The next Subclass 189 invitation round is expected to take place before 30 September 2026. To be considered in this invitation round, you need to select the correct nominated occupation, obtain a suitable Skills Assessment, meet the English language requirement, calculate your EOI points accurately, and ensure that your Expression of Interest (EOI) is complete and up to date.
A suitable Skills Assessment is a mandatory requirement before submitting an EOI. For this reason, you should begin preparing as early as possible.
Criteria That Assessing Authorities May Consider
Depending on your occupation and the assessment pathway you choose, the relevant assessing authority may consider a range of factors, including:
Your qualification level under the AQF and your field of study
Your actual duties and responsibilities
The relevance of your employment and the actual period of employment, how recently you have worked in the occupation, your English language proficiency, professional registration or placement requirements, the relevant Skills Assessment pathway for your occupation.
Therefore, your nominated occupation should not be selected based solely on your job title. You need to consider all requirements that apply to your circumstances.
Step 1: Identify the Assessment Criteria
Each occupation and assessing authority has different assessment requirements. Your eligibility may be assessed based on your qualifications, work experience, or a combination of both.
For qualifications, this requirement commonly applies to occupation groups such as Engineering, Accounting, Teaching, Nursing, Pharmacy and Social Work.
For work experience, the requirement may apply to certain Trade occupations and ICT occupations under the RPL pathway.
In many cases, both qualifications and work experience are assessed. This approach is commonly applied by assessing authorities such as ACS, VETASSESS, TRA and IML.
Understanding the assessment criteria will help you identify the occupation and pathway that are suitable for your circumstances.
Step 2: Review Your Supporting Documents
Your nominated occupation must be supported by credible and consistent evidence.
Documents used to demonstrate your work experience and professional skills may include:
- Documents confirming your actual duties and responsibilities
- Reference letters and other relevant supporting documents
- Documents confirming your employer’s business activities, organisational structure and workforce size
- Documents confirming your job responsibilities and level of authority
- Documents demonstrating consistency between your qualifications, work experience and nominated occupation
Carefully reviewing these documents helps ensure that the occupation you select is supported by the evidence you have.
Step 3: Choose Your Subclass 189 Strategy
If you may be eligible for more than one occupation, you should not simply choose the option that appears easiest for obtaining a Skills Assessment.
You should consider:
- Whether the occupation is eligible for the Subclass 189 visa
- Recent invitation round outcomes and invitation point levels
- The level of competition within the occupation
- Whether your work experience supports the points you intend to claim
- Opportunities under the Subclass 190 and 491 visas, as well as employer-sponsored visa pathways
The occupation you choose should ensure that you can obtain a suitable Skills Assessment and progress towards permanent residency under the pathway you have planned.
Avoid Choosing an Unsuitable Occupation
Choosing an occupation that does not properly align with your circumstances may result in an unsuccessful Skills Assessment, causing you to waste application fees and delay the submission of your EOI. It may also lead to incorrectly claimed work experience points, an unsuitable visa strategy, or missed invitation rounds, which may ultimately affect your migration plans. Therefore, a suitable Skills Assessment outcome is only truly valuable when the correct occupation is selected and it supports a visa pathway that is appropriate for your circumstances.
Don’t Wait Until 30 September
You must have a suitable Skills Assessment before submitting an EOI for the Subclass 189 visa.
Without a suitable Skills Assessment, you will not be able to submit an EOI for the Subclass 189 visa and may miss the opportunity to receive an invitation in the upcoming invitation round.
Start your Skills Assessment with Skill Direct today so you can prepare your application early and avoid missing the opportunity to receive a Subclass 189 invitation.
