Information current as at 14 October 2026. If you want permanent residency in Australia without an employer or a state backing you, the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) is the one to aim for. The core 189 visa requirements in 2026 have not changed: you need an occupation on the skilled list, a positive skills assessment, at least Competent English, 65 or more points, and an invitation through SkillSelect while you are under 45. What has changed is cost and competition. The application fee rose to A$6,135 on 1 July 2026, and the 2026–27 program has 21,090 places for this visa, up from 16,900 last year.

This guide walks through each requirement in the order you actually meet them, with the points cut-offs we saw in the most recent round, the current fees, and the mistakes we see Indian and Malaysian applicants make most often.

189 visa requirements 2026: key facts

• Visa type: Permanent. You can live, work and study anywhere in Australia, enrol in Medicare and later apply for citizenship if eligible.
• Sponsor needed: None. No employer, state or family nomination.
• Age: Under 45 at the time you are invited to apply.
• Occupation: Must be on the list that applies to subclass 189 (the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List).
• Skills assessment: Positive and valid, from the assessing authority for your occupation.
• English: At least Competent English (for example IELTS 6 in each band).
• Points: Minimum 65 to lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI). Invitations in June 2026 ranged from 65 to 100 depending on occupation.
• Fee from 1 July 2026: A$6,135 for the main applicant, A$3,070 for each additional applicant aged 18 or over.
• Time to apply once invited: 60 days.
• 2026–27 planning level: 21,090 places for Skilled Independent.

What the subclass 189 visa gives you

The 189 is a permanent visa granted from day one. There is no provisional stage, no regional obligation and no requirement to stay with a particular employer. You can include your partner and dependent children in the same application, and they get the same rights as you.

The visa itself has no end date, but the travel facility does. You can leave and re-enter Australia as often as you like for five years from the grant date. After that, if you are not yet a citizen and want to travel, you will need a Resident Return visa. EazyViza has a dedicated service for the Resident Return visa (subclass 155/157) when that time comes.

Compared with the subclass 190 state-nominated visa, the 189 gives you complete freedom to choose where you live. The trade-off is that you compete nationally, and the invitation points are often higher.

Step 1: Check your occupation is eligible

Your nominated occupation must appear on the occupation list that applies to subclass 189. Home Affairs publishes the current lists on its skilled occupation list page. Search by occupation name or ANZSCO code and confirm three things:

• The occupation is listed against subclass 189 (points-tested stream).
• Which assessing authority covers it (for example ACS for ICT roles, Engineers Australia for engineers, ANMAC for nurses, VETASSESS for many professional roles, TRA for trades).
• Any caveats attached to the occupation.

Pick the occupation that genuinely matches your duties, not the one with the lowest cut-off. Assessing authorities compare your actual duties, reference letters and qualifications against the ANZSCO description. A mismatch is one of the fastest ways to a negative assessment.

Step 2: Get a positive skills assessment

You must hold a suitable skills assessment for your nominated occupation before you lodge your EOI. Only an assessment from the authority specified for that occupation counts.

Practical points that matter:

• Validity: Most assessments are valid for three years from the date of issue, unless the assessment itself states a shorter period. If it expires before you are invited, you cannot rely on it.
• Skilled employment date: Many authorities state a date from which your experience is counted as "skilled". Only experience after that date earns points. Use the date on the assessment, not your own estimate, when you fill in the EOI.
• Evidence quality: Reference letters should be on company letterhead, list your duties in detail, state hours per week and dates, and be signed by someone who can verify them. Generic HR letters with one line about your title are often not enough.

Our team helps with document preparation and occupation matching through the skills assessment help service.

Step 3: Meet the English requirement

Competent English is the minimum. Proficient English adds 10 points and Superior English adds 20, which is why most competitive applicants retake their test. Home Affairs updated the accepted scores on 7 August 2025, so check which set applies based on the date you sat the test.

Test (taken on or after 7 Aug 2025)	Competent English minimum
IELTS (Academic or General Training)	6 in each component
PTE Academic	Listening 47, Reading 48, Writing 51, Speaking 54
TOEFL iBT	Listening 16, Reading 16, Writing 19, Speaking 19
C1 Advanced (CAE)	Listening 163, Reading 163, Writing 170, Speaking 179
OET	Listening 290, Reading 310, Writing 290, Speaking 330
CELPIP General	7 in each component
LANGUAGECERT Academic	Listening 57, Reading 60, Writing 64, Speaking 70
MET	Listening 56, Reading 55, Writing 57, Speaking 48

Source: Home Affairs, Competent English. If you took PTE on or before 6 August 2025, the old standard of 50 in each component still applies to that result. Results from tests taken on or before 6 August 2025 remain usable until 6 August 2028 (inclusive), and newer results are generally valid for three years.

