Determined by Department of Home Affairs

Points table for Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)

Overview

​Points criteria are assessed at the time of invitation.

Age

Age Points
at least 18 but less than 25 years 25
at least 25 but less than 33 years 30
at least 33 but less than 40 years 25
at least 40 but less than 45 years 15

English language skills

English Points
Competent English 0
Proficient English 10
Superior English 20

English language skills

Skilled employment experience

Overseas skilled employment – (outside Australia)

Number of years Points
Less than 3 years 0
At least 3 but less than 5 years 5
At least 5 but less than 8 years 10
At least 8 years 15

Australian skilled employment – (in Australia)

Number of years Points
Less than 1 year 0
At least 1 but less than 3 years 5
At least 3 but less than 5 years 10
At least 5 but less than 8 years 15
At least 8 years 20

You can only claim points for employment if the employment was in your nominated skilled occupation or a closely related skilled occupation; and you were employed for the relevant periods set out in the table, in the 10 years before you are invited to apply.

For any Australian employment you must have held a substantive visa or a Bridging A or Bridging B visa and complied with the conditions of that visa to be eligible for points.

Employed means engaged in an occupation for remuneration for at least 20 hours a week.

Closely-related occupations must be:

in the same ANZSCO Unit Group or

consistent with a career advancement pathway or

recognised by an assessing authority that it is closely related to your nominated occupation, as part of your skills assessment

Under the points test there is a cap on the number of points that can be awarded for employment experience. The maximum number of points that can be awarded is 20, this means that even if you score more than 20 combined points for your employment experience only 20 points will be awarded.

Educational qualifications

Requirements Points
A Doctorate from an Australian educational institution or a Doctorate from another educational institution, that is of a recognised standard. 20
At least a Bachelor degree from an Australian educational institution or at least a Bachelor qualification, from another educational institution, that is of a recognised standard. 15
A diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution. 10
Attained a qualification or award recognised by the relevant assessing authority for your nominated skilled occupation as being suitable for that occupation 10

For points based migration you will receive points for your highest qualification only.

Recognition of your qualifications

The authority undertaking your skills assessment may determine if your qualifications are comparable to the relevant Australian qualification. Assessing authorities are listed against your occupation in the relevant list of eligible skilled occupations. You must have obtained this recognition at the time you are invited to apply for a visa.

If you hold an overseas qualification at bachelor level or above and your skills assessing authority did not offer an opinion on that qualification then it is open to you to contact Vocational Education Training and Assessment Services (VETASSESS) for advice.

VETASSESS can provide an assessment of the comparative educational level of these qualifications against the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). Advice from VETASSESS should be provided with your application to support your claim for these points.

To obtain an assessment contact Vocational Education Training and Assessment Services.

Doctoral requirements (PhD)

You can only be awarded points for a doctoral degree if you have completed a qualification at the relevant level, that is, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). You cannot claim these points for the award of other qualifications that give you the right to use to the title of Doctor (that is, general practitioner, dentist, vet).

Specialist Education Qualification

Requirements Points
A Masters degree by research or a Doctorate degree from an Australian educational institution that included at least 2 academic years study in a relevant field. 10

The postgraduate degree by research (doctorate or masters) must be awarded from an Australian education institution after at least 2 academic years of study in the following science, technology, engineering, mathematics or specified information and communication technology (ICT) fields:

Natural and physical sciences

Biological Sciences

Chemical Sciences

Earth Sciences

Mathematical Sciences

Natural and Physical Sciences

Other Natural and Physical Sciences

Physica and Astronomy

Information Technology

Computer Sciences

Information Systems

Information Technology

Other Information Technology

Engineering and related technologies

Aerospace engineering and technology

Civil engineering

Electrical and Electronic engineering and technology

Engineering and related technologies

Geomatics Engineering

Manufacturing engineering and technology

Maritime engineering and technology

Mechanical and industrial engineering and technology

Other engineering and related technologies

Process and resource engineering

To determine whether your qualification is eligible, see the CRICOS website .

Australia Study Requirement

Requirements Points
Meet the Australian study requirement 5

You must have at least 1 degree, diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution that meets the Australian study requirement.

Professional Year in Australia

Requirements Points
Completion of a Professional Year in Australia 5

At the time of invitation to apply, you had completed a Professional Year. To be eligible for the award of these points your Professional Year must have been in Accounting, ICT/Computing or Engineering, and:

in your nominated occupation or a closely related occupation

completed over a period of at least 12 months

completed in Australia in the four years before you are invited to apply for a visa*

provided by one of these organisations:

* Where a Professional Year program was completed, meaning finished, within the 48 month period prior to the time of invitation, you may be awarded 5 points. To avoid any doubt, you could have commenced the Professional Year at a time before the 48 months prior to invitation. The time you “completed” a Professional Year is the date listed on your official Record of Completion which is issued by the authorised body or Professional Year program delivery partner.

Credentialled community language

Requirements Points
Hold a recognised qualification in a credentialled community language 5

To be credentialled in a community language and eligible for the award of points you must have been accredited at the paraprofessional level or above, certified at the certified provisional level or above, or have a community language credential for interpreting or translating by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.

Study in regional Australia

Requirements Points
You must have at least 1 degree, diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution that satisfies the Australian study requirement obtained while living and studying in an eligible area of regional Australia 5

To be eligible for the award of points your educational qualification:

have been obtained while you lived in, and studied at a campus in, a designated regional area

not include study undertaken by distance education

Partner Skills

Requirements Points

Your spouse or de facto partner must also be an applicant for this visa and meet age, English and skill criteria

For you to be eligible for the award of these points your partner must be an applicant for the same visa subclass and must not be an Australian permanent resident or an Australian citizen. Additionally, you will need to provide evidence that when you were invited to apply for this visa that they:

  • were under 45 years old
  • had competent English
  • had nominated a skilled occupation that is on the same skilled occupation list as your nominated skilled occupation
  • had a suitable skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for their nominated skilled occupation, and the assessment wasn’t for a Subclass 485 visa.
10

Your spouse or de facto partner must also be an applicant for this visa and has competent English

For you to be eligible for the award of these points your partner must be an applicant for the same visa subclass and must not be an Australian permanent resident or an Australian citizen.

5

You are single or your partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident

10

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