Skilled Independent Visa – Subclass 189

As a student, if your studies are about to complete and you want to extend your stay based on your work, the Skilled Independent Visa subclass 189 is an excellent option. Remember that with good strategy and proper planning, you can achieve your career and lifestyle goals. This guide will give you an overview of the application process for this visa type so you can present your skills and qualifications in the best possible manner and move towards a chance to apply for PR. 

Overview of Skilled Independent Visa – Subclass 189

Since this is an invitation based visa for workers, the most important thing in the application process is to prove how you are useful for Australia’s economy. Let’s look at the three streams and what each one entails. 

Points-tested stream: Invited workers can live and work anywhere in Australia. This will be granted on a permanent basis. 

Hong Kong stream: This is a special stream for those who hold a Hong Kong or British National Overseas passport to live and work in Australia permanently if they meet the residence requirements.   

New Zealand stream: Eligible New Zealand citizens can live and work in Australia permanently if they show a commitment to contributing to the country. This visa stream is temporarily closed till 1st July 2023.  

Opportunities and benefits of Skilled Independent Visa – Subclass 189

As compared to the other skilled immigration visas, this one does not require any nomination or sponsorship. You do not need to go through this hassle and instead, you just have to prove your own worth by demonstrating your hard work and commitment. Let’s look at the benefits of holding a Points-tested Skilled independent visa subclass 189: 

• Permanently live, work and study in Australia 
• Travel to and from Australia for five years 
• Apply for the Australian government’s healthcare system- Medicare  
• Be able to sponsor a de facto partner, spouse or dependent child under 25 
• Be able to sponsor a relative’s visit 
• The General Skilled Migration (GSM) program also allows you to sponsor a relative to permanently migrate to Australia 
• After meeting the necessary requirement, you can apply for the Permanent Residence (PR)) in Australia 

Eligibility requirements for Skilled Independent Visa – Subclass 189

Points-tested Skilled Migration Eligibility for Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189 visa) requirements: 

• Must be under the age of 45 at the time of invitation 
• Have the suitable English proficiency at competent level. The relevant test should not have been taken more than 3 months before the time of invitation 
• Fulfil the health and character requirements
• You roccupation must be on the list of skilled occupation list- MLTSSL (Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List) for this visa 
• You should get a positive skill assessment from the relevant authority regarding your job skills 
• Score at least 65 points by the criteria defined by DHA (Department of Home Affairs)
• Lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) at SkillSelect and receive an invitation to apply from the Department of Home Affairs 

Conditions and restrictions for Skilled Independent Visa – Subclass 189

If you’re applying for the visa, make sure you are fulfilling these conditions before submitting your EOI (Expression of Interest): 

-You or your family members should not owe any debt to the Australian government 

-You have to read and sign the Australian values statement

-If you had a visa cancelled or rejected while you were in Australia, it might affect your eligibility  

The application process for Skilled Independent Visa – Subclass 189

As this is an invitation based visa, you must first submit a well-compiled and well-written EOI. For this, you should calculate your 189 visa points from this table after making sure that your occupation is enlisted in the skilled occupation list. After this, you will also require a skill assessment. For this, you have to submit your documents to the assessment authority for your specific profession (for example, for engineers the concerning authorities are are Engineers Australia and Vocational Education and Training Assessment Services). You time of application for this assessment should be carefully calculated s that it does not interfere with your visa application process (the visa processing time is 3 months for 90% of the applications). 189 visa Invitation round is usually passed by individuals with a score of more than 65 points. Once you get the invitation, you will need to submit the following documents: 

• Copies of National ID 
• Copies of the information pages of your valid passport 
• English language documents- test results  
• Skill assessment documents 
• Character certificate and Form 80
• Documents to prove your claims made in the Expresion of Interest (EOI) 
• Form 956 or form 956a. (if someone is helping you with your application like a migration agent or legal practitioner)

If your partner is applying with you, you need to provide their following documents:

• ID documents 
• Character documents 
• Marriage or divorce (if applicable) certificates 
• Evidence of functional level of English

For dependents who are under 18, you will need Parental consent form 1229, Statutory declaration and family book with parents’ names. 

The costs associated with Skilled Independent Visa – Subclass 189

The assessment authority will require a fee to test your qualifications and skills. Apart from this. The visa fee for the Points-tested stream is 4,240 AUD (and added cost for each dependent’s application). You can make this payment by credit card, online electronic fund transfer, bank deposit or direct debit. If you’re getting an agent, you will also need to pay the agent fee. 

Frequently asked questions about Skilled Independent Visa – Subclass 189

What are some other Skilled Immigration visas that I can check out? 

Skilled – Nominated (subclass 190) Visa, Skilled – Nominated or Sponsored Provisional (Subclass 489) Visa, Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 491) Visa, Graduate Temporary (Subclass 485) Visa, and Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) are some of the options that you can check out. 

How much time will I have to submit documents after receiving the invitation? 

You will have 60 days to submit all the pertaining documents for the visa application. It is advised to keep these ready beforehand.