Australian Skilled Visa | Independent Visa (subclass 189)

If you are interested in applying to Australia visa subclass 189, then you need to process it in the following steps:

Step 1: Check the eligibility:

Before initiating the process, it is necessary for an applicant to check whether he/she has qualified the eligibility criteria for Australia Visa Subclass 189 or not as the immigration authority of Australia doesn’t entertain unqualified applications.

Step 2: Complete a skill assessment

On being eligible, the candidate needs to create a skill assessment and assessed it by a relevant government body. The Skill assessment enables the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) to judge whether the skills of the candidate are required or not in Australia.

Step 3: Submit an EOI

On getting a positive assessment from the concerned institution, the candidate needs to submit an EOI (Expression of Interest) through Skillselect. The Skillselect includes questions on personal credentials like age, education, work experience, language proficiency, and more. The EOI will be visible to both immigration authority as well as Australian employers who may be interested in hiring someone of the same skill-set.

Step 4: Scores are awarded:

Based on the information provided in the EOI, SkillSelect will estimate the points score. A minimum score of 65 is necessary to be invited to apply for this visa. On getting enough scores, the invitation to apply is issued to the candidate.

Step 5: Apply for the Skilled Independent Work Visa (subclass 189):

On getting an invitation to apply, the candidate can continue DIBP stage of application where he/she can apply to submit the final application for the visa.

Candidates who are lucky to receive this multiple entry visa can live and work in the country for five years. Moreover, after completing a minimum of two-year stay, can re-issue the visa for further five years. Alternatively, on completing consecutive four-year stay, the candidate becomes eligible to apply for Australian citizenship.

To become eligible for Australia skilled independent visa, a candidate must fulfill the following points:

• A candidate must be younger than 45 years of age
• A candidate must nominate an occupation that matches his/her skills and qualification as well as listed on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL).
• A candidate must be competent in English Language
• A candidate must score a minimum of 65 points in the Point test
• A candidate must meet the health and character requirements
• A candidate must have assessed his/her skills by relevant assessing authority as suitable for the nominated occupation

Once you become the holder of Australia Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189, then you and your accompanying family members become eligible to avail the following benefits:

• Eligible to live and work permanently in Australia
• Eligible to study anywhere in Australia
• Eligible to get benefits of Australia’s scheme for health-related care and expenses
• Eligible to acquire certain social security payment
• Eligible to apply for Australian citizenship after completing a certain period of time
• Eligible to sponsor a family member for permanent or temporary residency in Australia

By the term accompanying family member, the immigration authority of Australia accounts for the following family members in skilled independent visa 189 application:

• Spouse/common-law partner of primary applicant
• Dependent child of applicant or applicant’s partner
• Dependent relative of applicant or applicant’s partner

The following is the structure of Visa fees for Australia skilled independent visa subclass 189:

• For Primary Applicant – $3755 AUD
• For dependent applicant fees 18 and over – $1875 AUD
• For dependent applicant fees under 18 years – $940 AUD