Australia Skilled Independent

Summary

The Skilled Independent visa (Subclass 189) is Australia's points-tested permanent-residency visa for skilled workers who don't have an employer or state sponsor. It grants permanent residency from the moment the visa is granted — no provisional stage, no renewal, and no conditions on where in Australia you live or work.

The process runs through SkillSelect, Australia's online expression-of-interest pool. You submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) with your profile (age, qualifications, experience, English, state connections), receive a points score, and wait for the Department of Home Affairs to issue invitations to apply. The Department of Home Affairs is Australia's immigration authority. The legal minimum is 65 points but the 189 is heavily over-subscribed — in recent draws, invitations have gone mostly to applicants with 85 or more points, concentrated in nursing, medicine, engineering, teaching, and select trades.

Because there's no sponsor, the 189 has the highest bar of the three skilled permanent-residency options (189 / 190 / 491). Most applicants reach PR through the state-nominated 190 or the regional 491 instead, since those add 5 or 15 points respectively.

Eligibility

You must clear a basic eligibility bar before your points score even matters:

• Age. Under 45 at the time of invitation. No exceptions.
• Occupation. Your job must be on the skilled occupation list that applies to the 189 points-tested stream, identified by an ANZSCO code. ANZSCO is the Australia and New Zealand occupation-classification system.
• Skills assessment. A positive skills assessment from the designated assessing authority for your occupation — VETASSESS for many white-collar roles, Engineers Australia for engineers, the Australian Computer Society (ACS) for IT professionals, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) for teachers, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) for nurses, and trade-specific bodies for trades.
• English. At least "Competent English" — IELTS 6.0 in each of the four skills, or equivalent on PTE, TOEFL iBT, OET, or Cambridge. Higher levels earn more points.
• Health and character. Standard medical exam and police certificates from every country you've lived in for 12 months or more since turning 16.

Points scoring (max 130)

Invitations typically go to applicants with 85+.

• Age — max 30 points (25–32 years old).
• English — max 20 points (Superior, IELTS 8.0+ each).
• Skilled employment — max 20 points (8+ years overseas, or 8+ years in Australia).
• Education — max 20 points (PhD). Bachelor's is 15.
• Specialist qualification — 10 points for a STEM masters or doctorate.
• Australian study — 5 points for 2+ years of study at an Australian institution.
• Regional study — 5 more points if that study was in a regional area.
• Community language — 5 points for NAATI-accredited translator credential in a community language.
• Partner points — 10 points if your partner meets the skilled migration criteria, 5 points for partner with Competent English, or 10 points for a single applicant or Australian-citizen partner.
• Professional Year — 5 points for completing a professional year program in Australia.

Duration, Renewal, and Long-Term Path

• Duration: Permanent residence from the date the visa is granted.
• Renewal: Can support Australian citizenship after residence and presence rules are met.

What This Route Allows

This route can allow you to live in Australia for qualifying work, usually with a specific employer, role, or approved work activity. Eligible family members may be able to accompany you when this pathway accepts dependants. Confirm the dependant file before relying on it: relationship records, minimum income or housing if required, health insurance or background checks, and whether dependants receive work authorization or residence only.

What This Route Is Not

This is not a general open work permission. Work routes usually depend on a qualifying job, employer, occupation, salary, or transfer arrangement.

Next Steps

1. Check your occupation against the skilled occupation list and identify your ANZSCO code and designated assessing authority.
2. Sit an English test — IELTS or PTE are the most common. Aim for Superior (8.0+) to maximise points.
3. Apply for a skills assessment with the designated authority. Fees are typically AUD 500–AUD 1,000.
4. Run a points self-assessment using the official points table.
5. Submit an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect with your full profile. EOIs sit in the pool for up to 2 years.
6. Wait for an invitation to apply. Draws historically run monthly, though volumes have been sparse for 189 in recent rounds.
7. Within 60 days of invitation, lodge your visa application with supporting documents. Visa Application Charge is AUD 4,765 for the primary applicant (plus dependants).
8. Complete biometrics at a Visa Application Centre.
9. Receive your grant notice. Permanent residency is immediate; you can enter and settle anywhere in Australia.

Timing from EOI submission to PR varies significantly with occupation demand, invitation rounds, evidence quality, and Home Affairs workload.

Sources

• Department of Home Affairs — Subclass 189 (Points-tested) — official page.
• Subclass 189 points table — full scoring grid.
• Skilled occupation list — official occupation and assessing-authority lookup.
• SkillSelect — the EOI portal.
• ANZSCO lookup — official occupation code reference.