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Hi All, My wife got her medicals done on December 28th for our 189 skilled visa. We received Form 884: Opinion of Medical Officer which says that my wife's health assessments have been deferred "as I do not have sufficient information to determine whether or not they meet the health requirement". According to the report, her chest X-ray shows RLZ opacities. They've asked for further tests like smears and cultures of sputum and another chest X-ray after 3 months. This has really upset us as we were expecting a clear result. We're not sure what the next step should be. If further tests do show TB, does that mean a visa refusal? Any help will be appreciated!

Hi to whoever is listening, First, thank you for taking the time to read and help me with my concern. While filling in my EOI I did not include all my employment history for the past ten years and was invited to apply for my 189 visa as a secondary school teacher. I only included teaching employment history and not my various bartending jobs along the way. I am now completing my immi visa application and see that I did this incorrectly!! I believe that my points will not suffer from not including nonrelevant employment but I am really concerned that I have royally screwed up. What is the right next step for me? Go ahead and apply but now include all employment history for the past ten years regardless of being relevant or nonrelevant. Just apply with what I wrote on my EOI? Or abort the mission before I lose thousands of dollars? THANK YOU in advance!!

Hi Everyone, Hope all is well. Seeking for some clarifications please. If you are a NZ citizen who’ve been working/living in Australia from 2012 until Jan 2016 (4yrs) and went back to NZ until Dec 2019 then back in Australia (2yrs now in OZ); will you be eligible to apply for visa 189 - NZ Stream by Dec 2024 (5 years after from the latest entry which is Dec 2019) or you can already apply at this stage if you are counting 5 years of stay in Australia from 2012 until Jan 2016 plus Dec 2019 up to date? Or you should apply for visa 189 - NZ Skilled Independent Stream just because you entered back in OZ on 2019? Average range of annual income from 2016 to date is 75k-90k. Also, with the below clause, kindly please help to clarify. A bit confuse if the first entry in OZ on 2012 until 2016 as resident for tax purpose is applicable to the below clause? Or the date of usual residency shall start on the latest entry which is 2019 (in this case, won’t be eligible for visa 189 NZ stream)? “You must have been usually resident in Australia for a continuous period of five years immediately prior to application, and have commenced that period of usual residence on or before 19 February 2016.” Thank you so much for your responses. Cheers!

Hello all, This website was AMAZING for me when I was applying for my permanent residency. A lot of the information here helped me navigate the process of applying for and being granted my 190 visa by myself. My American friend is now in the same situation but is struggling to find a website similar to this one that's tailored to Americans. Can anyone point us in the right direction? Is there a group on this site that have US Citizens in the same position? She is trying to get her 189/190 visa (she's applying for both). She's a Civil Engineer and has all the points needed as well as confirmation from Engineers Australia that she's a qualified engineer. The biggest hurdle she's coming up against is the police check from the US. Does anyone know if the Federal check from the FBI will suffice or if she needs to get state and local ones as well....? Thanks in advance! You guys are awesome!

Hi there! I've researched into the 189 visa for an occupational therapist, but I'm still confused on how I would be supervised and assessed for the visa without having a visa (desktop 2). I read that being assessed and applying for the visa are 2 separate things so I'm not sure on how this process works. Would I need a different visa completely while I'm being assessed? Also I presume the assessment needs to take place in Australia? Anyone who has been through this process please could you enlighten me as I'm struggling to find clarity on this. Many thanks, Eloise

Hi, My family and I were granted our visas (189 for me) almost 2 years ago, and we had planned on emigrating at the start of 2021 from the UK to Australia. However, due to Corona Virus and travel restrictions in place does anybody know if you can still travel to Australia or must you have an exemption to be able to enter? I am trying to work out our timeline for moving and could push back the move till Summer 2021, however, I am still uncertain whether we would be allowed in unless I can secure a Travel Exemption. My working visa is based on me working as a Civil Engineer. I have researched the immigration website and can't find any clear answers or contact details so that I can ask the question. Furthermore, we need to have moved to Australia by October 2021 so that we can ensure we have lived in Australia for 2 out of the 5 years the visa is valid so we can more easily apply for a resident return visa after that date, hence why I am concerned about how our planned move to Australia will go now. I'd be grateful for any advice if anybody else is in a similar position and has found the answers I was unable to. Many thanks, Sarah

