Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189)

Overview

This permanent visa allows you to live, work and study in Australia if you are a skilled worker. You do not need a sponsor or nominator to apply for this visa.

There are separate streams within this visa for:

This may be the right visa for you if:

You have skills which are in demand in Australia, and you can reach the minimum Points Test scores to receive an invitation to apply; or
You are a Hong Kong passport holder who can meet minimum visa and residency requirements; or
You are a New Zealand citizen who can meet minimum residency and income requirements.

What You Can Do & How Long You Can Stay

This is a permanent visa.
You can travel to and from Australia multiple times.
You can work in Australia whilst on this visa.
You can bring family members to Australia.
You may be eligible for a Bridging Visa to remain in Australia while waiting for this visa to be processed.

Limitations and Important Things to Know

Process

For the Points Tested stream, you must be invited before you can make the visa application. There is a 3-step process to follow for this stream:

Assess your skills and qualifications to work out your Points score.
Lodge an Expression of Interest to be placed in the candidate pool and await invitation to apply. The highest scoring candidates within the pool are invited first. If two candidates have the same Points score, the one with the earlier Expression of Interest will be invited first.
Apply for the visa within 60 days of receiving the invitation to apply.

If you are worried about encountering issues or restrictions when applying for this visa, we may be able to help. Please contact us for more information.

As part of the specific visa requirements, you may have to:

Be under 45 at the time you are invited to apply
Have an occupation that is on the relevant skilled occupation list.
Have a Skills Assessment obtained in the last 3 years
Meet minimum English requirements
Achieve a minimum score on the Points Test

For the Hong Kong passport holder stream

For the New Zealand citizen stream

As part of the general eligibility requirements, employees may have to:

If you cannot meet one or more of these requirements, contact us to discuss possible options.