The 189 visa Australia of Australia’s skilled migration program is the points-based visa permanent residence program that operates independent of any sponsorship or nomination requirements from a State or Territory. Subclass 189 visa is a highly competitive visa for which the selection is based not only on the total points under the skilled migration points test, but also on a priority of occupations. For example, in the current environment, health practitioners are afforded higher priority than information technology professionals.
benefits of the 189 visa
The key benefits of the skilled independent visa 189 include permanent residency in Australia with the freedom to live and work in any State or Territory, access to Medicare (Australia’s free health system), full work and study rights and a pathway to Australian citizenship after meeting the citizenship residency requirements. The other benefit of subclass 189 is that there is no requirement to obtain a nomination (or sponsorship) from an Australian State or Territory. This reduces an additional step in the process and is therefore a saving of cost and time.
Who can apply for the 189 visa?
Individuals for whom the skilled independent visa 189 is most suited would be those who can exceed the threshold requirements of the 189 eligibility criteria. These would be career professionals or trades people who are young, have a good command of English and several years of experience in their field. There would be an additional advantage if they are single.
Occupation List for 189 visa
The occupation list for the skilled independent 189 visa is called the Medium to Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). This, and other various occupation lists are published by the Government as a Legislative Instrument under legal authority. The MLTSSL has 212 occupations ranging from health professionals, engineers, teachers, accounting professionals to various trade professionals.
Skills Assessment For 189 Visa
Skills assessment for the 189 visa is a mandatory step that ensures that the qualification and work experience of an overseas worker meet the standards required in Australia. There are several assessing authorities in Australia that conduct skills assessment and charge a fee.
Some of the most common skills assessment authorities are Australian Nursing & Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) for nurses, Australian Computer Society (ACS) for computer professionals, Engineers Australia (EA) for engineering professionals, Vocational Education and Training Assessment Services (VETASSESS) for various professional and trade occupations, Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) for trade occupations and Institute of Managers and Leaders (IML) for managers.
English requirement for 189 visa
The 189 visa English requirement is also mandatory and must be completed before a SkillSelect Expression of Interest (EOI) can be lodged. The minimum threshold requirement is achieving a proficiency level of ‘Competent’, however, this proficiency level does not enable any points to be claimed for English under the 189 points test. In addition, if the applicant is married and wishes to claim additional points for their partner’s skills, the 189 partner English requirement is also a minimum of Competent.
The next level of English is ‘Proficient’ for which 10 points can be claimed, and the highest level of English recognized under the points test system is ‘Superior’ for which 20 points can be claimed. There are several test formats that are accepted for the 189 Skilled Independent visa 189. English tests are generally conducted in a secure test centre and most providers share results electronically with the Department.
Some of the most common tests include:
- Cambridge C1 Advanced Test (C1 Advanced)
- Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program General (CELPIP General)
- International English Language Testing System Academic
- Occupational English Test (OET)
- Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic)
- Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT)
From 7 August 2025, the Government announced major changes to the relationship between the three levels of English proficiency (Competent, Proficient and Superior) and scores from various English testing methods. The system is now more complex than before and needs a careful check to ensure that the interpretation is correct.
189 visa points requirement
As highlighted under General Skilled Migration – PR Visa Pathways, skilled migration to Australia operates as a points-based system. Potential migrants record their professional information in SkillSelect and wait to receive a SkillSelect invitation to apply for the skilled independent visa 189.
The minimum skilled independent visa subclass 189 points required to be able to register an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect is 65 however, this score may not be sufficient to get an invitation to apply for the visa because of the competitiveness of EOIs in SkillSelect. As an example, the occupation of a System Analyst was last invited on 7 November 2024 at a cut-off score of 95 points. This occupation has not been invited since then and the SkillSelect data shows that there are currently around 600 EOIs at points score of 95 or higher, waiting in SkillSelect. So, for a System Analyst with a points score of 70 or 80, an invitation is highly unlikely.
189 visa invitation rounds
Australia skilled migration (PR) invitation rounds are conducted by Home Affairs on dates that are not publicly announced. The number of invitations to be issued and the occupations for which these will be issued are also only made known after the invitation round is complete. This creates an unpredictability around the invitation rounds so it cannot be said if and when a candidate may be invited.
The 189 EOI invitation round system is also quite complex. The total number of invitations to be issued in an invitation round is first divided across occupations, ranging from the highest priority occupations (e.g. health professionals) to more lower priority occupations. Within each occupation, invitations are issued based on the total points score in descending order. Further, it is not necessary that every occupation eligible for the 189 visa is invited. For example, during the SkillSelect invitation round on 13 November 2025, only around 140 of the 212 occupations were invited.
How to apply for the 189 visa?
If you meet the eligibility requirements for the 189 visa for Australia, have submitted a SkillSelect EOI and an invitation has been received, the final step is to apply for the subclass 189 visa through the link in the invitation email to the 189 visa application form. The link will take you to ImmiAccount which is the Government’s visa application system and you will need to create an account if you have not already registered.
189 visa processing time
Many applicants focus only on Department processing times but the 189 visa processing time really depends on two factors. First, the time it takes to receive an invitation to apply from SkillSelect, and second, the time taken by the Department to process the application. It is therefore not possible to say how long does it take to get a subclass 189 visa from the start of the process. Will 2026, the Department is taking between 6 to 7 months to process visa 189 applications once they are lodged, however, the wait for an invitation can be longer than the actual visa processing time.
189 visa cost
The total skilled independent visa 189 cost includes the cost of all associated processes such as fees for skills assessment, English testing, medical examination and police checks. Then there is the visa fee that is payable to the Department of Home Affairs and will depend on how many applicants are included in the visa application. It is important to note that the SkillSelect EOI is free.