Hi, my partner and I have decided we would like to relocate to Perth once I have qualified as an RN. I have recently came off maternity and due to recommence my 3rd year in September, therefore should be qualified come June 2021. I understand you are expected to have at least 1 years experience as qualified within your field of nursing before applying for a visa, so I'd be looking to send off my letter of interest around about July 2022 with hope of being invited to apply for a 189 visa. My main question is how successful have people been in being accepted for this and how have they found the whole experience of applying? After quite a bit of research it seems quite a difficult process. My understanding is you must right a letter of interest and wait for an invite. Then do a skills test and an English test, then finally when you have this evidence you can apply for the visa but must have at least 70 points (although they state 65) to be considered, is that right? And also at which point do you apply to AHPRA to transfer your registration? As you can imagine we are all very excited at the idea but also want to have a clear understanding of just what we have to do in order to make this dream happen. TIA

hi, i am a general accountant and I have 80 points in 189 and 95 for 491 family sponsored.my first cousin lives in SA. do you guys think i will ever get invitation??

Hi all, I’ve recently started my Job Ready Program as a chef and I’ve got two jobs as commis chef, one of them is in a Cafe which task are more related to plating and doing preps, there’s stove and oven as well as toasters. Would this job be accepted? I’ve tried calling TRA but they don’t have clear answer and I don’t want to take the risk my title is commis chef part time.

Hi Friends, I am a specialist doctor and need some guidance on 189 or 190 visa application. I completed my specialty training from India and applied to AMC & RACP for assessment of my training/education. RACP found me fully comparable to an Australian trained specialist and after completing 12 months of peer-review practice, I got my specialist registration. Now I want to apply for 189/190 visa. I want to claim points for my previous work experience in medicine & the specialty field. I checked Govt immi website and it says assessing authority is Medical Board of Australia. But on Medical board website, there is no mention that they will assess the previous work experience for points in immigration. I have called them also and they confirmed that they do not assess previous experience. Please help with the below: 1) How to get points assessed for the previous work experience 2) Do I need to get around 80 points to get the invitation, or is it less for a doctor (as very few people apply in my occupation) Any help would be highly valued. Thanks!!

Hi all, I have looked into this on various website and need some clarification. I don't know wether this is a loophole in the system or this is standard practice. If you lodge you expression of interest and get an invitation to apply. You have 60 days to apply, once you application has been submitted you then enter the country on a tourist visa. Once in the country a tourist visa you can then apply for a Bridging Visa. On the bridging visa it will give you the same work rights as a your previous visa ( 189/190 or whatever you are applying for). So the processing time (10months) can be spent in Australia not in the country where you applied from. Then after the 10 month processing time is up the PR is granted and you move from your Bridging Visa to the PR status....the only problem is that you cant work for the first 3 months. Is this correct and has anybody ever done this?

Hi, I am an offshore registered nurse. I got my ANMAC done ON 19/9/2019. I am applying for EOI on my own. does anyone know which is the reference number in the skills assessment section. I mean id is the reference number of our application or the LOD number. Thanks a million.

How’s you doing friends, Actually I was wondering should I assess my Australian work experience or it will accepted without as I need to assess my degree that done overseas. I will be thankful that if anyone can let me know should I assess my experience with my degree or not because I am about to go thru this process. Regards Garry

Hi guys, I have applied for 189 visa last year (17 sep 2018), and got an email in November from immigration saying "Assessment commence and allocated for further processing,,,,". Since then no update, did not ask for any documents ( I uploaded everything at the time of lodgement ). It's been a year , and nothing is happening. My application status is "Received" in immi website. Does anyone have similar experience? Please share/advice. Thanks

Hello all, I am currently going through my 190 visa process, I have completed stage 1 and have my vetasses plumbing practical in Blackburn in September. It would be very much appreciated if there’s anyone that can touch base and give me a heads up on the day itself i.e the practical , the interview, what’s involved in the day and is white anything extra to revise, touch up on? I have researched and revised all my relevant components for my skill, and familiarised myself with what I think will come up. If there’s anything that you guys think I could do with knowing that would be epic as I am struggling to find much apart from what vetasses provide you with. many thanks Matt

Hey Guys, I have submitted EOI for 189/190 visa on 17th July with 70 points for Registered Nurse (Critical care & emergency-254415). What are my chances of getting an invitation next month? Has anyone recently received an invite on the same points from NSW? Thanks in Advance!

