189 Visa - Skilled Independent
Plan your future correctly with the advice of a Registered Migration Agent
What is a Subclass 189 Visa?
The Points-tested stream of the subclass 189 – Skilled – Independent visa allows highly skilled workers who are not sponsored by an employer, State or Territory of Australia, or family member to live and work permanently in Australia. If you wish to apply for this visa under the Points-tested stream, you must first obtain a positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation, and then lodge an Expression of Interest. If this is successful, you will be invited to lodge a visa application.
We can assist with all stages of this skilled visa journey.
The minimum requirements of the Points-tested stream of this visa are set out below:
Subclass 189 Requirements
Points-tested Stream
At the time that you are invited to apply for this visa, you must:
- be under 45 years of age
- nominate an occupation that is included on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL)
- have your skills assessed by the appropriate Australian skills assessing authority as suitable for your nominated occupation
- have competent English i.e.
- hold a valid passport issued by the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland (and you are a citizen of that country) OR
- an IELTS test score of at least 6 in EACH test component OR
- an OET test score of at least B in EACH test component OR
- a TOEFL iBT test score of at least 12 for listening, 13 for reading, 21 for writing and 18 for speaking OR
- a PTE test score of at least 50 in EACH test component OR
- a CAE test score of at least 169 in EACH test component
NOTE: In each case, the test must have been undertaken within the three years PRIOR to lodging the visa application.
score at least 65 on the relevant points test (which takes into account your age, English competency, qualifications and work experience, amongst other factors)
Anyone who wishes to apply for this visa under the Points-tested stream MUST first be INVITED to lodge an application by the Department of Home Affairs (the DOHA). In order to qualify for an invitation to apply for this visa, you must lodge an ‘Expression of Interest’ (EOI), which sets out how you meet the relevant requirements.
Step 1: Initial Assessment or Consultation
The first step is to schedule a free initial assessment with one of our Registered Migration Agents. If you have already had a free initial assessment you will be required to schedule a paid consultation. We will assess your current situation and your background.
Note: it is ultimately the evidence that you can obtain supporting your claims that is the determining factor. We will need to review your evidence as an eligibility assessment prior to commencing the skills assessment and/or EOI.
We will send you a fixed fee quote following the consultation which breaks down the applicable fees for each step.
We offer split fee payments to assist you financially during the preparation stages of your Skilled visa journey.
Step 2: Comprehensive Review & Pre-Assessment
Once you engage in our services, we will conduct an initial comprehensive review & pre-assessment of your eligibility for this visa. This involves reviewing your qualifications, work experience, English language and other circumstances, to establish whether or not you are likely to meet the relevant requirements.
As part of this initial comprehensive review & pre-assessment, we will consider which MLTSSL occupation(s) you are likely to be able to nominate, and whether or not you are potentially eligible for a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for that occupation.
We will then provide you with informed and comprehensive advice about your ability to meet the minimum standards that the DOHA requires migrants to fulfil in order to qualify for an invitation to apply for this visa.
Note: Our initial assessment of your eligibility does not guarantee that you will (or will not) in fact obtain a positive skills assessment, or be issued an invitation to apply for this visa. In particular, whether or not the DOHA issues you with an invitation will depend upon how your points test score compares to the scores of other potential applicants, and whether or not the DOHA deems your nominated occupation to be required in Australia.
Step 3: Skills Assessment
Should our initial assessment indicate that you are eligible for a positive skills assessment and EOI, we will prepare your skills assessment application.
For each skilled occupation listed on the MLTSSL, the DOHA has specified an assessing authority that may carry out skills assessments for that occupation. Only a skills assessment conducted by the relevant assessing authority will be accepted by the DOHA in support of an EOI.
We will provide you with a tailored list of the information and documents required to support your application. When you have provided the necessary details and documents, along with the required assessment fee, we will lodge your application with the applicable skills assessing authority.
Step 4: Expression of Interest
Once you have received a positive skills assessment from the skills assessing authority, we will prepare and lodge your EOI. Although you do not need to provide supporting documents at this stage, you MUST be able to provide evidence that the information supplied in the EOI is correct at the time that you are invited to apply for the visa.
You will subsequently receive a result and points score from the DOHA, which is used to rank you against other applicants who have lodged EOIs for this visa. The ranking is based partially on whether or not your occupation is a skill that Australia requires at the time your EOI is assessed. If your EOI is successful, you will be invited to lodge a visa application.
Note: The DOHA retains an EOI for 2 years from the date that it is lodged. During this time, your EOI can be updated if any of your circumstances change (e.g. you obtain a new qualification or skills assessment). If your ranking changes during this 2-year period, based on either your changing circumstances or Australia’s changing skill needs, you may be issued with an invitation to apply for the visa at that point in time.
