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Once granted, this visa lets you and any included family members live, work, and study anywhere in Australia - no regional restrictions, no employer conditions, no nomination obligations. Medicare enrolment is immediate. You can sponsor eligible relatives for their own visas and travel freely in and out of Australia for five years on the initial travel facility, after which a Resident Return Visa is needed to re-enter as a permanent resident. Australian citizenship becomes available once the four-year residence requirement is met, including at least 12 months as a permanent resident.
Because there is no ongoing obligation to a sponsor, region, or employer, the 189 is generally considered the most flexible permanent outcome available under General Skilled Migration.
To be considered under the points-tested stream you need:
An invitation from SkillSelect - applications cannot be lodged without one.
An occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), which currently covers a lot of occupations across healthcare, engineering, ICT, education, trades, and other fields.
A positive skills assessment from the relevant authority for that occupation is mandatory.
To be under 45 at the time of invitation.
Competent English as a minimum, with higher bands scoring additional points.
Health and character clearances, including police certificates from every country lived in for 12 months or more in the past 10 years.
A points score of at least 65 - though 65 is the entry point into the pool, not the invitation mark.
The MLTSSL is reviewed periodically. Always confirm your occupation's current status at www.immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before committing to a skills assessment or building a strategy around it. The Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) stream operates under separate eligibility criteria not based on the points test. The New Zealand stream permanently closed to new applications on 1 July 2023, following the introduction of a direct citizenship pathway for New Zealand citizens residing in Australia.
65 points gets you into the SkillSelect pool. Whether that translates to an invitation depends on your occupation and what other applicants in that occupation scored in the same round. For lower-demand occupations, invitations can go to applicants close to the minimum. For competitive occupations - ICT, accounting, engineering, several healthcare fields - the effective cut-off regularly sits well above that. Some occupations go entire rounds without any invitations issued at all due to occupation ceilings the Department applies to keep the program balanced across industries.
Because the effective cut-off shifts by occupation and by round, a personal assessment of where your specific profile sits is the starting point that actually means something.
Confirm your occupation is on the current MLTSSL and establish your realistic points position before anything else.
Lodge with the correct assessing authority for your occupation. Some assess quickly; others take months. Factor this into your overall timeline early - a delayed assessment stalls everything that comes after it.
Sit an accepted test IELTS, PTE, OET, TOEFL iBT, or Cambridge English - and secure results that meet at least Competent English, with higher bands adding points.
Your EOI ranks you against other applicants in the same occupation. Keep it current – any change to your circumstances that affects your points should be updated promptly. An outdated EOI can cost you an invitation.
SkillSelect invitation rounds are held at times determined by the Department of Home Affairs and do not follow a guaranteed fixed schedule. When an invitation is issued, you have 60 days from the date of invitation to lodge the visa application. When an invitation arrives, you have 60 days to lodge a complete visa application. Missing that window means the invitation lapses and you return to the pool.
Every claim made in the EOI needs to be properly evidenced in the application. A complete, decision-ready application reduces the risk of Requests for further information that add months to processing.
Health and character clearances are assessed, any further requests addressed, and a decision issued.
A spouse or de facto partner and dependent children can be included in the application, provided they meet health and character requirements. Including family at the outset is generally more straightforward than sponsoring them separately later. A partner who holds a positive skills assessment and meets the English requirement adds points to the primary applicant's score - worth knowing if the difference matters for invitation prospects.
Occupation no longer eligible at the relevant stage before invitation or before lodging the visa application. Home Affairs states that a pending visa application is not adversely affected simply because the occupation is subsequently removed from a skilled occupation list. Points miscalculated - particularly around partner points, education level, or overseas employment dates. Skills assessment expired or issued for the wrong occupation. English test results outdated or below the required band. Employment history under-evidenced - payslips, tax records, and bank statements carry significantly more weight than a reference letter alone. Name inconsistencies across passports and supporting documents. Assuming a previous round's cut-off still applies to the current round.
Getting an invitation for a competitive occupation isn't just about accumulating points - it's about knowing which claims are defensible, which aren't, and how your profile compares against current round data for your specific occupation. EOIs that sit in the pool for months without an invitation usually have one of two problems: the points score looks right on paper but isn't competitive for that occupation, or the EOI isn't structured to present the profile as strongly as it could be.
Our team does an individual assessment of where your profile actually sits, identifies whether the 189 is the right pathway or whether the 190 or 491 gives you a better realistic outcome, structure the EOI properly, coordinates the skills assessment, and prepares a decision-ready application when the invitation comes through.
Points test settings, occupation lists, and SkillSelect invitation rounds change regularly and without notice. This page is general information and does not constitute migration advice. Always verify current list status and settings at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au or through a MARA-registered migration agent before making decisions.
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