Been lurking here the last few months as I was making my way through the 189 process. Finally applied last week and now lining up the police checks and medicals. Its been no easy feat so far. Looking forward to a grant since theyre sayin 6 month processing time now. Anyway I’ve been sizing up the job situ in Brisbane as thats where my wife wants to go. I’m keen on there too because my background is in oil and gas engineering and apparently brisbane has a lot of that. However after doing quite a bit of research it seems like times are not great in the job market. Not a lot of energy jobs. Does anyone have any insight into this? Any advice on how to get my foot in the door? Ive 7yrs exp in gas pipelines in canada. Cheers all and looking forward to contributing more here.

Hello everyone My husband and I are looking in to the possibility of emigrating to Australia and are already so confused about the best option, if we even have options that is! My husband currently works for the RAF as an Aircraft Avionics Techincian which is on the STSOL. We've been told by one agent that they're concerned his qualifications in this trade (currently NVQ level) may not be enough to match AQF level 4, but another has said this should be fine. He's thinking about studying for an Aeronautical Engineer degree which would then make him eligible for a 190 visa we believe, but ths is going to take him 3 years....will it still be on the list then?? This is our biggest concern. Also if we apply under the 189 visa, the only state open for his trade is NT, not actually somewhere we'd considered. We've recently spent time in WA and completely fell in love, so really this is where we'd like to end up in the long run. From my understanding, you can move after 2 years in the original state, is this correct? It's all a bit much at the moment and it's a lot of money to start the whole visa process...we don't want to make the wrong decision. I work for the Police which is absolutely no help to the application at all. Any advice anyone can offer would be amazing. Thank you

Hello, We have recently submitted our Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189) application. It was only during our medical examinations we have realised that the development delays/signs of autism in children would be a deal breaker for obtaining a PR visa. My kid (3 years and 4 months) had shown some signs of autism when he was 2.5 years old and has been attending an early intervention program ever since. He also attends a regular play school here in our city. He was non-verbal just 10 months ago, but his speech has significantly improved in the last few months. He now speaks more than 300-400 words (eg: fruits, vegetables, colours, animals, vehicles, planets, action words, weeks, months etc..) and uses 3-4 word sentences like "I want water please", "open the door", "cover me with a blanket", "I see a phone" etc.. and asks for assistance using sentences like "help me". He can also count numbers up to 50 and trace alphabets among other things. He also started reading 3-letter words without much assistance. He has been potty trained for over two weeks now and is generally doing well with his needs. We believe he is doing reasonably well in both his schools as we receive positive feedback from his teachers. As part of his medical examination earlier this week, we have provided the details of his speech delay and his current pre-school program (early intervention) information to the Doctor. Since there was no formal diagnosis of ASD, and considering his recent improvements we didn't mention anything about his earlier signs of autism. Since my kid showed a lack of interest/attentiveness in this session(and also didn't answer couple of questions), the Doctor suggested that he may have to refer his case back to the Australian Immigration department. He basically suggested that the DoHA may ask for additional details from his school about his attention deficit. I now see the following message from Immiaccount. "A Medical Officer has determined that additional health information is required to determine whether this person meets the health requirement for the visa subclass specified". Does this mean further medical tests will be conducted? And what tests do they generally conduct to determine my child's condition. I believe they may probably do some psychological evaluation to determine if he is on the spectrum, but not sure how this really works. We have only observed few of these highlighted symptoms in our child recently, and wondering if this would put him on the spectrum and make him ineligible for this Visa. Please advice if we should seek professional help (George Lombard or Peter Bollard) for this case right away, or wait a bit longer to see the results from further medical tests (if any)? Apologies for the long post, but would really appreciate any valuable inputs from forum members.

