189 Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) – Hong Kong stream

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa	Skilled Independent 189, Hong Kong stream
Stay	Permanent; stay indefinitely
Cost	From AUD6,135 main applicant
Eligibility timing	Eligible visa and residence: four years
Passport	Hong Kong or British National (Overseas)
Work rights	Work anywhere in Australia
Study	Study anywhere in Australia
Medicare	Can enrol in Medicare
Travel facility	Unlimited travel for five years
Citizenship	May apply if eligible
Family sponsorship	Sponsor eligible relatives
Family in application	Include before decision
English	Functional English or extra charge
Apply location	In or outside Australia
Processing	Guide only; case-by-case
Visa record	Digitally linked; no passport label

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Purpose

The Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), Hong Kong stream, lets eligible Hong Kong or British National (Overseas) passport holders who have demonstrated commitment to Australia live and work in Australia permanently.

Eligibility

You must meet all of the following requirements.

Eligible visa

At the time you apply, you must hold an eligible visa and have held that visa for at least four years immediately before applying. You cannot combine multiple visas, including visas of the same subclass, to meet this requirement.

An eligible visa is a subclass 457, 482 or 485 visa granted to you because you met the primary criteria.

• If granted before 9 July 2020, it must not expire after 8 July 2025.
• If granted on or after 9 July 2020, it must be valid for five years.

Passport and residence

You must:

• hold a Hong Kong or British National (Overseas) passport when applying
• have been usually resident in Australia continuously for at least four years immediately before applying
• have complied with conditions of your eligible visa for the whole time you held it in Australia.

Usual residence considers where you physically live, eat, sleep and have a home, and your intention to make that place your home.

Other requirements

You and relevant family members must meet health and character requirements.

You must also:

• have functional English when the decision is made, or pay the second instalment charge when requested
• sign the Australian Values Statement if aged 18 or over
• read, or have explained, the Life in Australia booklet if aged 18 or over
• repay or arrange repayment of Australian Government debts owed by you or family members
• satisfy immigration-history requirements.

A prior visa cancellation or visa refusal may affect eligibility.

Stay, rights and obligations

This is a permanent visa that allows you to stay in Australia indefinitely.

You can:

• work and study anywhere in Australia
• enrol in Medicare
• attend free Adult Migrant English Program classes, if eligible
• sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia
• seek Australian citizenship if eligible.

Newly arrived residents may need to wait before accessing certain Australian Government payments and benefits.

You and your family members must obey Australian laws.

Family provisions

You may include members of your family unit:

• when lodging the application, or
• after lodging but before a decision is made.

Tell the Department why a partner or dependent child is not included, such as where they are already an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

Included family members must meet health and character requirements. Non-accompanying family members may also need to meet health and character requirements.

Dependent children

For children aged under 18, provide evidence of parentage and, where applicable, adoption documents. Consent is required from a person with legal authority over a child who is not migrating with the child. Use Form 1229 or a statutory declaration, unless you provide an appropriate court order or evidence that home-country law permits migration.

For children aged over 18 without an eligible visa:

• aged 18 to under 23: they must be dependent on you or your partner
• aged 23 or older: they must be dependent because of physical or cognitive limitations and unable to support themselves.

Use Form 47a for dependent family members aged 18 or over. A child turning 18 or 23 while processing may need additional dependency evidence.

Cost

The main applicant charge is AUD6,135. Charges also apply for family members included in the application.

Applicants aged 18 or over without functional English may need to pay a second instalment charge of AUD4,885, only when requested and only if the visa is to be granted.

Other possible costs include health examinations, police certificates and biometrics.

Pacific Island and Timor-Leste concession

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa charge applies to eligible applicants lodging a valid application. Eligibility is identified through the primary applicant’s valid passport from:

• Federated States of Micronesia
• Fiji
• Kiribati
• Nauru
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Republic of the Marshall Islands
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Timor-Leste
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu.

Family members may receive the lower charge based on the primary applicant’s passport.

Documents

Provide clear colour scans or photographs of all documents. Documents in languages other than English must be translated into English; provide both originals and translations. Documents do not need certification.

Identity and residence

Provide:

• current passport pages showing photo, personal details, issue and expiry dates
• national identity card, if available
• name-change evidence, if applicable
• evidence of four years’ continuous usual residence in Australia.

Residence evidence should state when you began living in Australia and may include lease agreements, rates notices and utility bills.

Character

Provide:

• an Australian Federal Police complete-disclosure National Police Certificate if you spent 12 months or more in Australia during the last 10 years since turning 16
• overseas police certificates for every country where you spent 12 months or more during that period
• military service or discharge records, if applicable
• Form 80 and Form 1221.

Australian police certificates are valid for 12 months from issue. State or territory police certificates and standard-disclosure certificates are not accepted.

English and family evidence

Provide proof of functional English for applicants aged 18 or over, unless paying the second instalment when requested.

Where relevant, provide:

• marriage, divorce, death, separation or relationship documents
• partner identity and character documents
• evidence of a genuine and continuing relationship
• birth certificates, family book or adoption documents for children
• financial dependency evidence and medical evidence for relevant adult dependants.

For a de facto relationship, provide evidence of registration in an Australian state or territory, or evidence of at least 12 months’ de facto relationship before applying.

How to apply

You must apply online through ImmiAccount.

1. Check that you meet all visa and residence requirements.
2. Arrange health examinations if possible.
3. Gather identity, residence, character, English and family documents.
4. Create or log in to ImmiAccount.
5. Complete the online application and attach documents.
6. Pay the first visa application charge.
7. Keep your transaction reference number.

You can apply and receive a decision while in or outside Australia, but not while in immigration clearance.

Only registered migration agents, legal practitioners or exempt persons may provide immigration assistance. Use Form 956 to appoint or withdraw an immigration representative, and Form 956A to appoint or withdraw an authorised recipient.

After applying

The Department may request health examinations, biometrics or further information. Attach any missing documents as soon as possible; the Department may decide the application without requesting more documents.

You must notify the Department of changes to your:

• address, email, phone number or passport
• marital or de facto relationship status
• family circumstances, including a newborn child
• application information.

Use Form 1023 to correct incorrect answers. Use Form 1436 to add an additional applicant after lodgement.

If you are in Australia, remain lawful by holding a valid visa. A valid onshore application will usually allow a bridging visa if your current visa expires. Do not request cancellation of your current visa: cancellation can make you unlawful and cause a bridging visa to cease.

The visa application charge is not refunded if the application is refused.

Processing

Processing is assessed case by case. The published processing-time guide is indicative only.

Processing may be affected by:

• whether the application is complete
• response time to information requests
• health, character and security checks
• information from external agencies
• available places in the migration program.

Travel

The visa travel component expires five years after grant. During those five years, you may travel in and out of Australia as often as you wish.

After the travel component expires, you need a Resident Return visa to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.

For citizenship purposes, permanent residence starts:

• on visa grant, if you are in Australia, or
• when you first enter Australia on this visa, if outside Australia at grant.

Important warning for New Zealand passport holders

If processed at the Australian border, tell the immigration officer that you hold a Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) and do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444).

A subclass 444 grant may cease your permanent visa and affect Australian citizenship eligibility.

Visa record

Your visa is digitally linked to your passport. You will not receive a visa label.

Use VEVO to check visa details, conditions and the travel-component expiry date.