What does the 189 skilled independent visa cost? Application charge, skills assessment, English tests and family fees explained. Registered agents in Brisbane.
The Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) is a permanent visa, and its main cost is a single government application charge paid when you lodge, with lower additional charges for a partner and each child included. Around that main charge you also pay for a skills assessment through your occupation’s assessing authority, English language testing (such as IELTS or PTE), health examinations, and police clearances from every country you’ve lived in. Unlike state-nominated or regional visas, the 189 has no state nomination fee and no sponsor, so there’s no third party charging you. Most applicants also budget for professional fees if a registered migration agent handles the case. Because government charges change, treat any figure you read as a guide and confirm the current amount before you commit.
Below we set out each cost, including the steps you pay for before you can even be invited to apply, because a lot of the 189 spend happens early.
The subclass 189 is for skilled workers who are not sponsored by an employer, a state, or a family member. You’re selected on your own points score through a SkillSelect Expression of Interest and an invitation to apply. Because there’s no sponsor and no state nomination, you avoid those charges, but you carry the full cost of proving your skills and English yourself. That front-loads the spend into the assessment and testing stage, before you ever pay the visa charge.
You spend money to build your points before an invitation arrives:
None of these go to Home Affairs, but they’re essential 189 costs, and you pay them whether or not you’re later invited.
Once you’re invited and lodge:
An additional charge can apply where an included applicant aged 18 or over does not have functional English. This is the same second-instalment concept that applies across skilled and family visas. Many applicants avoid it by having each adult meet the functional English standard, which they often already do. We check whether it applies to your family before you lodge.
People weighing the skilled visas often ask which is cheapest. The 189 has no state nomination step, so it avoids that fee, but it needs a competitive points score and invitations can be limited for some occupations. The Skilled Nominated 190 adds a state nomination (which may have its own fee) but can be easier to be invited for. The Skilled Work Regional 491 is a provisional visa leading to permanent residency later, with its own cost path. The cheapest visa on paper isn’t always the fastest or most realistic route to PR, so it pays to compare them against your actual points and occupation.
We’re a registered migration practice in Brisbane, led by a registered migration agent (MARN 1794201). Before you spend on a skills assessment or a test, we check your occupation, your likely points, and whether the 189 is realistically the right visa for you or whether the 190 or 491 gives you a better path. Then we give you an itemised estimate covering the assessment, testing, government charges and family costs, so you know the full picture, not just the visa charge. We prepare the case so a points or evidence error doesn’t cost you a re-lodgement.
The total is the visa application charge plus additional charges for family, plus your skills assessment, English testing, medicals and police checks. There’s no single fixed figure we can publish safely, so we give you an itemised estimate at consultation.
No. The 189 is not sponsored or state-nominated, so there’s no nomination fee. That’s one way it can be cheaper than the 190. You do carry the full cost of proving skills and English yourself.
It depends on your occupation’s assessing authority, and each charges its own fee. For many applicants this is the first significant 189 cost, paid before any invitation.
Yes. IELTS, PTE or similar are paid to the test provider, not to Home Affairs. Some applicants sit the test more than once to lift their points, which adds cost.
Each included family member pays an additional applicant charge, with a partner charged at a higher rate than a child, plus their own medical. insert current additional applicant charges at publish date.
An additional charge that can apply where an included applicant aged 18 or over lacks functional English. Many families avoid it because each adult already meets the standard. We check this before you lodge.
After you receive an invitation and lodge the visa application. The skills assessment and English testing are paid earlier, at the Expression of Interest stage.
It avoids a state nomination fee, so it can be cheaper on paper. But invitations depend on your points and occupation, and the “cheapest” visa isn’t always the fastest route to PR. We compare them for your case.
The skills assessment and English test fees are spent whether or not you’re invited, and they don’t get refunded. That’s why checking your occupation and likely points first matters.
No. Professional fees are separate and depend on how complex your case is. We quote them up front so there are no surprises.
Government charges are reviewed periodically. We confirm the current amounts when you’re ready to lodge so your budget is accurate.
We’ll check whether the 189 is your best route, then give you a full cost breakdown covering assessment, testing and government charges. See our Skilled Independent service page, or call BYD Education & Immigration Consultants on 0434 893 901 to book a consultation.
