189 Skilled Independent Visa

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Project Introduction

The Skilled Independent Visa 189（189独立技术移民签证） allows applicants to rely entirely on their own qualifications, work experience or professional skills, and English language ability when applying for Australian skilled migration. No state, family or employer sponsorship is required, and successful applicants can obtain Australian permanent residency directly.

Applicants can apply for the subclass 189 visa either inside or outside Australia.

Project Advantages

Obtain Australian permanent residency directly

Work and study in Australia without restrictions

Enrol in Australia's public healthcare system, Medicare

Travel to and from Australia multiple times for 5 years

Apply for Australian citizenship if eligible

Application requirements

When applying for the subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa, your skills may need to be assessed by the relevant assessing authority for your nominated occupation.

After meeting the minimum points requirement, you must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the Department of Home Affairs. All EOIs must be submitted online through SkillSelect. You can only lodge the visa application after receiving an invitation from the Department.

The current minimum points threshold is 65 points.

Before submitting an EOI, you can use the EOI Score Sheet（EOI打分表） to understand how factors such as age, English ability, work experience and qualifications contribute to your points score.

Your nominated occupation for the subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa must be included on the relevant skilled occupation list. The occupation list currently includes nearly 200 occupations.

Accounting, IT, engineering, nursing, primary and secondary teaching and interpreting have traditionally been popular skilled migration occupations among Chinese international students.

Applicants for the subclass 189 visa must obtain a suitable Skills Assessment（职业评估）.

There are currently 28 different skills assessing authorities in Australia responsible for assessing different occupations. These assessing authorities operate independently from the Department of Home Affairs, and the assessment requirements for some occupations may not be exactly the same as the visa application requirements.

Applicants must generally achieve at least IELTS 6 in each component before submitting an EOI. Both Academic and General Training IELTS may be accepted.

However, achieving IELTS 7 in each component can provide an additional 10 points.

Even if an applicant cannot achieve IELTS 7 in all four components, additional points may also be available through Professional Year (PY), NAATI/CCL community language credentials or state nomination pathways.

Applicants considering state or regional nomination can also compare the Skilled Nominated Visa 190（190州担保技术移民签证） and Skilled Work Regional Visa 491（491偏远地区技术移民签证） as alternative skilled migration pathways.

You must be under 45 years of age when you receive the invitation to apply and must meet the relevant health and character requirements.

A spouse and children can be included in a subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa application. If a spouse or accompanying child aged 18 or older does not achieve an overall IELTS score of at least 4.5, an additional English language tuition charge of AUD 4,885 may apply.

Application Process

Before applying, you must generally achieve IELTS 6 in each component and submit an EOI through SkillSelect to indicate your intention to apply for skilled migration.

We will begin collecting the relevant information and documents. You will need to provide evidence supporting the claims made in your EOI and demonstrate that you meet the requirements and standards of the relevant skills assessment.

We will then begin preparing your subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa application.

Once you receive an invitation to apply, whether you are inside or outside Australia, we will assist you in lodging the visa application. The application must be submitted within 60 days of receiving the invitation.

Relevant supporting documents must be scanned and submitted together with the online application.

After the application is submitted, you will need to wait for the Department’s decision. We will remain in contact with the Department of Home Affairs, and if any additional documents or information are required, we will notify you accordingly.

Current processing order can also be affected by Department of Home Affairs directions. Applicants can refer to the latest Skilled Visa Processing Priorities（澳洲技术签证审理优先级） when considering current processing arrangements.

Visa application outcome: while waiting for a decision, you may remain in Australia or travel overseas depending on your current visa and travel rights. Once your subclass 189 visa is granted, we will contact you as soon as possible.