CANBERRA – Moving to Australia for work offers exciting opportunities for career growth and a high standard of living.
With its diverse economy, job prospects in sectors like healthcare, engineering, IT, and construction are abundant. Australia’s welcoming culture and beautiful landscapes make it an attractive destination for professionals seeking new experiences and a vibrant lifestyle.
If you also want to move to the country, a skilled worker visa could be the answer. Let’s explore different aspects of the visa.
Skilled Independent visa
It is also called subclass 189 and lets invited workers with skills to live and work permanently anywhere in Australia.
Advantages
This type of visa offers multiple advantages, the most important of which is that one can work and study anywhere in Australia and sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence and if eligible, become an Australian citizen.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for Subclass 189 visa, the applicant must meet the following (broad) conditions:
- They must have an occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list
- They must have a suitable skills assessment for the occupation
- They must be invited to apply for this visa
- They must satisfy the points test
The eligibility section needs elaboration. First of all, you must declare that you have a suitable skills assessment at the time of invitation. It has been announced officially that delegates of the Minister will now accept a suitable skills assessment for an applicant’s nominated skilled occupation which has been obtained within the 60-day invitation period.
The applicant would need to provide a copy of this skills assessment with their application and for medical and legal practitioners, the government also accepts the following as proof of a skills assessment:
- Full or unconditional or general medical registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
- Conditional specialist registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. This only allows you to practise in your speciality. You need no further training or supervision
- Admission to practice law in the relevant state or territory
The authorities have clarified that the applicant’s skills assessment must have been obtained in the 3 years before the date of invitation. If the assessment was for a shorter period, that period must not have passed.
‘If your skills were assessed on the basis of a qualification you got in Australia when you held a student visa, the qualification must be from studying a course registered on CRICOS,’ says the Department of home affairs.
As far as the invitation is concerned, the applicant should submit an expression of interest (EOI) to the Department of Home Affairs, Government of Australia for letting them know that you would like to apply for the visa.
After the applicant submits an EOI, they will be ranked against other intending applicants and might be invited to apply for the visa. The government has also clarified that invitations are issued regularly through SkillSelect. For detailed information on Expression of Interest, navigate here.
As far as the points test is concerned, when an applicant submits EOI in SkillSelect, they will be given an indicative points score based on the claims they have made. If the applicant does not obtain a score of 65 points they will not be invited to apply for this visa.
The government has announced that when they invite any applicant to apply for the visa, their invitation will state the number of points that they must score when government examines their application for grant of the visa (this score may be higher than 65 points, depending on your applicant’s in the EOI).
It has been announced by the government that when an applicant lodges an application, they must provide evidence supporting their claims.
To calculate how many points an applicant may score, this points calculator can help.
This visa is also age specific. For example, the government has announced that an applicant must be aged under 45 when they are invited to apply for the visa; however, they can still apply for the visa if they turn 45 after the government invites them to apply.
“If you turn 45 after you submit your EOI but before we invite you to apply, you will not be invited to apply,” states the department.
There is also competence needed regarding the English language for this visa type. The specified criteria in this regard is mentioned below:
| Test | Required Score |
| International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic or General Training) | At least 6 for each of the 4 components |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) | At least 12 for listening, 13 for reading, 21 for writing and 18 for speaking |
| Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) | At least 50 for each of the 4 components |
| Occupational English Test (OET) | At least B for each of the 4 components |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced test | At least 169 in each of the 4 components |
Although this type of visa allows permanent residence, there are multiple conditions to be fulfilled. One of them states that if you or any family members (including those who do not apply for the visa with you) owe the Australian Government money, you or they must have paid it back or arranged to pay it back.
Moreover, an applicant might not be eligible for this visa if they have had a visa canceled or refused while they were in Australia.
Overall, the process goes like this: If you have your skill on the occupation list and you have 65 points then you submit the Expression of Interest in Skillselect. You will then wait for the invitation to apply. You should then gather your documents and finally apply for the visa within 60 days of the invitation.
Processing Time
The processing time for this visa varies, however, broadly it takes less than 5 months. The Australian government gives the timeline of processing as under:
25% of applications: 3 Months
50% of applications: 5 Months
75% of applications: 5 Months
90% of applications: 5 Months
Cost
The Department of Home Affairs charges the applicants, approximately AUD4,240.00 for this visa type but it can vary.
