the character requirement.
Have paid back your debt to the Australian government
If you or any family members (including those who do not apply for the Subclass 189 visa (Points-tested Stream) with you) owe the Australian Government money, you or they must have paid it back or arranged to pay it back.
If you are 18 years of age or older, you must:
You might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused while you were in Australia. Check if visa cancellation affects your eligibility.