Hi everyone,

I’ve received a scholarship offer to pursue a PhD in Australia, and I’m hoping to bring my family as dependants during my studies.

Has anyone been in a similar situation or had experience applying for student visas with dependants under the new rules effective?

I would really appreciate it if you could share your experience, particularly regarding the visa application process and OSHC arrangements.

Thank you so much for your help!

I received a Subclass 189 invitation based on an old EOI where I claimed 10 points for being single, but I’m now married. My wife already has Competent English; can I get her skills assessment and claim 5 partner points to make up for the points I claimed as a single applicant?

My partner has a positive EA outcome as Civil Engineer (233211). Overseas civil bachelor’s, CDR based on university projects, no engineering work experience. We’re considering a second EA assessment for Geotechnical Engineer (233212).

I’ve read the MSA booklet. It says episodes must show work in the nominated occupation and that an outcome in that occupation isn’t guaranteed. What I’m unsure about is how EA treats a general civil degree for a specialist occupation.

Would love to hear from anyone who:

1. Got 233212 (or another specialist occupation) with a general civil degree, especially without work experience

2. Applied for a second occupation while already holding an EA outcome. Did EA compare it with the first CDR?

First-hand experiences only please, no agent offers. Thanks!

I put in my EOI back in March 2025.
I have been taking my time getting more serious about visa stuff as my current visa won’t expire till mid 2028, and I’ve been avoidant.
I thought I had to get better English score, maybe try naati as well…. Then yesterday, I received invitation to apply 189!!!
As title says, I only have 70 points as an RN nec.
Does this mean I have a fair chance of getting the visa granted as long as I can prove that I have 70 points?
Or is the chance of that still slim as the minimal points required has been 75 (idk for how long)?

Help!

I got invited for 189 application under 'architect' at 85pts

What I am concerned is I am working as a contractor being paid through ABN at a very low rate.

I'm a graduate and has been working full-time for a year and casual for 2 years

1. Will IMMI consider my hourly rate when they assess my application?

2. If my casual work during studying are under 20h/week, will that still be counted towards my working experience but only as 1 year instead of 2 ( this is what I heard from my friends but I'm unsure if it's legit)

I can compose supporting portfolio of all my work, a reference letter from my lead architect and design teams to prove my work. Just wondering will the rate be a big concern, or what do you need to submit to prove the employment?

Finally Got my Management consultant Skill assessment. Ask me anything when its fresh in my mind. except generic questions like what documents or tasks list. I am not an agent but can review if u need help.

Good day everyone I have a plan to transition from 417 to 491 then 191

I’m a UK national recently graduated in BSc cybersecurity and networking 0 work experience.

I plan to enter Australia with a 417 visa, I’ll be working as aged care worker in regional areas as I have 7+ years of work experience.

I wonder if I work in regional area for 6-12 months as aged care worker. I’ll be eligible to apply for 491 visa and once successful for a 491 visa.

I’ll start looking for IT jobs and work for 3 years in regional area and lodge a 191 once eligible.

I wonder if this plan would work, any recommendations would be highly appreciated thanks so much.

Hi all,

Don't worry, this isn't a post complaining about processing times!

I submitted an application for 417 visa (1st year, offshore, UK applicant) on 28th September. I aim to work in healthcare, and stated this clearly on the application. I attached all the required documentation, plus a few extra documents (police check, birth cert, driving licence) to hopefully help speed things along when the time comes.

The application is showing as received, as expected (and have submitted with pleeeeeenty of time for my plans - no flights booked yet obviously as I'm not a big silly billy). My only issue is, I've not yet been requested to undertake a health assessment. I presumed this would be a pretty automatic request based on me answering yes to hospital access/working in healthcare, so I'm a bit concerned they've not asked me yet.

Does anyone know exactly when I can expect the health assessment request to come in? Is it worth me contacting them? Just worried obviously it might get to the ~3 month timescale and THEN I'll get requested to undertake a health assessment and it'll reset the clock/cause further delays. The general consensus seems to be that working in healthcare = definite need for health assessment, so I'm eager to get everything boxed off that I can.

Thanks!

Hi all.

I am looking to do a skills assessment, however, I am uncertain which ANZSCO code is more suitable. The assistance on VETASSESS does not offer advice on job selection and my immigration agent is unsure so I am asking for first-hand accounts.

I am a scientific officer in toxicology, which is listed on Life Scientist nec (LS). The LS description of toxicology is:

Studies the amount of exposure to a substance (e.g. from pollution caused by environmental contaminants such as industrial waste products or emergency events such as a gas leak) and the potential effect it may have on public health, plants, animals and/or the ecosystem.

