Australia Skilled Independent Visa — Subclass 189

How the subclass 189 pathway works

The order matters. EYM treats each stage as a separate evidence checkpoint rather than assuming that a points score alone establishes eligibility.

Evidence EYM maps before the case advances

Permanent work and family position

Government visa charge

This is the currently recorded base government charge for the primary applicant. It is not an all-inclusive case price. Additional applicant charges, second instalments and other government or third-party costs may apply according to the case.

Common mistakes this pathway exposes

• Treating 65 points as a guarantee of invitation.
• Preparing an EOI before confirming the occupation and skills-assessment position.
• Relying on a self-calculated points total without evidence for every claimed factor.
• Confusing subclass 189 with subclass 190 state nomination or employer-sponsored pathways.
• Treating the base government charge as the total migration-process cost.

Pre-application control checklist

• Nominated occupation identified and applicable occupation-list position checked.
• Relevant assessing authority and skills-assessment evidence reviewed.
• English evidence and test validity reviewed.
• Points claims reconstructed from source evidence rather than estimates.
• SkillSelect EOI status confirmed.
• Invitation status confirmed before assuming a visa application can proceed.
• Health, character, identity and family evidence mapped.
• Government charges reviewed for the actual applicant composition.

Official sources used for this page