The table below shows approximate 189 visa PR costs for a person whose nominated occupation is an Environmental Consultant and they are married with one child.
| Process | Cost/Fee |
|---|---|
| Skills Assessment | $1,096.00 |
| English Proficiency Test | $490.00 |
| Medical Examination | $350.00 |
| Police Clearance Check | $100.00 |
| Visa Application Fee (Main Applicant) | $4,910.00 |
| Visa Application Fee (Partner) | $2,455.00 |
| Visa Application Fee (Each Child Under 18) | $1,230.00 |
| Approximate Total | $10,631.00 |
common mistakes for 189 visa applicants
With the unpredictability of the SkillSelect system and considering that there may only be one opportunity to receive an invitation, there is little room for error. Yet we come across mistakes made by applicants that could have been easily avoided but cost them dearly. Some common areas to be extra careful are listed below.
Work experience claimed for incorrect occupation – This occurs too frequently and can cause irreparable damage. As an example, someone with Accounting qualifications may start employment as a Bookkeeper and then work themselves up in the same organization to the position of an Accountant. If the SkillSelect occupation is an Accountant, the work experience as a BookKeeper will be rejected. If the Bookkeeper experience was relied upon to claim points under the visa 189 points calculator, the actual points will not match the points claimed and the application will be refused.
Work experience claimed incorrectly – Most skills assessing authorities in Australia require the work experience to be at least a certain number of hours each week. This rule is applied rigidly and lesser hours in one week cannot be made up with greater hours in a following week so the week with lesser hours will be omitted and therefore the total work experience could fall short of requirement. Although this can be remedied through another application when the experience is complete, it may cost an additional skills assessment fee.
Circumstances change after EOI submission – This is a very common mistake and seems trivial can most certainly result in the application being refused. For example, if an applicant has claimed 10 points in the 189 points calculator for being single, submits the EOI and then gets married after the EOI is lodged but before an invitation is received, their points at the time of EOI submission will not match their points at the time of assessment. This is an essential requirement so the application will be refused.
How a registered migration agent can help?
There are many steps in the Skilled Independent Visa 189 visa process that must be completed with caution and diligence otherwise there can be risks of mistakes that may affect the entire process adversely. Some examples are:
- making sure your qualifications and work experience are correctly assessed in identifying your nominated occupation so the prospects of a positive skills assessment are higher
- checking your work experience minutely and correctly to ensure there is no under or over claiming of points in under the 189 points test
- make sure you have applied your English test scores correctly to determine your level of English proficiency
- understand what alternative documents can be provided with the visa application if you are unable to provide the standard documents such as work references letters, pay slips etc.
This is not an exhaustive list and there are several other factors that need to be carefully considered. This is where a Registered Migration Agent like Assure Visa Pty Ltd can help. Using the services of a migration agent can take the pressure and risk off you and guide you through the entire process seamlessly.
With a better economic future in Australia at stake, an investment of around A$3,000 which is the approximate Assure Visa fee for complete end-to-end handling of the 189 visa application process, can be a prudent investment to make sure you can achieve your goals. You can contact us to start a discussion on how we can help you.
Frequently asked questions
Yes this can be done anytime by editing the EOI as long as an invitation has not been received. Once the invitation is issued, the EOI is locked for editing. It should be noted that unless your partner’s skills and qualifications meet the requirements for the additional 10 points, your total points score will reduce.
As explained above, this cannot be done and if you lodge the visa application and pay the fees, the application will be refused and there will be no refund. Your best option is to let the visa 189 visa invitation lapse and submit a fresh EOI in SkillSelect with your partner details included.
The Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189) is not necessarily difficult to obtain if you meet the eligibility requirements and have a competitive points score. However, receiving an invitation depends on several factors including your nominated occupation, the number of invitations allocated to that occupation, the number of competing EOIs in SkillSelect and your total points score. As a result, some occupations may receive invitations regularly while others may experience long waiting periods despite applicants meeting the minimum points threshold.
Receiving a SkillSelect invitation depends on more than simply meeting the minimum 65-point requirement. Invitations are issued based on factors such as occupation demand, occupation ceilings, the number of invitations available in a particular round and the points scores of other candidates competing within the same occupation. It is therefore possible for an applicant with a valid EOI to remain in SkillSelect for an extended period without receiving an invitation.
There is no requirement under the Australian Skilled Migration program to have a job offer before submitting the EOI or applying for the visa if an invitation has been received.
An EOI in SkillSelect is valid for 2 years from the date it was first entered.
Normally SkillSelect will update your points automatically when you reach the next age bracket because your date of birth is recorded in the EOI. However, for most other components of the EOI, you must update the EOI with new information as, entering a higher work experience bracket, completing a new qualification, improved English test results from a subsequent attempt etc.
Some Australian skills assessment bodies do not consider that a qualification alone is sufficient to conclude that the applicant meets the standard required in Australia for their occupation. They require some work experience in addition to the qualification and if they are satisfied that the qualification plus some work experience is sufficient, they will state a date deemed skilled in the letter. This means that any work experience the applicant may have had prior to the date deemed skilled, cannot be counted for the purpose of the skilled migration points test calculator.
This is possible, however, there are some important points to consider. You can lodge as many EOIs as you like but each EOI must be unique. As your qualifications, work experience, English test results must be correct and therefore the same in each EOI, the one element that can change is your nominated occupation. A common example is Business Analyst and System Analyst as these are similar occupations. Most importantly, each EOI must state the skills assessment letter number and date so a separate skills assessment will need to be obtained for each nominated occupation.