The Skilled Independent visa
Is it a dream of yours to live in Australia? Does the idea of migrating to a safe and wonderful country excite you? Are you competent in your English ability? Are you under the age of 45?
If you answered “yes” to these questions, then it may be worth your while to learn more about the skilled independent visa (Subclass 189).
The skilled independent visa (Subclass 189) falls within the general skilled migration category.
What can I do on the skilled independent visa?
The good news is that this is a permanent residence visa. It allows for you and your family who have been granted the visa to be able to:
• Stay in Australia indefinitely
• Study and work in the country
• Sponsor other eligible relatives for permanent residence
• Travel to and from Australia for the duration of five years, from the date the visa is issued.
• Apply for Australian citizenship.
• Enroll in Australia’s scheme for health related care
What are the requirements for the skilled Independent visa?
It is important to understand that you might be eligible for this visa if you have been invited. You must also meet the following essential requirements:
• Be under the age of 45.
• Completed a suitable skills assessment for a particular occupation.
• Nominated an occupation that is on the set skilled occupations list.
• Met the specified score requirements in your letter of invitation, which is based on the factors in the points test.
• Be competent in the English language.
• Meet the character requirements.
• Meet certain health requirements.
What does the application process involve?
The application process needs to comply with the SkillSelect process and can be further broken down into 4 distinct categories:
1. The pre-expression of interest assessment: This step involves the points based system. You will need to meet the point’s requirements in order to move on to the next stage.
2. The expression of interest:This step involves selecting the right visa and subclass for you. It judges where you slot in and against other expression of interests received. A decision will be made to invite you to make a visa application or not.
3. The invitation to apply: This is based on the information which has been provided in the expression of interest. You may receive an invitation to apply for a skilled independent visa (189)
4. The application process: This process takes time and it will require you to submit documentation and materials in order to validate the information given in the expression of interest as well as the assessment.
Is this right the visa option for me?
The skilled independent visa (Subclass 189) is geared towards people who has already passed the test for skilled workers and has accumulated the required amount of points.
This option is for individuals who are not sponsored by an employer or family member. In addition, if you have not been nominated by a state or territory government, then this visa option could potentially work for you.
Please remember that there are always a wide variety of visa options to choose from. That is why we highly suggest that you make use of a fully licensed immigration agency that will be able to go through and explore all your visa options carefully with you.
Where do I start?
The best place to start is right at the beginning. It is usually recommended that you obtain a comprehensive assessment and work with a fully licensed immigration agent.
Please be aware that you should only trust a fully licensed agent, who is properly and fully registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA)
If you come across any agents who are not registered with MARA no matter what excuse they give, and no matter what else they may claim to be registered with, do not use them.
Only fully licensed agents who are registered with MARA are able to give you proper assistance and advice with regard to Australia immigration.
Booking an assessment or finding out more:
If you would like to find out more about our services or book an assessment with us simply call us on +27 (0) 21 202 8200 or email us here.
