Know The Exact Difference Between Skilled Independent and Nominated Visa.

Sydney, Australia, 2022-Feb-28 — /EPR Network/ — One of the best places to live and work in, Australia welcomes hundreds of thousands of immigrants every year. The country boasts an active economy and skilled workforce that comprises people from all around the globe. It is rather needless today that the lifestyle of people living in Australia is far better than many OECD countries. So, if you are among the fortunate ones who got the opportunity to work in this beautiful country, don’t miss it.

Now the first thing that may come to your mind is getting your VISA approved. The good thing is that the approval process for an Australian VISA takes an average of 18 months which is actually fast compared to other countries. Things can turn more seamless if you get help from professionals. Nowadays many consultants offer VISA assistance and immigration services to make your transit hassle-free.

Before you proceed with your VISA application, you need to know certain things about the VISA available and which one you actually need. Two common types of VISA that are known to attract thousands of immigrants with occupations from the Skilled Occupation List are –

• Skilled Independent VISA, and
• Skilled Nominated VISA

Both these VISAs are highly sought after by all aspiring immigrants as both provide the benefits of being a permanent resident of Australia to both. Let’s look at the basic features of both.

Features of Skilled Independent VISA (subclass 189)

• This is a points-based VISA, meant for skilled professionals who have not been nominated by the state or territory.
• It permits successful applicants to live and work anywhere in Australia on a permanent basis.
• Some of the visa holder’s dependents can be included in the application

Features of Skilled Nominated VISA (subclass 190)

• This is also a points-based VISA, intended for skilled professionals who are nominated by an Australian state or territory government.
• All the 190 VISA holders can live and work in Australia as permanent residents.
• This is a permanent sponsored VISA.

One may argue over the apparent similarity between Skilled Independent VISA and Skilled Nominated VISA (subclass 190) but they are different. Keep reading to know-how.

Occupation lists

Both VISAs differ from each other in terms of occupation lists allowed. While the 189 VISA needs your occupation available on the Medium- and Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), the subclass 190 VISA requires you to get nomination from state or territory, which means that your occupation should be available on the particular state or territory occupation list. This is because all the nominating states or territories do not necessarily share the same list.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship from Australian states or territories instills a major difference between Skilled Independent VISA and Skilled Nominated VISA. Among the two, only Skilled Nominated VISA or 190 VISA requires sponsorship from the Australian state or territory. This, further, means that you should meet the criteria imposed by the specific state or territory before applying for VISA to stay there. A 189 VISA is an independent IVSA that allows you to work and stay anywhere in Australia with no need for sponsorship and no obligation to any state or territory.

Invitation 

The process and frequency of invitation rounds are different for both Skilled Independent and nominated VISA. Invitations for the Skilled Independent VISA are generally issued every month by the Federal Government for the occupations available on the MLTSSL. Moreover, these VISAs have adhered to certain limitations. In most cases, the number of invitations is decided beforehand on the basis of employment data. Once the limit is reached, no further invitations are issued.

In contrast, the 190 VISA requires state or territory sponsorship leaving the right of issuing invitations in the hands of the states and territories only. In these cases, the average skilled migrant intake depends on the individual needs and shortages of the specific state or territory.

In recent times, both the frequency of the invitation rounds and the number of VISA applicants have been severely affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, it is advisable to keep reviewing the situation to gauge any change in regulations in each state or territory before proceeding with your VISA application.