Can I Apply for a 189 Visa While Working on a 485?

We get this question almost every day, and honestly, it makes a lot of sense why people are confused.

You’re on a 485 visa, you’re working hard, building your life in Australia, and you want to know: can I still go for that 189 permanent residency while I’m doing all of this?

The answer is yes, you can. But there’s more to it than just saying yes and walking away.

Whether your 189 application will actually succeed depends on your points score, your occupation, your English level, and a handful of other things that catch a lot of people off guard. So let’s go through all of it properly. No fluff, just what you actually need to know.

First, What Exactly is the Subclass 189 Visa?

The 189 is a permanent residency visa. Not temporary, not provisional. Straight-up permanent. It lets you live and work anywhere in Australia without needing an employer to sponsor you or a state government to nominate you.

That’s what makes it so desirable. You’re not tied to a region, not tied to a specific job. You just… live here, permanently.

It runs on a points system, so your age, English skills, qualifications, and work experience all feed into a score. You need at least 65 points to be eligible, but truthfully, 65 points rarely gets you an invitation these days. Most people who actually receive invitations are sitting at 80, 85, sometimes 90+ points.

There’s also no direct application. You submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect first, and the government invites you to apply based on how your score compares to everyone else in the pool for your occupation.

And the Subclass 485: What Role Does it Play?

The 485 is a temporary graduate visa for international students who’ve finished their studies in Australia. Depending on what you studied and where, you can get anywhere from 18 months to 4 years on this visa.

Here’s the thing though. The 485 isn’t just a waiting room. It’s actually one of the best visas you can hold if you’re aiming for a 189, because the Australian skilled work experience you build on a 485 directly adds points to your score.

Work in your nominated occupation for 1 to 2 years? That’s 5 extra points. Get to 3 to 4 years? 10 points. Hit 5 to 7 years? You’re looking at 15 points. For a lot of people, those points are the difference between waiting years for an invitation and getting one in the next round.

So, Can I Apply for a 189 Visa While Working on a 485?

Yes, absolutely. You don’t need to wait until your 485 expires or until you’ve got some other visa. You can lodge your 189 application while your 485 is still active.

What’s more, if your 485 happens to expire while your 189 is still being processed, you won’t just be left in limbo. You’ll automatically get a Bridging Visa A, which keeps you legal, lets you keep working, and holds your place until a decision comes through.

A lot of people don’t realise that, and they panic unnecessarily. So now you know.

How Many Points Do You Actually Need?

Technically, 65. Practically? You want to be well above that.

The 189 visa invitation rounds happen every month, and each round only invites applicants above a certain points threshold, which changes based on demand. For most occupations, you’ll need 80+ points to have a realistic shot. Some competitive occupations require even more.

Here’s the full breakdown of how the points work:

Are You Actually Eligible? Here’s What You Need to Have

Points are one thing, but there are a few other boxes you need to tick before you can even submit an EOI.

Your Occupation Needs to Be on the Right List

Not every job qualifies for a 189 visa. Your occupation has to be listed on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). If it’s not on that list, a 189 isn’t an option for you, but a 190 or 491 might be. Worth checking before you go any further.

You Need a Positive Skills Assessment

This one catches people off guard because it takes time. Before you can even submit your EOI, you need your qualifications and work experience assessed by the relevant authority for your occupation. That could be Engineers Australia, VETASSESS, ACS, and so on. Depending on the body, this can take anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks. Don’t leave it late.

You Must Be Under 45 at the Time of Invitation

Not at the time you submit your EOI, but at the time you receive your invitation to apply. If you turn 45 between submitting your EOI and receiving an invitation, you’re no longer eligible. This is a hard cutoff with no exceptions.

You Need at Least Competent English

That’s IELTS 6 in every band as a minimum. But honestly, 6s won’t help your points score at all. If you can push to 7s (Proficient) or 8s (Superior), that’s 10 or 20 extra points, which in a competitive occupation could mean the difference between waiting 6 months and waiting 3 years.

Health and Character Checks

You’ll need to pass a medical examination and provide police clearances from every country you’ve lived in for 12 months or more over the past 10 years. Start gathering these early because some countries take a long time to issue clearances.

The Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Get Your Skills Assessed

This is non-negotiable and often the longest step. Find out which assessing body covers your occupation and get started as early as possible. Some authorities want years’ worth of employment references, payslips, and qualification documents. Give yourself time to pull it all together.

Step 2: Nail Your English Test

If you haven’t sat a test recently, or your result is older than 3 years, you’ll need a fresh one. IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, and OET are all accepted. Aim higher than Competent because every extra band of English can mean 10 or 20 more points on your score.