Step 5: Visa Application
Once the DOHA has invited you to apply for this visa, we will prepare and lodge your visa application within the specified time frame, together with all of the documents that support the information that you provided in your EOI. This includes your skills assessment, English language test results, qualifications, work references and all other required documents.
We will look after the entire process for you and assist you with strengthening your supporting evidence prior to lodgement. We will provide you with your login details to our secure online portal upon commencement. This portal is used to safely and securely share important and confidential information and documents presented in your applications.
As every skilled visa application is different, we will provide you with tailored document checklists relevant to your specific situation.
We will complete all the necessary forms, applications and further submissions on your behalf.
You can rest assured that your Registered Migration Agent has prepared and lodged hundreds of applications similar to yours and is experienced in preparing ‘decision ready’ applications. It is important that we get it right the first time. For this reason, we will only lodge your application once we are confident that it has been prepared correctly.
Should your visa application be approved, you will be granted a permanent visa. You may be either in Australia or overseas when your visa is granted.
PLEASE NOTE: We estimate that it may take several weeks to prepare and lodge your application, with the time taken largely dependent on how promptly you provide us with the necessary supporting information and documents.
The time that it takes the DOHA to process your application is dependent upon its processing time service standards, and may also vary due to a number of other factors, including the complexity of your case, perceived risk factors and processing priorities.
If you are inside of Australia you will not be granted a bridging visa to remain inside Australia until step 5 (visa application) has been lodged. It can often take several months to complete the 4 previous steps and therefore we recommend making a start as soon as possible.
Here's what our clients have to say about us…
The Migration Unity Advantage
100% Success Rate
We are proud to say that every single application we have ever lodged has been approved.
100% Money-Back Guarantee
Rest assured that you will be covered by our No Visa, No Fee - 100% money-back guarantee.
Split Fee Payments
We offer split fee payments to assist you financially whilst your application is being prepared. It's easy to make a start!
100% Satisfaction
Our clients love our service! Check out our reviews for yourself. You too could be receiving a phone call from us with your visa approval.
Fixed Fee
Know exactly every cent you will be paying upfront with no hidden additional fees along the journey.
Stress Free
We take the stress out of preparing and lodging visa applications. We do this every day of the working week.
How it works
Consultation
Engagement
Preparation & Lodgement
100% Money-Back Guarantee
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When you join us at Migration Unity, you can rest assured you are in good hands as you’ll always be covered by our money-back guarantee.
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We know that choosing a migration agent is a big decision, and it's important that you get it right the first time.
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In the extremely unlikely event that your application is not accepted, we’ll refund every cent of our professional fees – no questions asked.
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You need to be absolutely confident that your migration agent is doing everything in their power to achieve a successful outcome for you.
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We believe that offering a “No Visa – No Fee 100% Money-Back Guarantee” (on selected visa subclasses) helps you feel confident that your Migration agent will do everything they can for you.
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More Reasons Why Our Service Is Great
Qualified & Experienced
Our Registered Migration Agents are qualified and experienced in Australian migration law and practice.
Teamwork
More than one person will be working on your matter: more checking, more experience and less room for errors.
Correct Planning
Planning correctly from the beginning can save you time, money and stress whilst reducing the risk of a refusal.
Maintaining Records
We maintain your records for a minimum of seven years in accordance with the Code of Conduct.
Decision-ready Application
We know what is required by law to prepare your application correctly. Minimise further requests, which slows down the processing of your application.
Save Time
You won't have to spend weeks or even months researching outdated information online without understanding Australian migration law.
What makes Migration Unity different
01.
We have been in your position before
Just like you, the co-founders of Migration Unity are also migrants. We once landed in this great country and shortly after fell in love with the fantastic lifestyle that Australia has to offer.
We have been in your position before, and we completely understand the emotions that you are going through.
The responsibility of our client’s future is in our hands, and we do not take this lightly.
And that is why we are here to help you through every step of your migration journey.
02.
Our Knowledge
Did you know there are currently over 70 different Australian visas?
We have selected a handful of these visas and focused on obtaining in-depth knowledge and a complete understanding of the ever-changing and evolving legislation and policy procedures behind these applications.
03.
Quality over quantity
You are not just a number to us, we don’t focus on a visa count of how many applications we can possibly lodge per year, we focus on success!
We specialise in the following applications and we are proud to say we have a 100% success rate!
- Skilled visas
- Employer-Sponsored visas
- Partner visas
- Australian Citizenship
- Skills Assessments