The 189 visa allows highly skilled workers who are not sponsored by an employer, State or Territory of Australia, or family member to live and work permanently in Australia. If you wish to apply for this visa under the points tested stream, you must first obtain a positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation, and then lodge an Expression of Interest. If this is successful, you will be invited to lodge a visa application.
This stream is for Points-tested skilled workers who are not sponsored by an employer or family member or nominated by a state or territory government. It allows you to live and work in Australia as a permanent resident.
For the Skilled Independent (Points-tested) stream you need to submit an expression of interest. If you are a New Zealand citizen you may be eligible to apply for the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) (New Zealand) stream.
Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) via SkillSelect with details of your nominated occupation, skills and qualifications. SkillSelect will estimate a points score and rank you against other intending migrants. More information about EOIs, including invitation rounds and occupation ceilings, is available.
If you are ranked high enough and there are places available for your nominated occupation, you will be invited to apply for the visa. If you are invited, you have 60 calendar days to apply for the visa.
You can be in or outside Australia when you submit your EOI. You can either be in Australia or overseas when you apply for a Subclass 189 Skilled Independent Visa. To be able to lodge from within Australia, you would need to hold a substantive visa or a Bridging A, B or C visa. Once you apply from within Australia, you will receive a bridging visa allowing you to remain in Australia during processing of your visa application. If your current visa is refused or cancelled you might not be eligible to apply for the 189 visa while you were in Australia.
| SUBCLASS 189 | GLOBAL TALENT | |
|---|---|---|
| Expression of Interest | YES | YES |
| Points Tested | YES | NO |
| Skills Assessment | YES | NO |
| English Requirement | Competent | Functional (or payment of 2nd VAC) |
| Occupation List | MLTSSL | NO |
| Target Sectors | NO | YES |
| Age Limit | 45 | 55 (unless exceptional value to Australia) |
| Australian Nominator | NO | YES |
| Visa Application Charge (main applicant) | $4,045 | $4,110 |
| Planned levels | 6,500 | 15,000 |
The first step that we will take is to conduct an initial assessment of your eligibility for this visa. This involves reviewing your qualifications, work experience, English language and other circumstances, to establish whether or not you are likely to meet the relevant requirements.
As part of this initial eligibility assessment, we will consider which MLTSSL occupation(s) you are likely to be able to nominate, and whether or not you are potentially eligible for a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for that occupation.
We will then provide you with informed and comprehensive advice about your ability to meet the minimum standards that DHA requires migrants to fulfil in order to qualify for an invitation to apply for this visa.
Should our initial assessment indicate that you are eligible for a positive skills assessment and EOI, we will prepare your skills assessment application.
For each skilled occupation listed on the MLTSSL, DHA has specified an assessing authority that may carry out skills assessments for that occupation. Only a skills assessment conducted by the relevant assessing authority will be accepted by DHA in support of an EOI.
We will provide you with a full list of the information and documents required to support your application. When you have provided the necessary details and documents, along with the required assessment fee, we will lodge your application with the applicable skills assessing authority.
Once you have received a positive skills assessment from the skills assessing authority, we will prepare and lodge your EOI. Although you do not need to provide supporting documents at this stage, you MUST be able to provide evidence that the information supplied in the EOI is correct at the time that you are invited to apply for the visa.
You will subsequently receive a result and points score from DHA, which is used to rank you against other applicants who have lodged EOIs for this visa. Ranking is based partially on whether or not your occupation is a skill that Australia requires at the time your EOI is assessed. If your EOI is successful, you will be invited to lodge a visa application.
Note: DHA retains an EOI for 2 years from the date that it is lodged. During this time, your EOI can be updated if any of your circumstances change (e.g. you obtain a new qualification or skills assessment). If your ranking changes during this 2-year period, based on either your changing circumstances or Australia’s changing skill needs, you may be issued with an invitation to apply for the visa at that point in time.
Once DHA has invited you to apply for this visa, we will prepare and lodge your visa application within the specified time frame, together with all of the documents that support the information that you provided in your EOI. This includes your skills assessment, English language test results, qualifications, work references and all other required documents.
Should your visa application be approved, you will be granted a permanent visa. You may be either in Australia or overseas when your visa is granted.
.jpg)