SC189 Visa

What is SC 189 Visa?

The Subclass 189 is a permanent residence visa that allows the visa holder to live and work anywhere in Australia.

It is a points-tested visa which you can only apply once you have received an invitation to apply upon submitting an ‘Expression of Interest’ (EOI).

The process of applying for this visa subclass is complex and involves multiple stages. We highly recommend that you engage the services of a professional who has the right skills and experience to guide you through each stage of the application.

We can assist you with all stages of your application, including:

Points Test

You must have at least 65 points or more to apply and the more points you have, better are your chances of receiving an invitation! Points are allocated for age, English language ability, work experience, qualifications and as well as a number of other factors.

We can evaluate you application to check how many points you currently have and can also provide recommendations on increasing your points if you have a score of less than 65 on points table.

Occupation Selection

We can assist you in choosing the most relevant occupation from the MLTSSL (Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List) corresponding to your qualifications, skills and experience.

Occasionally, there will be more than one occupation that might be relevant. In that case, we can explain you the key differences between those occupations along with their advantages or disadvantages so that you can make the right selection.

Getting Skills Assessed

There are multiple skills assessing bodies in Australia, the one you need to apply to would depend on your occupation. Once applied, the relevant assessing body will assess your application, check whether you qualifications and work experience are relevant to your nominated occupation. The assessment report is needed by department to evaluate your points and eligibility for the skilled visa.

The evidentiary requirements are very stern for all skills assessments and with our working experience with a number skill assessing authorities, we will ensure to put forward the best application for a positive skill assessment outcome.

EOI Submission

Once your EOI is submitted, it will stay valid in the SkillSelect pool for 2 years. Invitations to apply for visa are via an automated system and one’s likelihood of receiving an invitation depends on multiple factors, such as:

no of invitations being sent out for your particular occupation, the demand could be industry dependent in addition to number of applications that are currently being processed by the Department

total number of EOI’s submitted under the same occupation

total score of points of other applicants.

The more you score on points table, the likely are you to receive an invitation to apply for SC189 visa.

Once we have submitted your EOI we would continue to follow up to make sure it reflects your current circumstances. For e.g. you could have gained additional work experience, have completed a higher qualification or have increased you English exam score, so we will make sure this is updated as this will directly affect your points score.

Applying for the visa

Once an invitation is received to apply, you can then proceed to skilled visa application and the visa must be applied within 60 days of receiving the invitation.

An applicant can be onshore or offshore at the time of application of visa. If you apply onshore, you will usually be granted a Bridging Visa which will allow you to stay in Australia until your application has been processed.