My wife and I are on a student visa residing in Australia. Recently, I made an FOI request and found out that our agent did not provide my academic certificate and transcripts and also one of my job reference letters during the student visa application. I was the dependant applicant of that application. Now we are going to apply for a 189 visa and I want to be the primary applicant this time. However, I am afraid that my application gets rejected due to the conflict with our previous application. It is also noteworthy that we are not in Australia when we submit our application. I want to know if we have the right to complain at AAT if out application rejects. What do you suggest me to do? Any advice is much appreciated.

Hi all, I'm currently working in Melbourne (IT) on a WHV but have to go back to the UK soon. I am looking into the visa options for a more permanent return at a later date but would like to begin the process soon if possible (ASAP), I would really appreciate some advice on what might be the best way to go about this. Background, I'm 25 and studied Multimedia Development (BSc, Upper Second) at a UK university and graduated in 2014. I went on to work as a Junior Games Developer for 1.5yrs and then progressed to Developer for 9 months after. I then switched jobs and have been doing IT development under the job title of Technical Graduate for the last 2 years and have recently been promoted to a Junior Software Analyst. I am aware of the English proficiency test and the ACS skills assessment, so am willing to do these if it will assist me in making the required points. Making an educated guess, and providing I was to pass the English test and ACS assessment I believe I am around 65 points? (if my work experience counts) Do you think I have enough to make up the points for a 189, or any other visa you may think is suitable? Is getting sponsored a viable option for me if the 189 is not possible? Is it worth me contacting an Agent to help and does anyone have any recommendations of Agents that could assist me in IT related applications? I am in Australia for another month or so, so can meet with an Agent if this is easier. Thanks in advance, I really appreciate any help or answers people can give me.

Hi All , I am a Bachelors in Arts - BA in Economics and MBA in Marketing . I am working in IT sector for the past 10 years . I want to apply for 189 VISA with Skill as " ICT- Business Analyst " . I wanted to know if someone could please guide if my education qualification will be considered as relevant . Please advise .

Hi All, I'd be grateful is anyone can clarify my entitlement to citizenship. I believe the rules were changed a few years ago, so some expats I talk to offer conflicting advice. We received our 189 PR visa in March 2014. We activated the visa by visiting Melbourne in June 2014 We moved to Australia in Dec 2017 When can we start applying for citizenship? After physically being in Australia for 12 months or, after 4 years? A straightforward, friendly, helpful reply will be most welcome ? James

Hi all, I thought I would start a new topic for people with 189/190 visas lodged in the months of November and December 2017, in order to share our timelines and experience with the process. We lodged our 189 visa on the 22nd December 2017 and haven't heard anything back yet. We are hoping we can get a direct grant (without CO contact) since we front loaded all the required documentation and also because the lodgement was done via a migration agent so we are confident on the application being correct and complete. We were hoping we could get a grant by the start of March but we have seen today that the processing times on the Home Affairs website have been significantly increased (from 5-8 months to 9-12 months) so we are a bit upset about this. If anybody around here has similar timelines it would be great to hear your experience. Thanks Cristina

Hi there, sorry its a long post. Hope you guys can offer me some advice. I finally received an invitation for 189 visa after waiting few months. I have 70 points total. I claimed 5 points for skilled employment. I work as an RN under the same hospital but in different locations (it’s a big hospital) I worked 16 hours a fortnight in one and 60 hours in another hospital. I resigned in the hospital that I worked for 60 hours in because I had issues with my manager. When I applied for skilled assessment to add 1 year of experience- I did from the hospital that I work only 16 hours and they were happy to state that I work full time there (not in the location) but they were happy to because it’s still under the same hospital. Now I finally got the skills assessment that states that I worked full time in the hospital that I only work 16 hours in (I didn’t think Anmac would add the name and location of hospital). Now I have everything including payslips, tax statements, employment reference and the only thing i don’t have is the contract which obviously just says I work in that location for 16 hours but my skills assessment says something else. In summary, I have 1 years of experience and I have generalised payslips, tax statements and superannuation statements that prove it but I just have contract from the specific location of hospital. Is there anything I can do ?? Any my advise is welcome. thank you ?