Skilled Independant Visa (Australia)
The skilled independent visa- subclass 189, is a visa program that has two streams available for overseas workers and New Zealand citizens. You can apply for this visa if you are a highly skilled individual and meet the points requirements (for the points tested stream).
Skilled Independent Australia -Visa Streams
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There are two main streams within the skilled independent visa category:
Points Tested Stream. For this stream, you don’t need a sponsor or to be nominated. However, you must be invited to apply. You will be invited if you pass the threshold points required for a visa 189. Generally speaking, for a points tested stream visa you must have at least 65 points. New Zealand Stream. You can apply for this stream if you are a New Zealand citizen that has lived in Australia for at least five years and you held a special visa 444. In order for the residence period to count towards your eligibility criteria, you must have been living in Australia since or before February 19 of 2016.
Skilled Independent Visa Australia Eligibility Criteria
You meet the eligibility criteria for the points tested stream if: You have an invitation to apply for the visa. You are under 45 years of age. You possess a positive skill evaluation. You have at least 65 points on the score table. You meet the eligibility for the New Zealand stream if: You have a special visa subclass 444. You’ve lived in Australia for at least five years. You’ve earned at least as much as the income threshold.
189 Visa Application Process :
Follow these steps when you want to apply for a 189 visa: Submit an expression of interest. If you are applying for the points tested stream, you must submit an expression of interest via SkillSelect before you can apply for the visa. Meet the points requirement. When you fill in your personal information for your EOI, at the end there will be an automatic calculation of the points you’ve reached based on your qualification and skills- if you’ve reached at least 65 points SkillSelect will issue you an automatic invitation to apply for the visa. Get a visa invitation. Once you’ve finished submitting your EOI, you have to wait for an invitation to apply for the visa. Apply for the visa. After your invitation, you can submit your application via ImmiAccount- you must first log in to your SkillSelect account and select the option “apply for the visa” which will send you directly to the ImmiAcocunt. For the New Zealand stream, steps one, two and three are not necessary, you can simply apply for the visa via your ImmiAcocunt.