189 Visa Requirements and How to Apply: 2026 Step-by-Step Guide

You have checked your points, your occupation looks right, and now you want to know exactly what Home Affairs will ask for. That is the stage where most 189 applications are won or lost.

The 189 visa requirements are not hard to follow once they are in order. The trouble is that many guides mix them up with invitation odds, old fees and occupation “tiers” that Home Affairs never published.

This guide sets out the eligibility rules as at 30 October 2026, the six steps from skills assessment to grant, and a full 189 visa document checklist for you and your family.

It covers the Points-Tested stream of the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189). The New Zealand stream is closed to new applications.

If you are still asking whether your score is high enough, read how hard it is to get a 189 visa first. If you are ready to prepare, read on.

What are the 189 visa requirements in 2026?

To get a 189 visa, you must be invited through SkillSelect, be under 45 at invitation, hold a suitable skills assessment, score at least 65 points and have competent English. You and your family must also meet health and character rules. These are the criteria on the Home Affairs Points-Tested stream page.

Age

• You must be under 45 when Home Affairs invites you to apply.
• If you turn 45 after the invitation, you can still apply.
• If you turn 45 after lodging your EOI but before an invitation, you won’t be invited.

Occupation and skills assessment

• Your occupation must be on the list of eligible skilled occupations for the 189. The 189 visa occupation list guide explains how to check yours.
• Your skills assessment must come from the assessing authority listed for your occupation.
• It must have been issued in the 3 years before your invitation, or within any shorter validity period printed on it.
• Home Affairs also accepts an assessment obtained within the 60-day invitation period, following the Thapa court decision. It is safer to have it before you lodge your EOI.
• If your assessment relies on an Australian qualification gained on a student visa, the course must be registered on CRICOS.
• Doctors can use AHPRA registration, and lawyers can use admission to practice, instead of a standard assessment.

Points

• You need at least 65 points on the points test to be invited.
• Your invitation states the score you must prove. It can be higher than 65, depending on what you claimed in your EOI.
• Points come from age, English, employment, qualifications, Australian study, partner skills and a few bonus items. Use The Migration’s points calculator to check your total.

Whether 65, 80 or 90 points is enough to be invited is a separate question. The 189 points and invitation odds guide covers that.

English, health and character

• You must have at least competent English at the time of invitation.
• You and every family member in the application must meet the health requirement.
• You and family members aged 16 or over must meet the character requirement.
• Family members not coming to Australia must also meet the character requirement, and may be asked to meet the health requirement.

Visa status and history

• You can apply in or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance.
• If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or a Bridging visa A, B or C, or your application won’t be processed.
• If you hold a 491 or 494 visa, or that was your last substantive visa, you must have held it for at least 3 years.
• Any debt to the Australian Government must be repaid or under a repayment arrangement.
• Everyone aged 18 or over signs the Australian Values Statement.
• Past refusals or cancellations are considered. They are not an automatic bar, but they must be declared.

Not sure your skills assessment or work history will hold up? Book a consultation with a MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 2518738) to check it before you lodge an EOI.

How much does a 189 visa cost and how long does it take?

The 189 visa costs AUD 6,135 for the main applicant as at 30 October 2026. Home Affairs reports 50% of applications decided in 61 days and 90% in 8 months.

Source: Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator, checked 30 October 2026. Charges usually change on 1 July each year.

Other costs to plan for

• A second instalment, only for an applicant aged 18 or over who can’t show functional English, and only when Home Affairs sends the invoice.
• Skills assessment and English test fees.
• Health examinations, police certificates and biometrics.
• Translations of any document not in English.

From 1 July 2026, eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens can pay a lower charge. The application charge is not refunded if the visa is refused.

What affects processing time

• Whether your application is complete when you lodge it.
• How long health, character and security checks take.
• How quickly you answer any request for more information.
• How many places are left in the migration program year.

Processing time starts when you lodge the visa application, not when you lodge your EOI. The wait for an invitation is separate.

How do you apply for a 189 visa step by step?

The 189 visa application process has six steps: get assessed, lodge an EOI, receive an invitation, gather documents, apply in ImmiAccount within 60 days, then respond to any requests. Each step follows the Home Affairs step guide.

