Main Highlights of Subclass 189 Visa
- The visa allows one to remain indefinitely anywhere in Australia.
- Applicant does not require any sponsorship from the State or Government.
- Earn in Australian dollar, with complete working rights.
- If eligible, prospective applicant can become an Australian citizen.
- Permanently settle in Australia along with the family.
What is the Eligibility criterion for Subclass 189?
- Applicant should be under 45 years of age at the time of application.
- Applicant must receive invitation to apply for the visa.
- Applicant requires a suitable skills assessment at the time of invitation.
- Since, Subclass 189 is point based visa, applicant must obtain a score of 65 points in order to be invited to apply for the visa.
- Applicant needs to have a Competent Level English Language Skills.
- Applicant and his / her family whether accompanying in Australia or not, need to meet the Health Requirement.
- Applicant and his / her family whether accompanying in Australia or not, need to meet the Character Requirement.
- Applicant and his / her family whether accompanying in Australia or not, must ensure that all debts of the Australian Government are fully paid back.
- If the applicant is above 18 years of age, then needs to sign the Australian Values Statement.
- Prospective applicant must have the nominated occupation in the relevant list of Eligible Skilled Occupations List for Subclass 189, i.e. the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) or the Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List. (CSOL)
- The applicant must not have any history of cancelled Visa or previously refused application.
Advantages of Skilled Independent Visa - Subclass 189
Skill Independent visa comes with numerous rights and responsibilities towards the country, Australia. Some of the other advantages are mentioned below:
- Successful applicant can enroll in Australia’s public health care scheme, Medicare.
- Once the visa is granted individual, can work, study or reside anywhere in Australia as a permanent resident for life.
- Visa permits freedom to work in any occupation for any employer.
- Subclass 189 allows its holders to sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residency (PR) including partners and parents.
- If qualified, Visa lets you apply for Australian citizenship.
- Successful visa holder can travel to & from Australia any number of times for 5 years.
- One can sponsor relatives to visit in Australia.
Document Checklist for Subclass 189 Visa
Once the applicant gets through the first stage of occupation assessment, candidate needs to provide documents to support the claims made in Expression of Interest. It is of paramount importance that all documents are in English Language.
For the main Applicant documents checklist.
- National Identity Card
- Birth Certificate
- Passport with blank pages
- Marriage certificate if married
- Medical check certificate
- Police clearance certificate
- Employment References
- Contracts, pay slips, tax returns, group certificates.
- Curriculum Vitae with full employment and educational history, including dates and positions held within last ten years.
- Recent Passport Size Photographs
- All academic degrees, diplomas, transcripts & certificates
- Evidence of any specialist qualification
- Scores in an English Proficiency test such as IELTS or PTE Academic or TOEFL
- Proof of Funds
- Skills assessment documents
Additional Applicant documents checklist
- Identity documents such as passport, birth certificates.
- Marriage Certificates, divorce documents, separation documents which ever applicable.
- Police clearance certificate.
- Passport Size photographs.
The Process for Subclass 189 Visa
Skilled Independent visa can be applied by the applicant irrespective of the fact whether or not he/she lives in Australia. The entire process for Subclass 189 can be divided into 4 main stages.
- Occupation Assessment
- Expression of Interest (EOI) Submission
- Receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) Visa
- Visa Decision.
First & foremost the application process starts with the validation of the occupation by the authorized body of Australia. Every occupation will have a different approving authority, if the occupation is on list and the applicant has 65 points on the points system, applicant is eligible to move to the next step. Every assessing authority charges a fee and requires different document to validate the occupation. Time taken in the process could vary from 3- 4 months. List of different assessing authority is below:
- Architects Accreditation Council of Australia Inc
- Australian Association of Social Workers
- Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine
- Australian Computer Society
- Australian Community Workers Association
- Australian Dental Council
- Australian Institute of Management
- Australian Institute of Medical Scientists
- Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors
- Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership
- Australian Maritime Safety Authority
- Australian Nursing & Midwifery Accreditation Council Limited
- Australian and New Zealand Podiatry Accreditation Council Inc.
- Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine
- Australasian Osteopathic Accreditation Council
- Australian Orthotic Prosthetic Association
- Australian Physiotherapy Council
- Australian Pharmacy Council
- Australian Podiatry Association
- Australian Psychological Society
- Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy
- Australasian Veterinary Boards Council Inc.
- Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand
- Civil Aviation Safety Authority
- Council on Chiropractic Education Australasia Limited
- CPA Australia Ltd
- Dietitians Association of Australia
- Institution of Engineers Australia
- Institute of Public Accountants
- Medical Board of Australia
- National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters
- Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand
- Occupational Therapy Council (Australia and New Zealand) Limited
- Speech Pathology Australia
- Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute
- Trades Recognition Australia
- Vocational Education & Training Assessment Services
At the next level an ‘Expression of Interest’ (EOI) is submitted at the Department of Home Affairs demonstrating interest in applying for the skilled migration under the subclass 189 visa type. Here one needs to ensure that prior to submitting EOI, all the required documents claiming 65 points along with approved occupation assessment are set aside ready to be uploaded as & when asked. Once EOI is submitted applicant competes with pool of other applicants in similar occupation as himself and thus requires to wait for the selection from the applicable Department. Once the application gets selected candidate receives an Invitation to Apply (ITA) which is an official Invitation to the applicant from Department of Home Affairs to accept place in the skilled migration program. At this stage, one is required to pay the visa fee (main applicant and additional applicants), submit the documents supporting the EOI as well as all other required documents of police clearance, medical checks or other relevant credentials suggested by the DHA for the final process of approval.
As long as all the applicable checks come out clear, DHA contacts the Immigration consultant with the Visa grant letter.
Visa Fee & Charges Subclass 189 Visa
The current visa cost of subclass 189 for the main applicant is AUD 4,240. There is an additional cost for each family member depending on whether the age is below/or above 18 years. If the additional applicant age is above 18 years the visa cost is A$ 2,120 and if the age is below 18 years of age then the visa cost is A$ 1,060. Applicant also needs to keep in mind that they may have to pay an extra charge of A$ 4,885 as the second Installment, for elders who may have less than functional English. However, it is only applicable if the visa is successfully granted. Other additional costs include Skill assessment Fee, English Language Test Fee, health assessment fee, Police Clearance Certificate fee as well as Biometrics. It is advised that for more up to date information on visa application cost, please contact our seasoned migration consultants, as the costs mentioned could vary over a period of time.
Processing Time for Subclass 189 Visa
By and large, the processing time for each application varies considerably, as every application is unique and is assessed on case-by-case basis. It is of vital importance to understand that the processing time is comparative to the completeness of the application and supporting documents provided. Processing time is also dependent on the varying circumstances which include how quickly one responds to requests for additional documentation, number of places available in the migration program, quality of documents provided, time taken to complete the required checks on the information provided as well as time taken by the external agencies to gather additional information, particularly in the context of health, character and national security requirements. The current estimated processing time for Subclass 189 is approximately 5 months for 90% of the applications. Applicant will have 60 days to apply for the visa after receiving the ‘Invitation to Apply’. The Department of Immigration will commence the processing of the application after that. It is essential to keep patience throughout the application processing journey as processing times may fluctuate and many times certain factors may be beyond our control. Moreover, one needs to be in close contact with our expert Immigration consultants for latest up to date information.
How our experienced Migration Agents can help?
There are several visa pathways available in Australia, depending on your individual circumstances and goals. We at Jagvimal Consultants & Management Services Pty Ltd. deal with all types of Australian visas including permanent and temporary visa applications. Range of Australian visas we may well assist you with are Australian Skilled Migration, Business Visa, Partner and Spouse Visa & other visa types. With over a decade of experience into Australian Immigration System, our team is inspired to be absolutely transparent, straightforward, honest and client centered thus ensuring each Immigration process is as smooth as possible. With plethora of Information easily available, finding the accurate and correct visa pathway often poses challenge on the applicant however with JVC’s Immigration specialists, you can be rest assured that you are in safe hands. Our team has the up-to-date knowledge and latest updates of migration laws and rules, and are very well equipped to apply them wisely to individual circumstances.
Dealing the clients with professionalism, providing seamless Immigration solutions, while ensuring high quality of services is our prime forte. So, if you are competent and envision yourself in Australia, don’t wait, let’s apply for Subclass 189 right now, as this visa pathway provides permanent residency (PR) for Skilled International Employees. Book your consultation today!
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