Do you dream of settling in Australia as a skilled individual? Well, the GSM (general skilled migration) program with a yearly intake size of 190,000 allows you to turn your dream into reality.
With the points-tested 189 Visa Australia, you can work and study in Australia permanently. You even have the opportunity of being an Australian citizen if you meet the eligibility criteria. You can contact a visa agent Perth if you plan on settling down in Perth or neighboring suburbs. However, you need to consider a few key things before applying for the 189 Visa Australia.
The Expression of Interest (EOI)
The 189 Visa Australia is a skills-based Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189 you can apply for if you receive an invitation from the Australian Department of Home Affairs. You will have to submit an EOI through SkillSelect before you apply for the skilled independent visa 189. After you submit the EOI, you might be invited for your visa application based on your rank against the other intending applicants.
The Age Factor
The visa application requires the main applicant to be under the age of 45 years before receiving the invitation. However, if you turn 45 after submitting your EOI but before you get the invitation, you won’t be invited for the visa application.
Either partner in a marriage or de facto relationship can apply as the main applicant, so if one of the partners is aged above 45, the other partner can still apply for the Skilled Visa Perth as long as they meet all the visa criteria. The age requirement does not apply to secondary applicants.
Know About the MLTSSL (Medium and Long Term Strategic Skills List)
To apply for visa subclass 189, your occupation must be listed on the MLTSSL list and this list alone. If it’s not, your application would not be considered a valid one. There are over 170 occupations on this list for which you can apply.
The English Proficiency Requirement
For the skilled independent subclass 189 application, your English language must be of “competent” level, and for that, you should either be:
- A citizen of and have a valid passport of the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America, the Republic of Ireland, or New Zealand;
- or have
- A test score of at least 6 in each of the 4 components of reading, writing, speaking, and listening of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS); or
- A score of at least B in each of 4 components of the Occupational English Test (OET); or
- A minimum score of 50 in each of the 4 components of the Pearson Test English (PTE) Academic; or
- A score of 169 or above in each of the 4 components of the Cambridge C1 Advanced Test; or
- Scores of at least 13 in reading, 21 in writing, 18 in speaking, and 12 in the listening of the Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT).
A Suitable Skills Assessment
Your Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189 application will only be considered valid when you declare that you have a suitable skills assessment when you are invited. You will have to attach a copy of the skills assessment to your application.
If you are a legal or medical practitioner, you can provide the following as skills assessment proof:
- unconditional, full or general medical registration with the AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency);
- conditional specialist registration with the AHPRA under which you will only allow to practice in your specialty, and you don’t need any further supervision or training;
- admission for practicing law in the relevant Australian state or territory.
Remember that you must have obtained your skills assessment in the 3 years before your date of invitation. And, the period mustn’t have expired if your assessment was for a shorter period. Also, if your skills assessment was based on a qualification you acquired in Australia while you held a student visa, the qualification needs to be from pursuing a CRICOS-registered course.
Can You Include Family Members in Your Application?
Yes, the skilled independent visa 189 allows you to include your family members in your application. You can include members of your family as long as they are a de-facto partner or spouse. Stepchild or dependent child, or step-grandchild or dependent grandchild of a stepchild or dependent child.
All members included in the application should necessarily meet the Australian character and health requirements. Also, if you have a partner or dependent not included in the application, you need to explain why.
Note that you must not enter into a marriage or de facto relationship after your skilled independent visa 189 application until you enter Australia, or your Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189 might get canceled.
The 65 Points Mandate
As this visa is Points-tested, you must achieve a minimum of 65 points to be eligible. These points are based on the claims you make in your EOI submission.
If you’re invited for the application, the invitation will mention the number of points that you’ll have to score when your application will be assessed for granting the visa 189. Note that this score is based on the claims you make in your EOI and may be higher than 65 points.
Visa 189 Application Cost
The application cost for the 189 Visa Australia is AUD 4,115 and only includes the main visa applicant. There is an additional charge for each member you add to the application. Also, you might have to pay an extra fee for 18 years old or older family members having less than functional English.
Processing Time
Visa 189 takes a processing time of 21 months for 75% of applications and 33 months for 90% of applications.
Some Other Requirements
- Health requirement
- Character requirement
- No outstanding debt to the Australian government
- Sign the Australian values statement
- Have no previous refused applications or canceled visas
The New Zealand Stream
The skilled independent 189 Visa Australia has a separate New Zealand stream for eligible New Zealand citizens to work and live permanently in Australia. It is not a Points-tested or skills-based visa; however, specific requirements related to health, income, and character are still in place to be eligible to apply for this visa 189 stream. An applicant must also have lived in Australia for at least the past 5 years.
Summary
If you want to apply for the visa subclass 189 in order to migrate to Perth, you should approach a registered migration agent Perth who has enough experience and can efficiently guide you with your application.