1. Get your skills assessment and English test results.
2. Lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect.
3. Wait for an invitation.
4. Gather documents for every claim.
5. Apply online within 60 days of the invitation.
6. Complete health checks, biometrics and any requests.

Step 1: Prepare before your EOI

• Confirm your occupation is eligible and get your skills assessment.
• Sit your English test. Higher bands earn points, so time it with your EOI.
• Work out your points and check that every claim can be proved with a document.
• Home Affairs prefers that health checks are done before you apply for the visa.

Step 2: Lodge your EOI in SkillSelect

• Lodge it through SkillSelect, from within or outside Australia, and select the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189).
• There is no fee. An EOI stays active for up to 2 years.
• An EOI is not a visa application, so it does not give you a bridging visa. Keep your current visa valid.
• Update your EOI if your occupation, family or points change, for example after a new qualification or more work experience.

Rules on lodging more than one EOI are covered in how many EOIs you can submit.

Step 3: Receive an invitation

• Home Affairs invites the highest-ranked EOIs in periodic SkillSelect rounds, based on points and places available.
• The invitation arrives by email and states the points score you must meet.
• Your EOI is frozen once you are invited. You can update it again after the 60 days pass.
• You can be invited a maximum of twice. If you don’t apply after the second invitation, the EOI is removed.
• If you can’t prove the invited score, don’t apply. Fix the EOI and wait for a new invitation instead.

For dates and numbers of past rounds, see the 189 invitation rounds tracker.

Step 4: Gather your documents

• Collect evidence for every claim in your EOI, plus identity, character and family documents.
• Start overseas police certificates early, as some countries take weeks.
• The full list is in the checklist section below.

Step 5: Apply online within 60 days

• Log in to SkillSelect and click “Apply for visa”. This takes you to ImmiAccount.
• Log in or create an ImmiAccount. It uses a different login from SkillSelect.
• Attach your documents and pay the charge. Processing doesn’t start until the charge is settled.
• Note your transaction reference number (TRN).
• The 60 calendar days can’t be extended.

Step 6: After you apply

• If you are in Australia, you are granted a Bridging visa A. It starts if your current visa ends before a decision.
• Don’t ask for your current visa to be cancelled, or the bridging visa ends too.
• Complete health checks and biometrics if Home Affairs asks.
• Add a family member before the decision with Form 1436, and report a new baby as soon as possible.
• Report a mistake with Form 1023, and tell Home Affairs about changes of address, passport or relationship.

Home Affairs doesn’t give updates within standard processing times, and it may decide without asking for missing documents. Upload everything at the start.

What is on the 189 visa document checklist?

The 189 visa document checklist covers identity, relationship, character, English and points-claim documents for you, plus identity, relationship and dependency documents for each family member. All of it comes from the Home Affairs “Gather your documents” step.

Identity documents

• Passport pages showing your photo, personal details and issue and expiry dates.
• National identity card, if you have one.
• Proof of any change of name, such as a marriage or divorce certificate or a record from a Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or an overseas authority.
• Documents showing any other names you have been known by.

Relationship documents

• Marriage, divorce, death or separation documents, or statutory declarations, if you are or have been married, widowed, divorced or separated.
• A written reason if a partner or child is not in the application, for example because they are already an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

Character documents

• An Australian Federal Police certificate if you spent 12 months or more in total in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16.
• It must be a complete disclosure National Police Certificate. State or territory police certificates and standard disclosure certificates are not accepted. It is valid for 12 months.
• An overseas police certificate from every country, including your home country, where you spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16.
• Military service records or discharge papers, if you served in any armed forces.
• Form 80 and Form 1221.

English and points-claim documents

• Proof of competent English at the time of invitation, usually your test result.
• Your skills assessment letter, or AHPRA registration or a legal admission certificate.
• Qualification certificates and transcripts.
• Evidence for each extra claim: Australian study, specialist education, regional study, Professional Year, credentialled community language and partner skills.

Employment evidence

• References, contracts, payslips, tax statements, payment summaries and superannuation records for each period claimed before the invitation date.
• Each reference must be on letterhead with a street address, phone, email and website.
• It must show the exact dates, each position, permanent or temporary, full or part-time, main duties and salary.
• It must show the signer’s typed or stamped name, position and direct phone number. A reference with only an illegible signature is not accepted.

