📄 Details
Visa Overview
The Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) is a points-based permanent residence visa for skilled workers under 45 who are not sponsored by an employer, a state or territory government, or a family member.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for this visa, you must meet all requirements at the time you are invited to apply.
Age requirement
- 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.
Language requirement
- At the time of invitation, you must have at least competent English.
Skills assessment requirement
- For your application to be valid, you must declare that you have a suitable skills assessment at the time of invitation.
- Delegates of the Minister now accept a suitable skills assessment for your nominated skilled occupation obtained within the 60-day invitation period, following the decision of Thapa v Minister for Immigration [2021] FCCA 686.
- You will need to provide a copy of this skills assessment with your application.
- For medical and legal practitioners, we also accept the following as proof of a skills assessment:
- full or unconditional or general medical registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
- conditional specialist registration with AHPRA (allows you to practise only in your speciality, with no further training or supervision)
- admission to practice law in the relevant state or territory
- 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 based on a qualification obtained in Australia while holding a student visa, the qualification must be from a CRICOS-registered course.
Invitation and EOI requirement
- You can only apply for this visa if we invite you to apply.
- You must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect to let us know you would like to apply.
- After submitting an EOI, you will be ranked against other intending applicants and might be invited to apply.
- Invitations are issued regularly through SkillSelect.
Identity and visa status requirement
- If you are in Australia at the time you apply, you must hold one of the following:
- a substantive visa
- Bridging visa A - BVA - (subclass 010)
- Bridging visa B - BVB - (subclass 020)
- Bridging visa C - BVC - (subclass 030)
- If you currently hold, or your last substantive visa held was either:
- Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491); or
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494)
- You must have held that visa for at least 3 years at the time you apply.
Minimum points requirement
- This is a points-tested visa.
- When you submit your EOI in SkillSelect, you will be given an indicative points score. If you do not obtain a score of 65 points, you will not be invited.
- If we invite you, your invitation will state the points you must score when we assess your application (this may be higher than 65 points).
- When you lodge your application, you must provide evidence supporting your points claims.
Occupation requirement
- Your occupation must be on the relevant list of eligible skilled occupations for the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) Point-Tested stream.
Health requirement
- You and any family who apply for the visa with you must meet our health requirement.
- If requested, family members not accompanying you to Australia might also need to meet our health requirement.
Character requirement
- You and family members aged 16 years and over who apply for the visa with you must meet our character requirement.
- Family members not accompanying you to Australia must also meet the character requirement.
Debt repayment requirement
- 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.
Australian values statement requirement
- 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.
Exclusion and limitation: Visa history
- We will consider your immigration history when we make a decision on your application, which means you might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused.
- In some circumstances, you may still apply for a permanent visa if you have had a visa cancelled or an application refused (see Limitations on applications in Australia).
Special policy: Thapa decision
- Delegates now accept a suitable skills assessment obtained within the 60-day invitation period, as per Thapa v Minister for Immigration [2021] FCCA 686.
- The Minister reserves the right to make submissions in a Court that Thapa was wrongly decided.