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Pathway

Australia Skilled Independent Visa

Australia Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Subclass 189 lets invited skilled workers become Australian permanent residents without employer, state, or family sponsorship. You need an eligible occupation, a skills assessment, English, and at least 65 points. That minimum lets you be considered; it does not guarantee an invitation.

Age
Under 45 when invited
Skills and English
An eligible occupation, suitable skills assessment, and at least Competent English
Points and invitation
At least 65 points and a SkillSelect invitation; invitation scores vary by occupation and round

Summary

The Skilled Independent visa (Subclass 189), Points-tested stream, is a permanent visa for invited skilled workers who do not need employer, state or family sponsorship. The process begins with an Expression of Interest (EOI), a record of your skills and circumstances submitted through the SkillSelect system.

The legal minimum is 65 points, but 65 does not guarantee an invitation. Home Affairs ranks EOIs, limits invitations by program needs and occupation, and publishes results from its invitation rounds. In the 4 June 2026 round, minimum invited scores varied significantly by occupation.

Applying for independent skilled residence
  1. Check the occupation, assessment, English, and points Use documents and exact dates to support your score.
  2. Submit an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect Keep it current and maintain a separate valid visa if in Australia.
  3. Apply if invited Submit within 60 days and prove the score stated in the invitation.

An Expression of Interest is not a visa application, and 65 points do not guarantee selection.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

At invitation, the applicant generally must:

Points can come from age, English, skilled employment, qualifications, Australian study, regional study, a professional year, an approved community-language credential, partner qualifications or being single/having an Australian citizen or permanent-resident partner.

An EOI is not a visa application and normally remains active for up to 2 years. There is no fee to submit it. If invited, the applicant has 60 calendar days to apply and must prove the points score stated in the invitation. Turning 45 after invitation does not prevent applying, but turning 45 before invitation does.

The skills assessment generally must be no more than 3 years old at invitation, or within its own shorter validity period. Home Affairs also accepts a suitable assessment obtained during the 60-day invitation period. English and other time-limited evidence must also be valid at the legally relevant date.

Health, character, identity and family-member requirements are assessed with the visa application. Home Affairs can refuse if the evidence does not support the EOI claims, even where the true score still appears to be 65.

What This Route Allows

Subclass 189 grants permanent residence. The holder can live, work and study anywhere in Australia without an employer or state nomination condition, enroll in Medicare, sponsor eligible relatives, and later apply for citizenship if eligible.

The visa initially lets you leave and return as a permanent resident for 5 years. After that expires, a permanent resident generally needs a Resident Return visa to re-enter after travel unless they have become a citizen.

What This Route Is Not

An EOI is not an application, does not give you a bridging visa to stay while another visa application is decided and does not make the person lawfully present in Australia. Anyone in Australia must maintain separate valid status while waiting.

The 65-point threshold is not an invitation score. Depending on the occupation and round, successful EOIs may need many more points. Nor is a high score enough if the occupation receives no invitations in a round.

SkillSelect's indicative score is not final. The visa applicant must provide records for employment dates, English results, qualifications, partner status and every claimed category. Overclaiming can cause refusal and may lead to penalties for giving false information.

Next Steps

  1. Identify the precise occupation and assessing authority from the current Home Affairs list.
  2. Obtain a suitable skills assessment and valid English result before relying on the EOI score.
  3. Calculate points conservatively using dates and documents, not job-title assumptions.
  4. Submit an EOI in SkillSelect and update it before invitation whenever employment, English, qualifications or family status changes.
  5. Monitor official invitation-round results for the occupation and consider 190, 491 or employer sponsorship where appropriate.
  6. If invited, verify every claimed point before accepting and apply within 60 days.
  7. Maintain separate lawful status; an EOI gives no bridging visa.

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Sources