It does not seem to suit my job exactly, as I work on individual patients in a pathology lab instead of the broader scope. I run immunoassay and LCMSMS drug screening in a lab. I also cross-trained in special chemistry, where I run trimester screening and lactose-intolerance which I work in for two weeks every month. Drug and alcohol is mentioned in Science Technicians nec (ST), but no descriptions are available. It's a less desirable skills assessment as it is not applicable for 189.

Lastly, chemist could work since it mentions forensic science as an eligible degree, which I have a masters degree in.

I am concerned about applying for one, and being told I am more suitable for a different one. Does anyone have any insight?

Hi all, I recently got invited for subclass 189 visa (construction PM 85 points) and realised that I probably should have put I am in a De facto relationship with an australian (not single / never married). Edit: we have been dating and seeing each other for roughly a year and only started living together in May 2026 (6months).

Just wondering if anyone has experience with this and if I do update it (or should I?), even though the points dont change (still 10) would that affect my application at all?

Any recommendations welcome 🙂

Hi everyone,
I received an invitation for the Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189) on 15 October 2026 with 65 points.
I’m now concerned that I may have made a mistake when entering my employment history in my EOI.
Here’s my situation:
Actual employment start date: 1 December 2021
VETASSESS Date Deemed Skilled: 1 December 2022
Employment start date entered in my EOI: 1 December 2022
When completing my EOI, I believed I should only enter employment that was considered skilled and eligible for points according to VETASSESS. Therefore, I entered December 2022 instead of my actual employment start date.
My employer reference letter, payslips and VETASSESS assessment all confirm that I actually started working in December 2021.
I did not claim any additional points because of this. My points for overseas skilled employment would remain the same (5 points) as of my invitation date.
I intend to declare my complete employment history in my visa application and include a short explanation of the discrepancy.
Has anyone made the same mistake and subsequently received their subclass 189 or 190 visa grant?
Did you provide a cover letter, and did the difference between the EOI and the visa application cause any issues?
I’d really appreciate hearing about actual experiences, especially from people who have already received their visa grants.
Thank you!

​

Hello. If I included my partner in my EOI as de-facto and received an invite while still in "de-facto" status is it possible to get married before visa grant (before lodging or while awaiting approval).

Will that be seen as a variance and will it affect outcome?

I have 3.250€ saved which i know is above the 5000 aud mark but i dont know if im allowed to subtract the amount of money id need for flight tickets after the visa has been approved. I do know i need about 520 euro extra for the visa application but im still waiting on my last paycheck from the job i held over the summer.

Also im not sure if there is bias against people who just have the absolute bare minimum saved it does sound like something that would make sense.

ive been looking for another job but since im 17 (moving around august 2027) there is a law that i have to go to school until im 18 in my country and im not quite so sure if its worth it getting in trouble if its not necasarry.

(apologies for my english (and the huge wall of text) i am trying to sharpen up on it for next year

Before the upcoming NSW draw, I wanted to clarify something. I have both 190 and 491 EOIs active. How does it work with NSW? Is it so that if they pick my 491, I won't receive a 190 invite?

Civil Engineer, 90 points, offshore

Hello!

I received an invitation for the Subclass 189 visa today. My son was born approximately 2.5 months ago, and I submitted my EOI about 20 days after his birth. However, I accidentally forgot to update my family composition to include him.

Could this affect my visa application or cause any complications during the visa process?

I received a subclass 189 invitation and a subclass 600 grant today (same day). The 600 has condition 8503 (no further stay).

I plan to lodge the 189 offshore ASAP, before travelling to Australia for a one-week holiday in November on the 600.

Has anyone entered Australia on a 600 with 8503 while an already lodged offshore 189 was pending?

Any issue with entry, or with the 189 being granted while temporarily in Australia?

Hi all!

Very happily invited for 189 as a healthcare worker from singapore today. Not sure what the timeframe is but we heard from some people that if we applied for a 189, my wife will not be allowed to apply/get a 500 for her course. We'd wait for the 189 but we're worried it won't be processed in time for her to commence studying (in February).

Can anyone verify this? If so, are there any workarounds?

My sister is Algerian, and her boyfriend is Australian. They decided to marry.

We are looking for advice about the process.

We don't know if it's easier to submit a partner visa (fiancé) and then get married once in Australia, or if it's easier if they marry in Algeria and get a visa as a wife.

Please don't hesitate if you have any information, as we need advice from experienced people.

Thank you!

Hi everyone, I received a 189 invitation at 75 points
I started casual agency RN work in October 2025 but only completed 5 shifts (38.5 hours total). I stopped accepting shifts in November but remained employed with the agencies until December without formally resigning.
I started regular full time RN employment on 27 November 2025 but haven’t completed 12 months of eligible work experience yet.
My agency jobs were listed as ongoing in my EOI, which I suspect caused SkillSelect to automatically award me an extra 5 points.
However, I’ve been working full-time as an RN since 27 November 2025.
My question is: Does this count as one year of Australian skilled employment, considering I was employed with the agencies from October but only worked a few shifts before starting full-time work in November?
please help ♥️

Hoping to get some advice!

