The Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189) is a points tested stream that lets invited workers with the rights skills to live and work permanently anywhere in Australia!
This visa lets you:
- stay in Australia permanently
- work and study in Australia
- enrol in Australia’s public health care scheme, Medicare
- sponsor your relatives to come to Australia
- travel to and from Australia for 5 years
- and if you are eligible, become an Australian citizen
Because this is a permanent visa, you will be allowed to live in Australia indefinitely. How good is that! And, you become a permanent resident on the day that the Department grants your visa. The other benefit of this visa is that you are able to include your family members in your application.
Did you know, that you can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa? 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.
With this visa, you can also travel in and out of Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date of your visa grant. After 5 years you will need a Resident Return (RRV) visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident. Because of this, your visa will be digitally linked to your passport and you will receive a label in your passport to reflect this.
Eligibility
So how can you apply?
1. You must be invited to apply
You can only apply for this visa if you are invited. You will need to submit an expression of interest (EOI) if you would like to apply for the visa. After you have submitted an EOI, you will be ranked against other intending applicants and might be invited to apply for the visa. These invitations are issued regularly through SkillSelect.
2. 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. 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.
3. Be this age
You must be aged under 45 when we invite you to apply for the visa. You can still apply for the visa if you turn 45 after we invite you to apply. If you turn 45 after you submit your EOI but before we invite you to apply, you will not be invited to apply.
4. 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.
5. Have this level of English language
At the time of invitation, you must have at least competent English. Competent English means that you must prove:
- that you are a citizen of and hold a valid passport issued by the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland, with your application
- you have an obtained one of the following English language test results:
| Test | Required score |
| International English Language Testing System (IELTS) | At least 6 for each of the 4 components |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) | At least 12 for listening, 13 for reading, 21 for writing and 18 for speaking |
| Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) | At least 50 for each of the 4 components |
| Occupational English Test (OET) | At least B for each of the 4 components |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced test | At least 169 in each of the 4 components |
6. Meet the skills requirement
Your occupation must be on the relevant list of eligible skilled occupations for the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) Point-Tested stream.
7. Meet our health requirement
You and any family who apply for the visa with you must meet the health requirement.
8. Meet our character requirement
You and family members aged 16 years and over who apply for the visa with you must meet the character requirement.
9. Have paid back your debt to the Australian government
If you or any family members (including those who do not apply for the visa with you) owe the Australian Government money, you or they must have paid it back or arranged to pay it back.
10. Sign the Australian values statement
If you are 18 years of age or older, you must:
- have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia booklet and
- confirm you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws when you sign or accept the Australian Values Statement.
11. Not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused
Unfortunately, you might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused while you were in Australia. If this happens, you may discuss your matter with us to assess your eligibility.
Our Registered Migration Agents at Migration Centre of Australia have been in the migration industry for many years and have helped thousands of clients onshore and offshore. We are trained professionals in Australian Migration Law and we are trusted providers in the industry for our services. If you are interested in applying for the Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189), or you need professional migration advice on assessing your eligibility, or y you simply want to know more about your visa options, contact us today on (02) 4626 1002 or send us an email at admin@mckkrs.com.au and one of my registered migration agents will be ready to help you.
