Subclass 189 visa: requirements and processing priorities

The Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) is a permanent skilled visa for applicants who are not sponsored by an employer, a state or territory, or a family member. The official guidance does not set out a complete list of subclass 189 requirements, such as the points score needed, the age limit, or the occupation list. What the official pages do state is that subclass 189 is covered by Ministerial Direction 119, which sets processing priorities based on occupation and whether you are in Australia at the time of application, and that skilled permanent visas had a median processing time of 8 months in July 2026. You must verify the full requirements on the Department of Home Affairs subclass 189 page and the Visa Pricing Table, as the official guidance does not give them.

What the official guidance confirms about subclass 189

The official guidance is limited in what it confirms about subclass 189. It does not give a points score, an age limit, an occupation list, a quota, or an invitation round schedule. It does confirm the following:

• Subclass 189 is a permanent skilled visa, because it appears in the list of visa classes and subclasses covered by Ministerial Direction 119.
• Subclass 189 applications are processed according to Ministerial Direction 119, which came into effect on 25 July 2026 and replaced Ministerial Direction 105.
• Ministerial Direction 119 applies to all on-hand applications, including the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) program, which was not previously covered by Ministerial Direction 105.
• Processing priority under Ministerial Direction 119 is based on both occupation and whether you are in Australia at the time of application.
• Skilled (Permanent) visas, which include subclass 189, had a median processing time of 8 months in July 2026.

Nothing in the official guidance states the points required to be invited, the number of invitation rounds per year, or the specific occupations eligible for subclass 189.

Processing priorities under Ministerial Direction 119

Ministerial Direction 119 sets out five priority groups for nomination and visa applications for certain skilled visas, including subclass 189. The order is as follows:

Priority	Category	Location at time of application
1	Law enforcement or defence interests	In Australia
2	Law enforcement or defence interests	Outside Australia
3	Construction, healthcare, and teaching occupations	In Australia
4	All other applications	In Australia
5	All other applications	Outside Australia

This means that if your occupation supports Australia’s law enforcement or defence interests and you are in Australia, your application is in the highest priority group. If you are in a construction, healthcare, or teaching occupation and you are in Australia, you are in the third priority group. All other applicants in Australia are in the fourth group, and all other applicants outside Australia are in the fifth and final group.

The official guidance does not define which occupations count as law enforcement, defence, construction, healthcare, or teaching for the purposes of this direction. You must check the Ministerial Direction 119 document itself or the Department’s skilled visa pages for the occupation definitions.

What Ministerial Direction 119 covers

Ministerial Direction 119 covers the following visa subclasses, according to the official guidance:

• Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186)
• Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187)
• Skilled Independent (subclass 189)
• Skilled Nominated (subclass 190)
• Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) (subclass 191)
• Skills in Demand (subclass 482)
• Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482)
• Skilled Regional (Provisional) (subclass 489)
• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491)
• Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494)
• Skilled Regional (subclass 887)
• Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) (subclass 888)

Other skilled visa directions exist. Ministerial Direction 114, which came into effect on 12 February 2025, covers Business Innovation and Investment (subclass 188) visa applications (closed July 2024) and Business Talent (Permanent) (subclass 132) visa applications (closed July 2021). Ministerial Direction 120, which came into effect on 25 July 2026, covers Class BX (subclass 858) visas, Distinguished Talent (closed November 2020), Global Talent (closed December 2024), and National Innovation (subclass 858) visa applications.

Median processing times for skilled permanent visas

The official guidance gives a single median processing time figure for the Skilled (Permanent) visa category: 8 months, as at July 2026. This is a median, not a guarantee. The Department states that skilled permanent visa processing times are affected by several factors, including Permanent Migration Program planning levels, Ministerial Directions related to skilled visa processing priorities, application completeness, and the volume of applications received and on-hand.

The Department also states that some applications may be decided more quickly than others, and that applications are not always processed in the order they are received. Lodging a complete application helps avoid delays.

The official guidance does not give a median processing time specifically for subclass 189. The 8-month figure is for the Skilled (Permanent) category as a whole, which includes other subclasses such as 186, 190, and 191.

What the official guidance does not tell you

The official guidance does not provide the following, which you will need to check elsewhere:

• The points score required to be invited to apply for subclass 189.
• The points test categories and how points are calculated.
• The age limit for subclass 189.
• The eligible occupations list and whether your occupation is on it.
• The schedule of invitation rounds.
• The base application charge for subclass 189.
• Whether the subsequent temporary application charge applies to subclass 189 (the official guidance lists subclass 189 in Table 1 of the subsequent temporary application charge page, but the official guidance is cut off before giving the full calculation example for that visa).

The Department of Home Affairs publishes a Visa Pricing Table that shows the base application charge and any subsequent temporary application charge for each visa. You should consult that table to verify which charges apply to you.

What to do next

To verify the requirements for subclass 189, you should check the Department of Home Affairs page for the Skilled Independent (subclass 189) visa, which sets out the eligibility criteria, the points test, and the application process. You should also check the Visa Pricing Table to confirm the application charge, and the skilled visa processing priorities page to confirm the current Ministerial Direction and its priority groups.

If you are already in Australia and have held a temporary visa, check whether the subsequent temporary application charge applies to you. The official guidance confirms that this charge applies to certain temporary visas and is payable in addition to other visa charges, but it does not state whether subclass 189 attracts the charge. The charge is not paid for permanent visa applications, which suggests subclass 189, as a permanent visa, would not attract it, but you should verify this on the official page.

Finally, use the visa processing times guide tool on the Department’s website to see recently decided processing times for subclass 189. The tool is a guide only and is not specific to your application.