Partner documents

• Identity documents, photos and character documents.
• A marriage certificate, or proof of a registered de facto relationship, or evidence of 12 months living as a de facto couple before you apply.
• Evidence that the relationship is genuine and continuing, such as joint bank accounts, joint bills, a joint lease or mortgage, and proof of the same address.
• Proof of functional English, unless your partner holds a UK, Irish, US, Canadian or New Zealand passport. Otherwise, the second instalment is charged.

Dependent children

• Under 18: birth certificates or a family book naming both parents, and adoption papers if relevant.
• Under 18: Form 1229 or a statutory declaration from any parent with custody rights who is not migrating, or an Australian court order. Include that parent’s photo ID.
• 18 to under 23: identity documents, Form 47a and proof of financial dependency, such as bank transfers and rent receipts.
• 23 or over: all of the above plus a medical report showing they can’t support themselves because of a physical or cognitive condition.
• Children over 18 also need functional English, or the second instalment applies.

Forms you may need

How should you prepare 189 visa documents for upload?

Every document must be in English or translated, and uploaded as a clear colour scan. You don’t need to certify anything.

Preparation rules

• Translate every non-English document and upload both the original and the translation.
• Translators in Australia must be NAATI-accredited.
• Translators outside Australia don’t need accreditation, but each translation must show their full name, address, phone number and language qualifications, in English.
• Scan or photograph every document, including English ones, in colour.
• Save a multi-page document as one file.
• Name files clearly so the case officer can match each one to a claim.

Which mistakes hold up a 189 visa application?

Most delays and refusals come from claims that can’t be proved, not from the rules themselves. The same few problems show up again and again, and each has a simple fix.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Claiming work experience your skills assessment did not count as skilled. Match your EOI dates to the assessment letter.
• Letting a skills assessment or English test expire before the invitation. Diarise both expiry dates.
• Applying after an invitation when you can no longer prove the invited score. Don’t lodge; update the EOI instead.
• Uploading a state police check. Only the AFP complete disclosure certificate is accepted.
• Employment references with no duties, hours or salary. Ask employers to follow the reference rules above.
• Letting your current visa lapse while waiting for an invitation. An EOI gives you no bridging visa.
• Leaving out a child who turns 18 or 23 during processing without dependency evidence.

What happens after a 189 visa is granted?

Once granted, you are a permanent resident and can stay in Australia indefinitely. Home Affairs tells you your grant number, start date and any conditions in writing, and links the visa to your passport digitally.

What the visa allows

• Live, work and study anywhere in Australia.
• Enrol in Medicare.
• Sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence.
• Travel in and out of Australia for 5 years from grant. After that, you need a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157).
• Apply for citizenship once eligible. Some government payments have a waiting period for new residents.

If you are outside Australia at grant, you must enter by the date on your grant letter.

The citizenship residence rule

• Live in Australia on a valid visa for the 4 years immediately before you apply.
• Hold a permanent visa for the last 12 months of that time.
• Be absent for no more than 12 months in total in those 4 years, including no more than 90 days in the last 12 months.

Details are on the Home Affairs citizenship for permanent residents page.

How The Migration Helps

The Migration has helped skilled migrants with points-tested visas for 7+ years. Its MARA-registered migration agents (MARN 2518738) work through an 189 file in the same order as this guide. You can confirm registration on the MARA register.

• Checks that your skills assessment supports every employment year you plan to claim.
• Reviews your EOI so the score you claim is the score you can prove.
• Builds your document checklist and reviews each reference before you upload it.
• Lodges in ImmiAccount and answers any Home Affairs requests for you and your family.

If your points are below what recent rounds have needed, the agents can also compare the 189 with state-nominated options like the subclass 190 and subclass 491. No agent can guarantee an invitation or a visa outcome.

Conclusion

The 189 visa requirements come down to five checks at invitation: age, occupation and skills assessment, points, English, and health and character. Get those right, lodge an accurate EOI, and build your documents from the checklist above while you wait.

If your score is the weak point, the options when you don’t have enough points for a 189 guide sets out the next steps.

Ready to prepare your 189 application? Book a 189 consultation with a MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 2518738) to check your requirements and documents before you lodge.

Frequently asked questions