Step 3: Work Out Your Exact Points Score

Before submitting anything, do a proper calculation. Don’t estimate. Go through each factor, check what evidence you have, and only claim points you can actually prove. Overclaiming is one of the most common reasons applications get refused, and it can affect future visa applications too.

Step 4: Submit Your EOI on Skill Select

Head to Skill Select and build your profile. You’ll enter your occupation, points factors, and supporting details. Once submitted, you go into the pool with everyone else applying for the same visa subclass.

Step 5: Wait for an Invitation

Invitation rounds run monthly. If your score is high enough relative to others in your occupation, you’ll get an invitation. When it arrives, you have exactly 60 days to lodge your full application. No extensions. No exceptions. So have your documents ready before the invitation comes, not after.

Step 6: Lodge the Full Application

Once invited, you’ll submit through ImmiAccount. You’ll need:

• Valid passport
• Skills assessment outcome
• English test result
• Payslips and employment references proving your work history
• Degree certificates and academic transcripts
• Police clearances
• Medical examination results
• Birth certificate, marriage certificate if including family members

Pay the application fee at lodgement. After that, it’s a waiting game.

Step 7: Wait for the Outcome

Processing takes somewhere between 6 and 12 months for most applicants. You might receive a request for additional documents during this time. Respond promptly, because delays in responding can push your application back. Once granted, your visa confirmation comes via email and takes effect immediately.

What Does This Cost?

People often underestimate how much the 189 actually costs when you add everything up. The government fee alone is one thing, but by the time you include the skills assessment, English test, medical, police clearances, and migration agent fees, the total for a family can easily hit AUD $8,000 to $10,000.

Processing Timeline

Government Application Fee (2025)

189 vs 190: Which One Should You Go For?

This comes up a lot, so it’s worth addressing directly. The 189 and 190 both lead to permanent residency, but they work differently.

The 189 is independent. No state needs to nominate you, and you can live wherever you want in Australia after the visa is granted. That freedom is genuinely valuable.

The 190 requires state nomination, which means you need to apply to a specific state, meet their requirements, and commit to living there for at least 2 years. And this matters: state nomination adds 5 points to your score. So if you’re sitting at 75 points and struggling to get a 189 invitation, a 190 might get you across the line faster.

Neither is universally better. It depends on your points, your occupation, and whether you’re flexible about where you settle.

Mistakes That Will Hurt Your Application

We’ve seen these happen more times than we’d like. A few of them are surprisingly easy to avoid once you know they exist.

Submitting Your EOI Without a Skills Assessment

Your skills assessment has to be done and valid before you submit your EOI, not after. If an invitation arrives and your assessment isn’t in order, you can’t lodge the application and you lose the invitation entirely.

Claiming Points Without the Evidence to Back Them Up

This is the big one. Some people claim work experience they can’t properly document, or count overseas work that doesn’t meet the required definition of “skilled work.” If the Department can’t verify your claims, they’ll refuse the application. Worse, a finding of misrepresentation can lead to a 3-year or even lifetime ban on Australian visas.

Not Updating Your EOI When Things Change

Your EOI can sit in the pool for months. During that time, you might gain more work experience, improve your English score, or get a higher qualification. Every time something changes, update your EOI immediately. Points are assessed at the date of invitation, not the date you originally submitted.

Missing the 60-Day Application Window

When that invitation comes, the clock starts immediately. 60 days is not as long as it sounds when you’re chasing down employment references, booking medical appointments, and waiting on police clearances. Have your documents 80% ready before the invitation arrives.

What Happens to Your 485 Once You Apply?

There are really three ways this can play out:

• The 189 is granted before your 485 expires. Your 485 is automatically cancelled the moment the 189 comes through. You become a permanent resident immediately.
• Your 485 expires while you’re waiting. A Bridging Visa A is issued automatically, keeping you legal and able to work until a decision is made.
• Your 189 is refused. The Bridging Visa A ends. You’ll need to either apply for another visa or leave Australia. This is why getting your application right the first time matters so much.

A Few Last Thoughts

If you’re on a 485 and wondering whether to start planning for a 189 now or wait, the answer is almost always: start now.

Get your skills assessed while you still have plenty of time on your 485. Work on your English score if it’s not where it needs to be. Bank as much Australian work experience as you can. By the time you’re ready to submit an EOI, you want your points to be solid enough that an invitation isn’t a gamble.

The visa system rewards people who plan ahead. It doesn’t reward people who rush.

If you’re not sure where your score sits right now, use our free Points Calculator to get a quick read on your situation. Or if you’d rather talk it through with someone, our MARA-registered agents are available for a strategy session. No pressure, just a clear picture of where you stand and what to do next.

Book a consultation with The Migration team here.