Commonwealth of Australia vs Commonwealth of The Bahamas
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Commonwealth of Australia and Commonwealth of The Bahamas government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Department of Home Affairs — Immigration and citizenship
Department of Home Affairs (Australia) - verified
- Department of Immigration
Department of Immigration (The Bahamas) - verified
- Department of Home Affairs — Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
Department of Home Affairs - verified
- Work Permit (Work Visa) - Bahamas Department of Immigration
Commonwealth of The Bahamas Department of Immigration - verified
Commonwealth of Australia
Australia operates a points-based SkillSelect system for permanent and provisional skilled visas alongside employer-sponsored subclasses (482 TSS, 186 ENS, 494 Regional), Working Holiday Maker subclasses, and student and global talent visas.
- Official portal
- Department of Home Affairs (Australia)
- Languages
- English
- Currency
- Australian dollar
Commonwealth of The Bahamas
The Bahamas issues work permits and residence through its Department of Immigration, with an Economic Permanent Residence route for property investors and the BEATS programme for remote workers and online students. The Bahamas levies no personal income tax. BEATS is a temporary permit and does not lead to permanent residence; the Economic Permanent Residence investment minimum was raised on 1 January 2025.
- Official portal
- Department of Immigration (The Bahamas)
- Languages
- English
- Currency
- Bahamian dollar
How Commonwealth of Australia and Commonwealth of The Bahamas differ
| Dimension | Commonwealth of Australia | Commonwealth of The Bahamas |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 9 | 5 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 6 | 4 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 7 | 1 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | Arrival on 482 → 186 ENS after 2 years (Specialist Skills Pathway) or 3-4 years (Core Skills) → PR → citizenship after 4 years from arrival (minimum 12 months as PR). | — |
| Dominant skilled visa | Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) | Bahamas Work Permit |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | — | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | Home Affairs publishes a typical decision window of 6–12 months for the subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa, counted from the date you lodge. Because 189 is points-tested and invitation-only, much of the real waiting often happens earlier – in the SkillSelect pool, waiting for an invitation to apply. | — |
| Skilled visa government fees | The Australia subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa costs roughly A$6,640 for a single primary applicant once the current VAC, a police clearance and an indicative health examination are included, before skills-assessment and English-test costs. | — |
| Official languages | English | English |
| Currency | Australian dollar | Bahamian dollar |
| Primary regulator | MARA | Bahamas Bar |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Commonwealth of Australia
Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- The Australia subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa costs roughly A$6,640 for a single primary applicant once the current VAC, a police clearance and an indicative health examination are included, before skills-assessment and English-test costs.
- Processing time
- Home Affairs publishes a typical decision window of 6–12 months for the subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa, counted from the date you lodge. Because 189 is points-tested and invitation-only, much of the real waiting often happens earlier – in the SkillSelect pool, waiting for an invitation to apply.
- Sponsor required
- No
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Commonwealth of The Bahamas
Bahamas Work Permit
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- No
Routes unique to Commonwealth of Australia
Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
skilled-migration
Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
skilled-migration
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)
skilled-migration
Working Holiday Maker visa (subclass 417/462)
youth-mobility
National Innovation visa (formerly Global Talent)
work-unsponsored
Visa routes side by side
Commonwealth of Australia (9)
Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 4 years; Hong Kong passport holders may be granted up to 5 years.
Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · 5 years provisional, with pathway to permanent residence.
Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Working Holiday Maker visa (subclass 417/462)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · 12 months per grant; up to 3 visas with qualifying specified work.
National Innovation visa (formerly Global Talent)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Australian Student visa (subclass 500)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Programme length plus small buffer.
Partner visa (subclass 820/801, 309/100)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial provisional to permanent residence.
Commonwealth of The Bahamas (5)
Bahamas Work Permit
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Issued as short-term or annual permits tied to a specific employer and post; renewable while the job continues. Confirm the current bands on the official page.
Bahamas Economic Permanent Residence
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence once granted, conditional on maintaining the qualifying investment for the required period; confirm current conditions on the official page.
Bahamas Extended Access Travel Stay (BEATS)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to one year, renewable; this is a temporary remote-work permit and does not lead to permanent residence. Confirm current validity and renewal on the official page.
Bahamas Annual Residence Permit
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Granted for a year at a time and renewable; it is a non-working residence permit and does not by itself lead to permanent residence. Confirm current terms on the official page.
Bahamas Homeowner Residence Card
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Valid while the qualifying property is owned and the card is kept current; it is tied to home ownership and does not by itself lead to permanent residence. Confirm current terms on the official page.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Commonwealth of Australia or Commonwealth of The Bahamas?+
Commonwealth of Australia’s Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) is the dominant skilled route; Commonwealth of The Bahamas’s Bahamas Work Permit is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Commonwealth of Australia or Commonwealth of The Bahamas have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Commonwealth of Australia has more: 6 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 4 for Commonwealth of The Bahamas. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Commonwealth of Australia vs Commonwealth of The Bahamas immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/australia/vs/bahamas. Last verified 2 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons