Invitation round 13 march 2020
SkillSelect first allocates available places to Skilled Independent
applicants and if all places are taken up there will be no invitations
issued for any applicants being sponsored by a relative. Applicants are asking "Are 65 points enough for a 189 visa?" Unfortunately, although you can lodge an Expression of Interest with 65 points, the DHA have not invited applicants for a considerable time as only the highest ranked applicants by
points score are being invited to apply for a subclass 189 visa for
Australia. In the last published invitation round held on 13 March 2020, a total of 1750 applicants with a points score of 90 were invited to submit an application.
A total of 350 applicants with 85 points or more who were sponsored by a close relative residing in regional Australia also received invitations under visa subclass 491.
Applicants being nominated by a state or territory government (sub classes 190 and 491) are not subject to to monthly invitation rounds and will automatically receive an invitation once the nomination has been approved. Places for these visa classes are very competitive due to the Skilled Independent invitation mark remaining high.
SkillSelect comprises of 3 main visa streams for skilled applicants who are not being sponsored or nominated by an employer.
Skilled Independent - visa subclass 189
This visa class will enable you to reside permanently anywhere in Australia. Generally, if you select this visa option you can claim points for your age, qualification(s), work experience and English via a test.
Skilled Nominated visa - subclass 190 (5 points for the nomination)
To be able to apply for this visa you will need to have an occupation on a state/territory skills in demand list and be committed to residing in the nominating state or territory for 2 years.
Skilled Regional (provisional) visa subclass 491 (15 points for the nomination or sponsorship)
This visa class requires you to be nominated by a state or territory government or sponsored by a close relative residing in regional Australia (anywhere except Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane).