Skilled Independent Subclass 189 Visa
The Skilled Independent Subclass 189 visa is a permanent General Skilled Migration visa which does not require sponsorship by a State/Territory Government or relative in Australia.
SkillSelect Only Application
If you have the required points for a skilled independent subclass 189 visa, you must lodge an expression of interest (EOI) through skill selection. If you meet all the requirements the Department of Immigration invite you to apply for the visa and you must lodge the visa within 60 days. You have to pay the government fees and upload all the required documents requested by the immigration.
Visa Criteria
To qualify for a Subclass 189 visa, you would need to :
- Meet minimum migration points – currently migration point is 65.
- Lodge an EOI and receive the invitation to apply for the visa.
- Maximum age for an independent skilled migration visa is less then 45 years.
- Your occupation must be in the occupation list.
- Have Competent English or higher.
- Meet health and character requirements.

Location of the applicant while application
You can apply for this Subclass189 Skilled Independent visa from overseas or from inside of Australia. However, to apply from Australia you should have a substantive visa or a Bridging A, B, or C visa. Once you apply from within Australia, you would receive a bridging visa allowing you to remain in Australia during the processing of your visa application.

Including Family Members
You can include the following types of family members in your application:
- Spouses, defacto partners, and same-sex partners.
- Dependent children.
What can you do with this visa?
The visa is a permanent visa, allowing applicants to remain in Australia indefinitely with full work rights.
MARET MIGRATION has significant expertise in handling general skilled visa applications, and can help you with:
- Arrange your skill assessment.
- Coming up with strategies to maximise your points score.
- Lodging visa applications on behalf of you.
- Managing your bridging visas.
