Skilled Independent Visa

With a sub-class 189 visa, you can do the following things:

• permanently reside in Australia
• study in Australia
• get a job and work in Australia
• enrol in Medicare, a public health care scheme in Australia
• travel out of the country and return to Australia for 5 years period
• apply for citizenship if eligible

Also, if you are a resident who has recently arrived in Australia, you might need to wait for a time period before you can access some payments and benefits from the Australian government. 

You don’t have to worry about a limited duration of stay because sub-class 189 is a permanent visa. So, you stay in Australia forever if you want. However, there is a travel component under this visa, which states that your privileges to travel outside Australia and return back expires after five years once you get the visa.

Likewise, on the day you receive your visa, you will be considered a permanent resident of Australia. If you are in Australia, your permanent residency will begin as soon as the authorities grant your visa. Also, if you are out of Australia, the permanent residency will begin on the day you enter the Commonwealth.

Yes, after five years, if you need to travel outside Australia, then you need to get a Resident Return (RRV) visa (subclass 155 or 157) to return back to Australia as its permanent resident.

Luckily, you have the opportunity to include your family members in your visa application. You have two chances to include them:

• Your first chance is to include family members at the time of lodging your visa application.
• Secondly, you can add them after lodging your application, but only if the authorities have not made a decision. So, make sure to add them before the visa decision is final.

Furthermore, you need to check the health and character requirements of the family members and see if they meet them.

Also, if you have not included your dependent children or partner in the application, you need to state the reason. For instance, a cause can be that they already hold an Australian permanent residence or citizenship.

To apply for the skill independent visa, you can be both in or out of Australia. However, you are not eligible to apply for the sub-class 189 visa if you are in immigration clearance.

Furthermore, if you apply from inside Australia, you need to hold one of the following visas, or your application will not be processed:

• a substantive or a subclass 010 Bridging A visa or
• a subclass 020 Bridging B visa or
• a subclass 030 Bridging C visa

The minimum points required to be considered for the Skilled Independent (189) visa is currently 65 points based on factors like age, English ability, qualifications, employment etc.

The typical minimum IELTS requirement is an overall band score of 6, with no individual band less than 6, in order to receive English language points for the 189 visa.

The Skilled Independent (189) visa is a permanent residency visa with full work and live rights in Australia on a permanent basis.

Key eligibility factors include being under 45 years old, having a nominated occupation on the skilled occupations list, meeting the points requirement, competent English skills, and passing health/character assessments.

For the principal or main applicant, the 189 visa fee is approximately AUD 4,045. You can use visa cost estimators on Australian government websites to estimate these costs.

A second instalment fee of around AUD 4,885 may be required for applicants aged 18 and older with English proficiency below the functional level. This fee is only payable if the 189 visa is granted.

Along with these known costs, additional charges may be included for health checks, police certificates, and biometrics.

Yes, applicants can include eligible family members, such as spouses, de facto partners, dependent children, and other dependent relatives, in their visa application.

Yes, the Subclass 189 visa grants permanent residency status in Australia, allowing holders to live and work indefinitely in the country.

If your visa application is refused, you will receive a refusal letter outlining the reasons for the decision. Depending on the circumstances, you may have the option to appeal the decision or reapply for the visa.

Once your Subclass 189 visa is granted, you can enter Australia as a permanent resident. You will receive a visa grant notification detailing the conditions of your visa and any initial travel requirements.

Applicants must provide supporting documentation, which typically includes:

1. Passport and other identification documents.
2. Skills assessment from the relevant Australian assessing authority.
3. Proof of English language proficiency.
4. Character clearance certificates (police checks).
5. Health assessments, including medical examinations and possibly vaccinations.
6. Proof of financial capacity to support oneself and any accompanying family members during the initial settlement period in Australia.