Commonwealth of Australia
Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189): total cost to complete
By Sam Parks · Last checked:
A source-linked budget for a single offshore points-tested subclass 189 applicant: the current Home Affairs visa application charge, skills assessment, English test, health exam, police certificates, and conditional biometrics/family charges separated from the fact that there is no general settlement-funds deposit.
What does the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) actually cost?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are A$7,501-A$8,705. Refundable proof-of-funds requirements are tracked separately at none tracked, because that money is shown or blocked rather than normally lost.
Source checked against Home Affairs - current visa pricing table on 1 July 2026.
Australia skilled-route cost and points layer
Australia skilled points, nomination and Skills in Demand cost answer
Use this answer stack to compare Australia points routes with the sponsor-led Skills in Demand route without merging applicant costs, employer costs and salary evidence.
Calculator context
A points result does not guarantee an invitation, nomination or visa grant. It only says whether the profile clears the 65-point SkillSelect EOI floor. Skills assessment, occupation demand, state nomination, sponsorship, salary thresholds and post-invitation fees still need separate evidence.
| Australia route | Points or sponsor trigger | Mandatory paid-away baseline | Skills, nomination or salary dependency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subclass 189 Skilled Independent | Points-tested SkillSelect route. The EOI floor is 65 points; there is no sponsor or state nomination bonus. | A$7,501-A$8,705 | A$550-A$1,200 skills assessment before the EOI can become usable. No fixed salary floor in the route model; invitation depends on occupation demand and invitation rounds. |
| Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated | Points-tested SkillSelect route plus state or territory nomination. Nomination can add 5 points after the state gate is met. | A$7,506-A$9,010 | A$550-A$1,200 skills assessment plus A$0-A$300 state or territory fee exposure. No employer sponsor or national salary floor; state criteria can add occupation, residence and funds declarations. |
| Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional | Points-tested regional route. State/territory nomination or eligible-relative sponsorship can add 15 points. | A$7,506-A$9,010 | A$550-A$1,200 skills assessment plus A$0-A$300 nomination or eligible-relative gate exposure. No upfront national salary floor; later subclass 191 context is income-evidence timing, not an upfront 491 fee. |
| Subclass 482 Skills in Demand | Sponsor-led route. It is not a points-tested SkillSelect invitation route. | A$10,381-A$13,335 | A$0-A$1,200 skills-assessment exposure where required by occupation, nationality or stream. A$420 sponsor fee, A$330 nomination fee and A$4,800-A$7,200 SAF levy are employer-side; A$79,423/yr CSIT or A$146,576/yr SSIT, plus AMSR where the stream requires it. |
| Comparator route | Route type | Paid-away baseline | Do not collapse these lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore S Pass | Employer-sponsored pass with quota, levy and insurance duties. | SGD 16,405-SGD 18,205 | SGD 15,600 levy and SGD 600-SGD 2,400 insurance stay employer-side; SGD 39,600-SGD 45,600 salary evidence is not a visa fee. |
| New Zealand AEWV | Employer-accredited work route with job-check approval before the worker applies. | NZ$3,060-NZ$4,325 | NZ$775 accreditation and NZ$735 job check are employer-side; variable market-rate job evidence is not paid away. |
| New Zealand SMC | Residence route with points, skilled-employment evidence and post-invitation filing. | NZ$6,810-NZ$8,925 | NZ$0 EOI and NZ$6,450 resident-stage application; NZ$72,800-NZ$109,200 skilled-job pay evidence is not a fee. |
| Austria Red-White-Red Card | Points and employer-declaration route with AMS assessment. | €228-€363 | €218 application fee; €0 points and labour-market gate; €41,580 salary evidence remains a category condition. |
- Australia points calculator
- Subclass 189 guide
- Subclass 190 guide
- Subclass 491 guide
- Skills in Demand guide
- 190 cost-to-complete
- 491 cost-to-complete
- Skills in Demand cost
- Skills in Demand fees
- Australia salary thresholds
- Singapore S Pass cost
- New Zealand AEWV cost
- New Zealand SMC cost
- Austria RWR cost
- Austria RWR calculator
- Cost-to-complete JSON feed
Source dates: Australia cost and salary data checked 1 July 2026; comparator cost rows checked 1 July 2026. Latest source record in this cluster: 1 July 2026. Compare the local-currency costs with the linked route requirements before deciding which option fits your circumstances.
