189 Skilled Independent Visa

Permanent residence for skilled workers who qualify on their own, with no employer, state or family sponsor. See honestly if it's your path, and what to do if it isn't.

Check if you qualify

The subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa is a permanent residency visa for skilled workers. It is points tested. You do not need an employer, a family member, or a state government to sponsor you. That independence is the reason so many people want it, and it is also the reason it is the hardest skilled visa to get.

A 189 visa gives you and your family permanent residency in Australia. You can live and work anywhere in the country. You get access to Medicare. You can study. After you meet the residence requirements, you can apply for Australian citizenship. The 189 has no work location conditions and no ongoing sponsor, so once it is granted you are free to build your life where you choose.

The 189 is granted through SkillSelect. You lodge an Expression of Interest with your points score and your occupation. If you are invited, you then apply for the visa. An invitation is not guaranteed. The numbers in the charts below show why.

The 189 is the most competitive skilled visa Australia offers. Here is what that really looks like.

The Skilled Independent visa is sponsored by no one, which is exactly why it is the hardest to get. Meeting the 65-point minimum only puts your name in the pool. Three things decide what happens next: how many people are ahead of you, what your occupation needed, and where you sit in the processing queue.

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occupations invited last round, of about 212 eligible
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of those got in at the 65-point floor
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points was the most common cut-off
Tier 5
where an offshore 189 sits in the processing queue
1. How competitive it really is

65 gets you in the pool. Almost nobody was invited at 65.

In the 13 November 2025 round, 10,000 invitations went out across 143 occupations. Here is the score each occupation needed to be invited. 91% of invited occupations needed more than 65, and most needed 85.

2. Which occupations stood out
65
Only trades cleared the floor
All 13 occupations invited at 65 were construction trades: carpenter, electrician, plumber, bricklayer, tiler and similar. Everywhere else, the minimum was not enough.
85
Where the crowd landed
61 occupations, the single largest group, needed 85. This is where most professional, engineering and science roles sat, from architects to chemical engineers.
95 to 100
The hardest to crack
Dermatologist and Osteopath topped the round at 100. Strikingly, three trades (electronic instrument workers, first-class metal machinists) needed 95, higher than most doctors.
Health led on volume: nursing and allied health made up the biggest single field invited, most of it at 75 points. If you are a nurse, that is your realistic target, not 65.
3. Find your occupation

What did your occupation need to be invited?

Every occupation invited in the last round, with the lowest score it took to be invited. Type your occupation or filter by score.

4. Getting invited is only half of it

Direction 119: where your 189 sits in the processing queue

Since 25 July 2026, Ministerial Direction 119 sets the order the department processes skilled visas once you have applied. Priority is decided by your occupation and whether you are onshore or offshore, not by the visa. If you work in health, construction or teaching and you are onshore, your 189 sits in Tier 3. In any other field you sit in Tier 4 onshore, or Tier 5 if you apply from offshore.

Source: Australian Department of Home Affairs. Invitation data: SkillSelect subclass 189 round, 13 November 2025 (10,000 invitations, 143 occupations). Processing order: Ministerial Direction 119, in effect 25 July 2026. Eligible-occupation count is approximate and changes with list updates. Figures change every round; this is a guide, not migration advice. Registered Migration Agent MARN 2318121.

Subclass 189 Independent Visa Points Calculator

Bonus points, tick any that apply
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This is a guide only, not a formal points assessment or migration advice. Employment points are capped at 20 combined. The points test can change. For an exact assessment book a consultation. Registered Migration Agent MARN 2318121.

189 visa compared with the 190 and 491 visa

The 189, 190 and 491 all use the points test, and they suit different situations. The 189 needs no sponsor and grants permanent residency straight away. The 190 needs state nomination, adds 5 points, and also grants permanent residency. The 491 needs state or family sponsorship in a regional area, adds 15 points, and is a provisional visa that leads to permanent residency through the 191.

If your points are strong and your occupation is on the MLTSSL, the 189 is the cleanest option. If your points are close to the cut-off, the extra points from a 190 or 491 can be the difference between waiting and being invited. We help you compare all three against your real numbers.

If the 189 isn't for you, here's what could be

  • 190 Skilled Nominated

    A state nomination adds the points you're missing.

  • 491 Skilled Regional

    Adds the most points, leads to PR through the 191.

  • 482 & 186 Employer Sponsored

    Reach PR through your job, not your points

189 visa requirements

subclass 189

To be eligible for the subclass 189 visa you need to meet each of these requirements.

Your occupation must be on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List. You must have a positive skills assessment from the assessing authority for your occupation. You must be under 45 years of age when you are invited. You must have at least Competent English, which is IELTS 6 in each band or the equivalent. You must score at least 65 points on the points test. You must submit an Expression of Interest and receive an invitation before you can lodge.

Meeting these requirements lets you enter the pool. It does not get you invited. Around 212 occupations are eligible for the 189. In the last round, 143 of them received an invitation, and only 13 were invited at 65 points.

Who the 189 visa is for?

The 189 is for you if: your occupation is on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List · you are under 45 at invitation · you have a positive skills assessment and competent English · your points score is genuinely high, not just above the minimum.

Who the 189 is not for?

It's probably not for you if: your points are borderline, since 65 only enters the pool · your occupation is not on the Medium and Long-term list · you need bonus points to get over the line · you are 45 or over at invitation.

189 visa points test

The 189 points test scores you across age, English, skilled employment, qualifications, study in Australia, and several bonus factors. The minimum to submit an Expression of Interest is 65 points. The score that gets you invited is set by competition in your occupation.

In the round on 13 November 2025, invitation cut-offs ran from 65 up to 100 points. Trades such as carpenters, electricians and plumbers were invited at 65. Most nursing and allied health occupations needed 75. The largest single group of occupations needed 85. Dermatologists and osteopaths needed 100. This is why 65 is a floor and not a target. You can check where you stand with the points calculator below, then talk to us about lifting your score.

189 visa cost

The main cost of a 189 visa is the visa application charge. From 1 July 2026 the charge for the primary applicant is A$6,135. Each additional adult applicant is A$3,070. Each child under 18 is A$1,540.

There are other costs on top of the visa charge. A skills assessment fee is paid to your assessing authority, and this varies by occupation. An English test such as IELTS or PTE has its own fee. You will need health examinations and police clearances for each applicant. Some applicants also pay for credential assessments or document translation. We give you a full cost estimate for your situation before you commit, so there are no surprises.

Including your family on a 189 visa

You can include your partner and your dependent children in your 189 application. They receive the same permanent residency as you. Your partner can work and study. Your children can go to school. Each family member has their own visa application charge and must meet health and character requirements.

If your partner is also skilled, their skills assessment and English can add points to your total. This is worth checking early, because partner points can lift a borderline application into a competitive range.

Impact of Ministerial Direction 119 on 189 Visa

Getting invited is only half the journey. Once you lodge, the Department of Home Affairs processes applications in a priority order set by Ministerial Direction 119, which took effect on 25 July 2026.

The order has five tiers, and it ranks by your occupation and location, not by the visa. Defence and law enforcement occupations are processed first. Health, construction and teaching occupations come next, if the applicant is onshore. All other onshore occupations follow. All offshore occupations are last. So where a 189 sits depends on you. A 189 in health, construction or teaching, applied onshore, sits in Tier 3. A 189 in any other field sits in Tier 4 onshore, or Tier 5 offshore, at the bottom of the queue.

For applicants in India, Nepal and elsewhere offshore, this matters. Even a high scoring, invited 189 application is processed behind almost everything else. If you are onshore on another visa, your processing priority is higher. This is one of the things we assess before we recommend the 189 over an onshore or regional pathway.

189 Visa Frequently Asked Questions

  • The subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa is a points tested permanent residency visa for skilled workers. It does not need an employer or state sponsor. It gives permanent residency, full work rights, Medicare, and a pathway to citizenship.

  • 65 points lets you submit an Expression of Interest. It rarely gets you invited. In the last round, only 13 of 143 invited occupations were invited at 65, and all of them were trades. Most professional occupations needed 85 or more.

  • The minimum is 65. The competitive score depends on your occupation. In the November 2025 round, cut-offs ran from 65 to 100. Nursing and allied health sat around 75. Most professional and engineering roles sat at 85.

  • Your occupation must be on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List. Around 212 occupations are eligible. In the last round, 143 received an invitation. You can search your occupation and its cut-off in the tool above.

  • From 1 July 2026 the primary applicant charge is A$6,135. Add A$3,070 per adult and A$1,540 per child. On top of that you pay for a skills assessment, an English test, health checks and police clearances.

  • Processing time depends on your priority under Ministerial Direction 119, which ranks by occupation and location. A 189 in health, construction or teaching, applied onshore, is processed first, in Tier 3. Other onshore applications sit in Tier 4, and offshore applications sit last, in Tier 5. Times vary, so we check the current position for your case.

  • Yes. You can include your partner and dependent children. They receive the same permanent residency. Each pays their own application charge and must meet health and character requirements.

  • Yes. The 189 is a permanent visa. Once you meet the residence requirements, you can apply for Australian citizenship. Residence and other requirements apply.

  • The 189 needs no sponsor. The 190 needs state nomination and adds 5 points. Both grant permanent residency. If your points are close to the cut-off, the 190 can improve your chances.

  • Yes. You can apply offshore. Your occupation still needs to be on the MLTSSL and you still need a competitive score. Be aware that offshore 189 applications are processed in the lowest priority tier under Direction 119.