A Comparative Guide Between Skilled Independent Visa 189 & Skilled Nominated Visa Subclass 190

What Are Visa Subclass 189, Subclass 190 All About?

The Skilled Independent Visa 189 is a visa under the Australian skilled migration program divided into two streams. One stream, the Points-tested Stream, is for overseas skilled workers, while the other, the New Zealand Stream, is granted to citizens from New Zealand. For the Points-tested stream, you will have the necessary skills in the nominated occupation and meet the points requirements. Satisfying the points’ needs is not required in the New Zealand Stream.

On the other hand, the Skilled Nominated Visa Subclass 190 is granted to individuals if they are nominated and invited by a state or territory government in Australia. This visa has no stream division.

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What Are The Benefits Of These Visas?

The Visa Subclass 189 is a skilled visa. It means this visa is granted to an international worker who has relevant skills in a specific occupation that the Australian job sector requires the most. After you obtain the 189 Visa for Australia, you can do many things, which are as follows.

• As it is a permanent visa, you can stay in Australia for an indefinite period.
• Besides staying, you can also study and work permanently in Australia.
• Once granted, you become eligible to enrol in Medicare, the national health care scheme of Australia.
• You can enrol in other welfare schemes too.
• In the next five years from the skilled independent subclass 189 grant date, you can travel abroad and return to the country unlimited times.
• After staying as an Australian PR for some years, you may become eligible to apply for Australian citizenship.

190 Skilled Visa is also a permanent visa and thus allows the holders to stay permanently in Australia. The benefits are the same as those offered by the 189 Visa. It means with 190 Visa in Australia, you can enjoy the same rights to study and work in Australia permanently, enrol in Medicare, sponsoring eligible relatives for PR visas, and apply for citizenship.

Know The Basic Eligibility Difference

Before applying for the Visa Subclass 189, you should first decide which stream you will select. The eligibility criteria are as follows.

1. You should be under 45 years of age.
2. The occupation in which you get your nomination should be on the relevant skilled occupations list.
3. You have first to submit the EOI (Expression of Interest). If the authorities find the document satisfactory, they will then send you the invitation to apply. Only after receiving the invitation will you be allowed to make the application.
4. Meeting health requirements is a must for every Australian visa. Your application has to mention whether your health condition needs constant support from the community or the government.
5. For the Points-tested Stream, achieving the minimum required score on the points test is the primary requirement for this visa.
6. You should have a competent level of English language.
7. For the New Zealand Stream, you must prove that you are a citizen from New Zealand, have been living in Australia for the last 5 years, and made significant contributions in the Australian sector.

Read More – List Of All Skilled Visas Which Lead To Australian PR

On the other hand, the Visa Subclass 190 is a visa granted to an international worker nominated by an Australian state or territorial government. There is no stream division under this visa, so you will not have to worry about stream-specific requirements. The general eligibility criteria are mentioned below.

⦁ A territory or state government will nominate you. It implies that you have to meet the occupation and essential eligibility criteria specific to a state. That is why before you apply, you should check the relevant information on the state government’s websites.
⦁ After you receive the nomination, you will also receive the invitation to apply.
⦁ The occupation should be present on the relevant list of skilled occupations.
⦁ This visa is points-based. So, you will need to score at least the minimum point of 65 on the test. These points are given against different parameters like age, academic qualifications, English skills, etc.
⦁ The other requirements like age, English language, health, and character specifications are the same as those of the Points-tested Stream of the 189 Visa.

What Are The Documents Needed For These Visas?

While making the Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189 for Australia, you have to submit the following documents.

1. Copies of bio-data pages of your passport
2. Copy of a national ID card
3. Expression of Interest (applicable for only the Points-tested Stream)
4. For character requirement, character clearance certificates and completed form no. 80 will be required.
5. Proof of English language skills (applicable for only Points-tested Stream)The positive skills assessment document
6. Name change document (if applicable)
7. Forms 956 and 956a, for hiring and withdrawing a migration agent, respectively
8. Residential and income documents (for only the New Zealand Stream applicants)

For the Skilled Migration Visa 190, too, you have to submit copies of passport pages, national ID cards, health and character documents, English language proofs, skills assessment documents, and EOI documents for the 190 Visa.

Here Are The Processing Time And Cost

The 189 Visa processing time is different for the two streams. The Points-tested Stream applications take about 18 to 29 months to process, while the New Zealand Stream applications get processed in 15 to 16 months. On the other hand, The 190 Visa for Australia is processed in 4 to 17 months.

The application fee for both visas is AUD 4115. For the Points-tested Stream and the 190 Visa, you will need to pay the fee while applying. But for the New Zealand Stream, 20% should be paid initially, and the rest 80% is required before the visa decision is made.

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State or Territory Sponsorship

The main difference between the two visas is the state sponsorship requirement, applicable only for the 190 Skilled Visa. There will be different eligibility and occupational criteria for each specific state, and so you should check them much before making the application. These criteria depend on several factors like your occupation, your presence in Australia, etc. However, if you choose to apply for the 189 Skilled Visa, you will not need to worry about any such thing.

Government Occupation Lists

For the Skilled Migration Visa 190, you will need to have a state or territory government nomination. So, the occupation can be nominated either from the Short Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) or the Medium and Long Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). On the other hand, the Skilled Independent Visa 189 involves no state nomination. So, you can nominate an occupation that is present only on the MLTSSL.

Invitation Round

Generally, invitation rounds are held monthly for the Visa Subclass 189. But because of the impact of the ongoing pandemic, these rounds are expected to be held quarterly. In contrast, such regular invitation rounds are not common for the Skilled Nominated Visa Subclass 190. Invitations are issued by state and territory governments based on their own needs and shortages.

How Can Our Migration Agent Help You?

These two visas involve different criteria and provide different pathways for applicants. A registered Immigration Agent Adelaide can help you understand that. For contacts of these top-rated migration agents in Adelaide, MAA can help you.