What it actually costs
A source-linked budget for a single offshore points-tested subclass 189 applicant: the current Home Affairs visa application charge, skills assessment, English test, health exam, police certificates, and conditional biometrics/family charges separated from the fact that there is no general settlement-funds deposit.
Money you don't get back
A$7,501-A$8,705
Mandatory fees, services and one month of insurance.
| Cost line | Amount | Type | When / who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa application charge (points-tested primary applicant) | A$6,135 | Gov fee | Home Affairs current pricing table row for Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) - Points tested stream, effective 1 July 2026. Home Affairs - current visa pricing table |
| Skills assessment· indicative | A$550-A$1,200 | Service | Required before lodging the EOI for the relevant skilled occupation. Assessing-authority fees vary materially: ICT, engineering, trades, health and VET occupations use different bodies. Home Affairs - skills assessment requirement |
| English-language test· indicative | A$410-A$520 | Service | Common applicant case: approved secure-centre English test such as IELTS, PTE, TOEFL iBT, OET, CELPIP, C1 Advanced, MET or LANGUAGECERT. Some passport/evidence scenarios may reduce this to zero. Home Affairs - English language visa requirements |
| Immigration health examination· indicative | A$350-A$650 | Service | Permanent visa applicants usually need health examinations. Panel-physician fees vary by country and exam components. Home Affairs - health requirement |
| Police certificates / character documents· indicative | A$56-A$200 | Service | Character evidence is required and Home Affairs may ask for police certificates. Australian AFP checks and overseas certificates vary by country and by fingerprint/non-fingerprint route. Home Affairs - character requirements for visas |
| Biometrics collection where requested(optional)· indicative | A$0-A$120 | Service | Conditional on country, applicant history and collection channel. Treat as a country-specific cash-flow item rather than a universal 189 charge. Home Affairs - biometrics |
| Document translation / certification(optional)· indicative | A$0-A$300 | Service | Conditional: only needed where documents are not in English or the assessing authority requires certified copies. Country-specific - verify by document language and assessing authority |
| Additional applicant charge (18+)(optional) | A$3,070per adult | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line for each adult additional applicant in the points-tested stream. Home Affairs - current visa pricing table |
| Additional applicant charge (under 18)(optional) | A$1,540per child | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line for each child additional applicant in the points-tested stream. Home Affairs - current visa pricing table |
| Second instalment for adult without functional English(optional) | A$4,885per adult applicant | Gov fee | Charged only where an applicant aged 18 or over is assessed as not having functional English at visa grant. Home Affairs - current visa pricing table |
Baseline sunk cost is the current subclass 189 points-tested primary-applicant VAC plus one skills assessment, one English test, a health-exam range, and a police-certificate range for a single applicant. There is no general Home Affairs settlement-funds deposit for subclass 189, so no refundable proof-of-funds line is shown. Optional dependant, second-instalment, biometrics, translation, migration-agent and occupation-specific licensing costs are excluded from the baseline unless the user chooses them. Last checked 1 July 2026.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This cost model is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite Visa Atlas for the compiled sunk/refundable split and cite each linked authority or provider source for the underlying line item.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) cost-to-complete model", https://visaatlas.org/cost-to-complete/australia-189-skilled-independent. Last checked 1 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/cost-to-complete
FAQs
What does the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) actually cost to complete?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are A$7,501-A$8,705 in the current model. Separately, refundable proof-of-funds requirements are none tracked. The line table explains each item and source.
Is proof of funds a sunk cost?
No. Proof of funds is money you must show, hold or block. It can still be a cash-flow barrier, but it is different from application fees, document costs and insurance payments that you do not normally get back.
Why are some lines marked indicative?
Some third-party costs vary by country, provider and document count. Those lines use a range and are marked indicative so they are not confused with a single government tariff.