Basic Eligibility for Points-Tested Stream

• You must have a skilled occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list.
• You must have your skill assessed by a relevant skills assessing authority.
• You must be invited to be able to apply for this visa.
• To be invited, you must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) and meet the points test on a competitive basis. This means that you most likely need higher than 65 points to be invited.
• You must obtain the minimum score of 65 from the Points Test.^*
• Obtaining a minimum score does not necessarily mean being invited, as priority is given to applicants with higher points.
• You must be between 18 and 45 years of age when you are invited to apply.
• At the time of invitation, you will need to provide proof of at least Competent English (IELTS score of 6 or equivalent).
• You might not be eligible for this visa if you have had your visa cancelled or a previous visa application refused while you were in Australia.
• You have 60 days from the date of invitation to apply for visa.

As an applicant for this visa

• You may be in or outside Australia to lodge a valid application.
• You can include members of the family unit in the application when you lodge the visa application or after that but before your visa is decided on.
• You and your family members included in your application must meet the health and character requirements.
• You must not have any outstanding debt to the Australian Government.
• When lodging your application, you must provide supporting evidence for your claims.

As a holder of this visa

• You can stay permanently in Australia and live, work, and study anywhere in the country.
• You can benefit from Medicare, the Australia’s public health insurance scheme.
• You can sponsor your relatives to come to Australia.
• You are allowed to travel in and out of Australia as many times as you want for 5 years.
• Newly arrived residents may need to wait to be eligible for certain Australian Government payments and benefits.
• If eligible, you can apply for and become an Australian citizen.

Points criteria

You can score points based on the following criteria which are assessed at the time of invitation:

• Age (15, 25, or 30 pts)
• English language skills (0, 10, or 20 pts)
• Skilled employment experience outside Australia (0, 5, 10, or 15 pts)
• Skilled employment experience in Australia (0, 5, 10, 15, or 20 pts)
• Educational qualifications (10, 15, or 20 pts)
• Specialist education qualification (An Australian research degree in relevant fields) (10 pts)
• Australian study requirement (5 pts)
• Professional Year in Australia (5 pts)
• Credentialed Community Language (CCL) (5 pts)
• Study in regional Australia (5 pts)
• Partner skills (5 or 10 pts)

Please click here to see the points table for Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189).

* Fees and minimum score of 65 were true at the time of compiling this document, but they are subject to change. Please contact us for the latest updates on this visa.

Note: All documents should be originally in English or officially translated into English.

Please note that the above content is for general information only and must not be taken as immigration or travel advice. The content was up-to-date at the time of the last update but being current and accurate cannot be always guaranteed due to the frequent changes in immigration law. Please contact us for advice and information on the latest immigration laws in Australia.

Source: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au

Access: 04 August 2020