Two traps catch people every year. First, at-home or fully online versions of these tests (such as IELTS Online or TOEFL iBT Home Edition) are not accepted. Second, a TOEFL iBT result only counts if you registered under the "Taking TOEFL for Australia" option.

Citizens of the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand and the Republic of Ireland holding a valid passport meet Competent English automatically. Indian and Malaysian passport holders do not, so you will need a test result even if you studied in English.

Step 4: Calculate your points honestly

You need at least 65 points to submit an EOI, but 65 rarely gets an invitation outside a handful of occupations. Points are awarded under Schedule 6D of the Migration Regulations. The main categories are:

Factor	Points available
Age 18–24	25
Age 25–32	30
Age 33–39	25
Age 40–44	15
Proficient / Superior English	10 / 20
Overseas skilled employment (3, 5, 8+ years in last 10)	5 / 10 / 15
Australian skilled employment (1, 3, 5, 8+ years in last 10)	5 / 10 / 15 / 20
Doctorate / Bachelor or Masters / Diploma or trade qualification	20 / 15 / 10
Australian study requirement	5
Specialist education (STEM Masters by research or PhD in Australia)	10
Study in regional Australia	5
Professional Year in Australia	5
Credentialled community language (NAATI CCL)	5
Single, or partner is an Australian citizen/PR	10
Partner with skills assessment, Competent English and under 45	10
Partner with Competent English only	5

Combined points for overseas and Australian employment are capped at 20. We cover each category, including the evidence each one needs, in our Australia PR points test 2026 guide.

The rule that matters most: the points you claim must be true at the moment you are invited. If your points drop after invitation (for example, a birthday moves you into a lower age band), you must still have had the points at invitation, and you must be able to prove every claim when you lodge. Overclaiming, even by mistake, can lead to refusal.

Step 5: Lodge your Expression of Interest in SkillSelect

An EOI is free to lodge in SkillSelect. It is not a visa application. You do not upload documents at this stage, but you should have all of them ready before you submit, because you only get 60 days once invited.

Your EOI stays in the pool for up to two years. You can update it when your circumstances change: a new English score, an extra year of experience, a NAATI result or a partner's skills assessment. Each update can change your ranking. When candidates tie on points, the one who reached that score first ranks higher, so update promptly.

Many people tick 189, 190 and 491 in the same EOI or lodge separate EOIs. That is allowed, but your answers across EOIs must be consistent. Our EOI and SkillSelect preparation service checks your claims line by line before you submit.

Step 6: Receive an invitation (where the competition is)

Home Affairs runs invitation rounds and publishes results on its invitation rounds page. Rounds have become less frequent and larger. In the 2025–26 program year there were 189 rounds on 21 August 2025, 13 November 2025 and 4 June 2026.

The 4 June 2026 round issued 10,000 invitations. Reported cut-offs by occupation group were:

Points	Examples of occupations invited (4 June 2026)
65	Construction and building trades: plumbers, electricians, carpenters, bricklayers, plasterers, tilers, glaziers
70	Gasfitter
75	Registered nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, GPs, social workers, secondary and special needs teachers
80	Many engineering, science and technical roles
85	Architects, chemists, some medical specialists
90–100	Actuaries, statisticians, electronics and telecommunications engineers, life scientists, some specialists

As at 14 October 2026, no 189 round had yet been held in the 2026–27 program year. Several migration firms report that the next round is set for mid-October, but confirm the date and results on the Home Affairs page rather than relying on forums. With 21,090 places this year compared with 16,900 last year, there is room for more invitations than in 2025–26, though nobody can promise lower cut-offs.

Step 7: Lodge your visa application within 60 days

Once invited, you have 60 days to lodge the full application in ImmiAccount and pay the first instalment of the visa application charge. Miss the deadline and the invitation lapses. You would have to wait for another invitation.

Typical documents for the main applicant:

• Passport bio page and national identity documents (Aadhaar card, MyKad or equivalent)
• Skills assessment outcome letter
• English test result
• Degree certificates and transcripts
• Employment evidence for every year claimed: reference letters, payslips, tax records, employment contracts and, for Indian applicants, Form 16 or EPF statements where available
• Evidence for any other points claimed (NAATI, Professional Year, Australian study)
• Partner and children's identity and relationship documents
• Police certificates and health examinations (see next step)

If you are in Australia when you lodge, you will usually be granted a bridging visa that keeps you lawful while the 189 is processed, as long as you hold a substantive visa or an eligible bridging visa at the time.

