Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189)

What is the 189 visa?

The Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189, points-tested stream) is Australia's fully independent permanent residency visa: no employer sponsor, no state nomination, no regional condition. It is invitation-only — you lodge an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect, are ranked by your points score, and can apply only if the Department of Home Affairs invites you. Once granted, you can live, work and study anywhere in Australia permanently, with Medicare, a five-year travel facility and a pathway to citizenship.

At a glance (figures updated 12 September 2026)

Figures are set by the Australian Government and change — most index on 1 July each year. Confirm the current charge on the Department of Home Affairs website before lodgement.

The number that matters: what scores actually get invited

65 points makes you eligible. It rarely gets you invited. In the 4 June 2026 SkillSelect round (10,000 invitations), the minimum invited scores by occupation told the real story:

• Construction trades — 65 points: carpenters, electricians, plumbers, bricklayers, glaziers, tilers and similar occupations were invited at the floor

• Most health and teaching occupations — around 75 points
• Most professional occupations (IT, engineering, accounting, business) — 80 to 95 points

• Some highly competitive medical occupations reached 100 points

Equal scores are tie-broken by the earlier date of effect of the EOI. This is why points strategy — not just points counting — decides 189 outcomes. If your realistic score is below your occupation's invitation level, the smarter play is often state nomination (190) or the regional 491, which add 5 and 15 points respectively.

Who can be invited (eligibility at a glance)

• Occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list for the 189

• Suitable skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority, obtained within the 3 years before invitation

• Under 45 at the time of invitation — turning 45 after invitation is fine; turning 45 while waiting in the EOI pool means no invitation

• At least Competent English at the time of invitation

• Minimum 65 points on the points test

• Health and character requirements at the application stage

The points test (current table, Home Affairs)

Every point claimed in your EOI must be provable at application. An invitation received on inflated points leads to refusal with no refund — the Department assesses your claims against evidence, not against your EOI.

How the 189 process works (three stages)

Stage 1: Skills assessment + EOI

Obtain your skills assessment, sit your English test, and lodge an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect with an accurate points claim. Your EOI sits in the pool for up to two years; score and date of effect determine your ranking.

Stage 2: Invitation

Rounds are infrequent — three in the 2025-26 program year. If invited, you have 60 days to lodge the visa application. Requirements (age, English, skills assessment) are tested at the time of invitation.

Stage 3: Visa application

Lodge with full evidence for every points claim, plus health and character. Onshore applicants must hold a substantive visa or a bridging visa A, B or C at lodgement.

Processing priority

Ministerial Direction 122 has set the order since 19 September 2026, so applications are not dealt with in lodgement order. Seven sectors come first: construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources. Roles linked to law enforcement or defence also come first. This applies whether the applicant is in Australia or overseas. Other applicants in Australia come next, then those who applied from overseas. It replaced Direction 119 and applies to applications already lodged, so your place may have moved. A priority level is an order of work, not a timeframe. Because higher levels are dealt with first, your occupation and where you applied from can matter more than your lodgement date.

Where 189 applications go wrong (and how to avoid it)

1. Points inflation in the EOI — employment periods that don't survive evidence, or qualifications the assessing authority never recognised. Refusal, not correction, is the outcome.

2. Stale skills assessments — validity capped at 3 years (or the assessment's own shorter expiry) at invitation.

3. Age-45 timing — the clock stops at invitation, not EOI lodgement. Sitting in the pool at 44 with a borderline score is a gamble that needs a fallback plan.

4. English test expiry or level mismatches between the EOI claim and the test report.

5. Waiting on 65 points in an occupation that invites at 85 — two years in the pool, no invitation, no plan B.

6. Employment evidence gaps — reference letters without duties, missing payslips or tax records for claimed skilled employment.

If a 189 application is refused, review rights at the Administrative Review Tribunal are strictly time-limited. Our visa refusals and appeals page explains the process and deadlines.

189 planning — Australia-wide and offshore

Migration Vision runs points strategy for clients across Australia and offshore applicants worldwide — online consultations wherever you are. The work is honest points modelling before you spend money: what your provable score is today, what your occupation actually invited at in the last rounds, whether English retesting or a Professional Year moves you into range, and when the 190 or 491 is the faster door. We advise in English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the 189 visa cost in 2026?

The application charge is $6,135 for the main applicant for applications lodged on or after 1 July 2026, plus $3,070 per additional applicant 18 or over and $1,540 per child under 18. A second instalment of $4,885 applies to each adult applicant with less than functional English. Skills assessment, English testing, health checks and police certificates are extra.

How long does the 189 visa take to process?

The Home Affairs processing-times tool, read on 12 September 2026, shows 50% of points-tested subclass 189 applications decided within 7 months and 90% within 8 months. Ministerial Direction 122 has set the order since 19 September 2026. Seven sectors come first: construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources. Roles linked to law enforcement or defence also come first. This applies whether the applicant is in Australia or overseas. Other applicants in Australia come next, then those who applied from overseas.

Is 65 points enough for a 189 invitation?

Rarely. 65 is the legal floor, but the June 2026 round invited at 65 only for construction trades — most health and teaching occupations needed about 75, and most professional occupations 80–95. Check what your occupation actually invited at before relying on a 65-point EOI.

How many points do I get for my partner?

10 points if your partner is skilled (under 45, Competent English, and a suitable skills assessment in an occupation on the same list), 5 points if they have Competent English only, and 10 points if you are single or your partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

How often are 189 invitation rounds?

Infrequently — three rounds in the 2025-26 program year (August, November and June), totalling 26,887 invitations. The next round is expected by 30 September 2026. Equal scores are tie-broken by the earlier EOI date of effect.

What if I never get invited?

An EOI lasts two years. If your score sits below your occupation's invitation level, the practical alternatives are state nomination (subclass 190, +5 points), the regional 491 (+15 points), or employer-sponsored pathways (482/186). Getting the fallback moving early usually beats waiting.

Is the 189 visa permanent residency?

Yes. The 189 is permanent from grant — live, work and study anywhere in Australia, enrol in Medicare, sponsor eligible relatives, travel freely for 5 years (then a Resident Return visa), and apply for citizenship when eligible.

Why Migration Vision for your 189

• Honest points modelling against real invitation data, not the 65-point floor

• Skills assessment and English strategy before the EOI, not after

• Evidence-mapped applications — every claimed point provable

• Fallback planning across 190, 491 and employer-sponsored routes

Reviewed by Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2619525. Processing-priority section updated 23 September 2026 (Ministerial Directions 121 and 122). Updated 12 September 2026 — fee, points and processing figures verified against the Department of Home Affairs website and the Home Affairs processing-times tool on that date; confirm current figures before lodgement. This page is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances.