This visa is a point based skilled workers immigration for those who are nominated by a state or territory government agency. This is a permanent residency visa which allows you to live and work in Australia. To be able to apply for this visa you need to submit an expression of interest and then if your application is accepted you can be invited through SkillSelect to apply. You can be a foreign national living outside Australia or living in Australia and apply for this visa when the visa is granted.
The Skilled Independent Visa allows foreign nationals or people residing in Australia to apply for Permanent Residence (PR). This visa comes under the category of subclass 190 and is a point based skilled immigration program. You must have a valid substantive visa meaning a valid non-expiring visa. You could also apply if you have a bridging visa A, B or C which is a temporary visa allotted to immigrants or visitors whose visa is close to expiry and they are waiting for their immigration decision.
You can apply under this category if you have been nominated by a state or territory government agency. You need to submit an expression of interest in order to apply for Permanent Residence under this category. If you are invited to apply for this visa, you will receive an invite through Skill Select and will have 60 days time to apply. It is critical that you ensure that your application is having consistent information and is supported by right evidence.
First you need to create an online profile and submit an expression of interest in Skill Select. If Australian state or territory finds your skills mapping to their requirements and your occupation is nominated in their separate state occupation list; you are invited to apply. If you accept a nomination, the states and territories you may be required to abide by the following:
- Live in nominating state or territory for a specified minimum time
- Tell the state or territory your address, both before and after you arrive in Australia
- Be prepared to complete surveys and providing other post-arrival information they ask for
- Meet any other requirements
It is important to note that each state or territory government has its own process of nominating expression of interest. So, once you receive a state nomination, you must contact the concerned state or territory immediately.
Eligibility Criteria for the Applicants:
If you have been nominated by a state and received an invitation to apply you must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- You should have been nominated an occupation that is on the relevant skilled occupation list
- You must have obtained a suitable skills assessment for that occupation
- Your age must be below 50 years of age
- You must have achieved a score as specified in your letter of invitation based on the different evaluation factors in point based system
- You must have at least competent English
- You must have been nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency
- You must meet the health and character requirements
- You must not have any outstanding debt to Australian government
- You might be asked to submit biometrics as a part of the application
Visa Benefits of Skilled Nominated Visa- Subclass 190:
Visa granted under Skilled Nominated Visa- Subclass 190 offers you and your family to enjoy the following benefits:
- Live, work and Study in Australia
- Stay in Australia indefinitely
- Avail the benefits of Australian healthcare system by enrolling in Medicare scheme
- If you meet the eligibility criteria you can apply for Australian Citizenship
- Sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
- Multiple entries and exits from Australia for five years (After 5 years you would need a resident return visa or another visa to return to Australia
Checklist of documents for visa under Skilled Nominated Visa- Subclass 190:
When you are applying for visa under skilled nominated visa- subclass 190, you would be requiring attaching all the relevant documents with the application. It is very important that you provide certified copies of original documents, you may also be asked to submit certain original documents as well. In case the documents are not in English, they must be translated in English by some accredited translators.
You are required to submit scans of documents online, physical copies of documents are not required unless asked for specifically. Below are the different types of documents required to be submitted under Skilled Nominated Visa- Subclass 190:
- While submitting applications under point based systems, it’s very important to ensure all the relevant documents to support point claim are included as evidence.
- Completed and Filled Application Form:
- To apply for Permanent Residence under Skilled Migration Visa, you need to complete an application form available on the official website of Australian Immigration Authority.
- Include Form 47(a) or Form 80 for any family member who is dependent on you:
- In case, you have a child or other dependent member whose age is equal to or less than 18 years of age, you need to fill form 47a. If the age of the dependent person other than partner is above 18 years you need to fill Form 80.
- In case you want to take your child younger than 18-23 years of age it is important to submit an evidence of their financial dependence. For each of your dependents aged 18 years or older at the time you apply, one of the following conditions must be true:
- They have functional English.
- If they have less than functional English, a statement indicating that you intend to pay second visa application charge is required.
- Personal Identification Documents:
- Passport Copies: Certified copies of your current passports or travel documents of all people included in your application.
- Name Change Document: If there is a name change or name of any applicant has changed please provide evidence to support name change.
- Identification proof including both parent names: A certified copy of your birth certificate clearly showing names of both the parents. In case you don’t have a birth certificate and cannot show any certified copy of identification pages you must show other certified proofs such as, family book showing parents, court-issued document, identification proof issued by government, etc.
- Education Qualification and Experience Related documents: While applying for any visa it’s very important to submit all the important documents related to educational qualification and professional work experience. You only need to submit certified copies of original documents unless specifically requested by Australian government for more such documents.
- Relationship Status Information:
- Certified copies of marriage certificates or relationship registrations for you and any other person included in your application is compulsory even if your partner may not be going to Australia with you.
- If you are widowed, divorced, or are permanently separated, submit a certified copy of the death certificate or, divorce documents.
- Character Information:
- Police verification of you and all the other people in your application is compulsory to prove that the applicants have clean criminal records.
- In case you or anyone in your family has worked with armed forces of any country, a certified scanned color copy of military service record or discharge paper is required.
- Proof of age:
- You must submit birth certificate or any other government certified proof of your age in order to apply for visa. You must be under 50 years of age unless you are exempted. Exemption is provided only to high skilled professionals like researcher, scientist, and medical practitioner.
- English Language Eligibility:
- In order to apply for Permanente Resident visa it is very important to meet the language proficiency of English. You can appear for different English qualification tests, but you must meet the minimum eligibility score for that exam. You can give any one of the following listed exams:
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
- Occupational English Test (OET)
- Test of English Language internet Based Test (TOEFL)
- Pearson Test English (PTE)
- Cambridge Advanced English (CAE)
Processing time for visa under Skilled Nominated Visa- Subclass 190:
If you have submitted your visa application and are concerned with the amount of time it will take for your application to process, this section offers all the information you need. For all applications under skilled migrations highest priority is given to application coming though Skill Select Subclass 187, 186, 190 and 489.
According to Australian Immigration Department website, the average processing time for applications filed under Employee Nomination Scheme- Subclass 190 is around 5-8 months. But, every case file is unique and the time of processing depends on the information provided by you along with supported documents. You can track your application online on the department website to know the application status.
Obligations for visa under Skilled Nominated Visa- Subclass 190:
Basically, you and your family must comply with all visa conditions and Australian law. When apply for immigration to Australia it’s important that you accept the Australian law and Australian value statements.
There could have been some residential conditions specified by the nominating state or territory government in your nomination. It is mandatory that you abide by these conditions to ensure your visa is not cancelled.
