Subclass 189 · Skilled
Skilled independent.
The subclass 189 visa is Australia's flagship points-tested permanent visa — no employer sponsor, no state nomination, just a competitive points score and an occupation the country needs. Getting the details right before you submit your Expression of Interest can make the difference between waiting years and receiving an invitation in months.
Find a migration agent for your skilled independent application.
Registered migration agents for skilled independent
939 businesses with specialisation in skilled visas.
Australian Study and Visa Services Pty Ltd
Perth, WA
Visaenvoy
Melbourne, VIC
AustraliaMigrate Pty Limited
Chatswood, NSW
VISAINFO Pty Ltd
Sydney, NSW
Immigration Affairs
Sydney, NSW
PAX Migration Australia
Adelaide, SA
Work Visa Lawyers
Hindmarsh, SA
Smart Study Australia PTY LTD
Sydney, NSW
Australian Immigration Agency Pty Ltd
Brisbane City, QLD
Innovative Education & Migration Pty Ltd
Glen Waverley, VIC
LC Migration
Canberra City, ACT
Migrationways Australia Pty Ltd
Melbourne, VIC
About the skilled independent
The skilled independent visa (subclass 189) grants permanent residence to skilled workers who score highly enough on Australia's points test. Unlike the subclass 190 (state nomination) or subclass 491 (regional), the 189 requires no sponsor and no nomination from a state or territory government. It is open year-round through the SkillSelect system, but invitations are issued in rounds and competition for places is often intense. The visa includes full work rights, Medicare access and a pathway to Australian citizenship.
Points are awarded across several factors. Age is the largest single contributor, with the highest scores going to applicants aged 25–32 at the time of invitation. English language ability is assessed through an approved test — Competent English is the minimum to lodge an Expression of Interest, but Proficient or Superior English scores attract additional points. Skilled employment is counted both inside and outside Australia, with Australian work experience weighted more heavily. Formal qualifications add points depending on level, and whether those qualifications were earned in Australia. Additional points are available for a partner who also meets the English and skills requirements, for completing a STEM qualification in Australia, and for holding a Community Language accreditation.
SkillSelect is the online system through which applicants lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI). An EOI is not a visa application — it is a declaration of intent, scored by the system using the information you provide. The Department of Home Affairs conducts invitation rounds at intervals throughout the year, drawing from the pool of EOIs in order of points score (and then by date of EOI submission as a tiebreaker). The number of invitations issued per round varies by occupation and is not publicly announced in advance. Eligible occupations must appear on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). The pass mark — the minimum score at which invitations were issued — has historically sat well above the legislative minimum of 65 points for most in-demand occupations, though it fluctuates with round sizes and the composition of the EOI pool. Checking recent invitation data from the Department can give a sense of how competitive a particular occupation is.
A registered migration agent can add significant value at each stage of the 189 process. Skills assessments — conducted by occupation-specific bodies such as Engineers Australia, the Australian Computer Society, Vetassess or the Nursing and Midwifery Board — have their own documentation standards and common failure points that are worth understanding before you apply. An agent can review your employment evidence before submission and advise whether a borderline case is worth pressing. On points optimisation, agents sometimes identify factors applicants have overlooked — such as Community Language points, a partner's English score, or whether Australian study qualifications have been correctly claimed. EOI strategy matters too: the decision of when to lodge, whether to submit under one occupation or multiple, and how to frame work experience can all affect where you land in the invitation queue.
Reviewed by MIGI editorial team
Subclasses covered
Subclass 189 — Skilled Independent visa
<p>This visa is for invited workers, eligible New Zealand citizens and eligible Hong Kong or British National (Overseas) passport holders with skills we need, to live and work permanently anywhere in Australia.</p>
Frequently asked questions
How does the points test work for the subclass 189 visa?
The points test awards a numerical score based on your age, English proficiency, skilled work experience, qualifications, Australian study, partner skills, and a small number of other factors. The legislative minimum to be invited is 65 points, but in practice most invitation rounds have cut-offs considerably higher than this for most occupations. Your score is calculated at the time an invitation is issued to you, not when you lodged your EOI — so changes in your circumstances between lodgement and invitation (such as turning 33, or gaining more work experience) will affect your final score.
What is SkillSelect and how do invitations work?
SkillSelect is the Department of Home Affairs' online platform for managing skilled migration Expressions of Interest. After submitting an EOI, you enter a pool of candidates. The Department runs invitation rounds — typically multiple times per year — and selects candidates in order of points score for each eligible occupation. If two candidates have the same score, the one who lodged their EOI earlier is generally invited first. Receiving an invitation triggers a 60-day window to lodge a formal visa application. There is no public schedule for invitation rounds and no guarantee of how many invitations will be issued in any given round.
Which occupations are eligible for the subclass 189 visa?
The 189 visa is restricted to occupations on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). This list is maintained by the Department of Home Affairs and is updated periodically. It covers a range of professional, technical and trade occupations across sectors including engineering, information technology, health, accounting, education and construction. Not all skilled occupations qualify — some appear only on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) or the Regional Occupation List, which apply to other visa subclasses. Checking your occupation's ANZSCO code against the current MLTSSL before you invest in a skills assessment is an important first step.
How is a skills assessment different from a qualification check?
A skills assessment is conducted by a designated assessing authority — a body appointed by the Department of Home Affairs for each occupation or occupation group. The assessment considers your qualifications and your employment history together, and determines whether your skills are comparable to an Australian standard for that occupation. It is a substantive assessment, not just a credential verification. Different assessing bodies have different requirements for evidence of employment, referee reports and supporting documentation. A negative assessment or a partial assessment (for example, one that recognises qualifications but not work experience) will affect how many points you can claim and whether you are eligible to lodge an EOI at all.
Can a migration agent improve my chances of getting an invitation?
A migration agent cannot change your underlying points score, but they can help you identify the score you are genuinely entitled to claim and make sure your EOI accurately reflects it. They can review your work history for experience you may have underclaimed, advise on the timing of your EOI relative to likely invitation rounds for your occupation, and help you choose between occupations if your skills are assessable under more than one ANZSCO code. For borderline cases — where a skills assessment result is ambiguous, or where your employment evidence is thin — professional advice before lodgement is often more valuable than assistance after a refusal.