Step 8: Health, character and the Australian values statement

Every applicant, including family members who are not migrating in some cases, must meet health requirements. You will usually do medicals with a Home Affairs panel physician using a HAP ID generated from your ImmiAccount. EazyViza can coordinate this through our HAP ID and health exam service.

Applicants aged 16 and over must provide police certificates from each country where they have spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16. You also sign the Australian values statement as part of the application.

189 visa cost in 2026

New visa charges apply to any application fee paid on or after 1 July 2026.

Cost item	Amount (AUD)
Main applicant (first instalment)	$6,135
Each additional applicant aged 18 or over	$3,070
Each additional applicant under 18	Check the official pricing estimator
EOI in SkillSelect	Free
Skills assessment, English test, medicals, police certificates, translations	Extra, paid to third parties

The previous main applicant fee was $4,910, so a couple applying together now pays $9,205 in visa charges alone before anything else. A second instalment is payable for any adult family member who cannot show functional English, and it is substantial, so sort out English evidence for your partner early. Always confirm the final amount with the Home Affairs visa pricing estimator before paying. You can also get a rough total with the EazyViza visa cost calculator.

How long does a 189 visa take?

There are two waits. The first is for an invitation, which depends entirely on your points and occupation and can range from weeks to never. The second is processing after lodgement. Home Affairs publishes current figures on its global processing times page, and they move month to month, so check there rather than relying on a number quoted in any blog. Processing is also shaped by ministerial priority directions, which currently favour certain sectors such as healthcare, teaching and construction.

The biggest factor you control is a complete application. Missing police certificates, unclear employment evidence and late medicals are the main causes of requests for further information and delay.

Advice for applicants from India and Malaysia

India

• ICT occupations are crowded. Software engineers, developer programmers and ICT business analysts make up a large share of the EOI pool and usually need very high points. Consider whether Superior English, NAATI CCL in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi or another community language, or a partner's skills assessment could lift you, and look at 190 nomination in parallel.
• Experience evidence: Back reference letters with payslips, bank credits and Form 16 or EPF records. Assessing authorities and case officers check that salary deposits match the employer claimed.
• Police certificates: Indian PCCs come from the Passport Seva system in India, or through the Indian mission if you live overseas. If you are already in Australia and need help, see our PCC assistance service.

Malaysia

• English test required. Studying in English in Malaysia does not exempt you. Book IELTS or PTE early, at a test centre, not an at-home version.
• Police clearance: Allow time for the Malaysian police certificate, and get certificates for any other country (for example Singapore) where you spent 12 months or more in the past 10 years.
• Australian study: If you completed part of your degree at an Australian university's Malaysian campus, check carefully whether it meets the Australian study requirement before claiming those 5 points. Study must be in Australia.

Common mistakes that cost 189 applicants

1. Claiming experience the skills assessment did not count. If your assessment says skilled from a certain date, claim only from that date.
2. Letting the skills assessment or English test expire while waiting in the pool.
3. Turning 45 before invitation. Plan your timeline around your age band changes, not just the hard cut-off.
4. Inconsistent dates between your CV, EOI, skills assessment and visa form.
5. Using an at-home English test or a TOEFL result not registered for Australia.
6. Waiting to collect documents until after invitation. 60 days goes fast when you need overseas police certificates.
7. Forgetting the partner. Their English evidence affects both points and the second instalment.

Is the 189 right for you?

If you are in a 65 to 75 point occupation such as a trade, nursing or teaching, the 189 is realistic right now. If you are in ICT, accounting or another high cut-off group, treat it as one track among several: run a 190 EOI alongside it, and look at employer sponsorship through the subclass 186 visa if you have an Australian employer. International graduates on a 485 can use the time to build Australian experience points; our 485 visa requirements guide covers that route.

How EazyViza can help

EazyViza is backed by Collins Quarters, a migration and commercial law firm with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Chennai and Kuala Lumpur. For skilled independent applicants we can:

• Check your occupation, points and realistic invitation prospects in a skilled migration pathway assessment
• Prepare your skills assessment and EOI so every claim is backed by evidence
• Lodge and manage your 189 application, onshore or offshore, through our subclass 189 service

Not sure where you stand? Start with our free eligibility checker, then talk to our migration team.

Disclaimer

This article is general information current as at 14 October 2026. It is not legal or migration advice for your situation. Visa fees, occupation lists, points cut-offs and processing priorities change regularly. Check the Department of Home Affairs website and get advice from a registered migration agent or lawyer before you apply.