Yesterday I finally recieved my 189 visa invite after nearly 2 years of waiting! However on my EOI i put single. Since then I have an Australian boyfriend, and we have last week registered our relationship because I'd started to lose hope of getting an independent visa and a partner visa was looking more and more likely for us.

Fast forward, I have now been invited, BUT my EOI is wrong now :( my point will be the same, as you get 10 points for being single and 10 for having an Australian partner, but I dont know if my EOI being wrong is going to ruin my chances?

Note: registered nurse aged care 70 points - so I cant afford to lose the 10 points for relationship status.

Got my 189 invite today (15 Oct round) and I’m stuck on a decision, would really appreciate input from anyone who’s been through this.

My situation

Environmental Consultant (234312), VETASSESS Group A, offshore (living in France)

Bachelor’s in Environmental Science finished June 2018, started a full-time environmental role in Aug 2018, same employer continuously until Nov 2021, then other related roles up to now

VETASSESS used my first year (Aug 2018 – Jul 2019) as the “qualifying period”, so date deemed skilled = Aug 2019

My EOI counted from Aug 2018, so it ticked over to 8+ years in Aug and I got invited at 80

If they go with the VETASSESS date I’m around 7.2 years = 10 pts = 75 total

Why I think the year should count

The Department’s own points policy (SM-5006, section 10.4.1, it’s out there via FOI) says that if the assessing authority’s view gives fewer points than claimed, the officer should look at ANZSCO and “apply the more beneficial outcome”. ANZSCO 2343 is Skill Level 1, bachelor degree, and my degree was done before I started. VETASSESS’s own FAQ also says the PTA is “an opinion only”. I have the contract, payslips, duties letter etc for that first year, and I’d disclose the VETASSESS date upfront in a cover letter, not hide it.

What I’d love to hear

Has anyone claimed the VETASSESS (or ACS / EA) qualifying year under this policy and actually got the grant? Roughly when, and what occupation?

Did you get an s56 about it? What did they ask for?

Did you write a submission citing 10.4.1, or just lodge with the evidence?

Anyone refused on this? As far as I understand, offshore 189 has no ART review, so I really get one shot.

Side question: my VETASSESS letter says 5.21 years assessed, but the periods it lists add up to about 5.45. Anyone else seen their “years assessed positively” come out lower than their own dates? Did it matter?

I just want to hear real experiences before deciding anything. Thanks a lot 🙏

Hi everyone!

I’m Brazilian and planning to apply for the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462). The remaining places for Brazil could reopen at any time, potentially even before my English test next Monday.

I’m worried about missing the opportunity if the places open over the weekend. However, I understand that I need to meet the English requirement when submitting my application.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Is there any way to secure a place or start the application before taking the English test and provide the results afterwards, or would submitting without meeting the requirement put my application at risk?

Hi everyone,

I am feeling incredibly anxious looking at the massive scores people are throwing around for the new 2026–27 Victorian Points Test (VPT) matrix. Being an offshore applicant, it feels so disheartening knowing that I am completely locked out of the points for Victorian skilled earnings. It makes me feel like I stand no chance against onshore applicants.

I am an offshore Other Spatial Scientist (ANZSCO 232214). My federal SkillSelect EOI is sitting at 70 points for the 190 baseline, which translates to an estimated 620 points on the new Victorian state matrix.

Here is my point breakdown:

Age: 300
English: 200
Education: 50
Skill Level: 50
Experience: 20
Partner / Local Income: 0

I am so confused about my next steps and which path to focus on. For niche STEM fields like spatial science where almost everyone applies from overseas, does Victoria realistically select human-capital-only profiles, or do the high onshore earning scores completely dominate the selection rounds across all codes?

Given how nervous I am about the missing income points, I'm trying to decide if it's strategically wiser to play it safe by targeting the Subclass 491 (Regional) from day one, or if maintaining a focus on the Subclass 190 (PR) path still makes sense for an offshore profile with this kind of breakdown.

I would deeply appreciate any reality check or advice on how to approach the 190 vs 491 decision from anyone who understands how Victoria handles offshore STEM applicants.

Thank you so much 🙏

explanation only not satisfied 600.211 but i showed them employement letter vacation letter, hotel bookings and return ticket reservation pay slips and 6moths banks statement and saving account over 15k usd and my visa history i showed my current Saudia tourist visa and usa visa which i got 5 years ago and used travel visa everything was perfect and before sending i said bismika allohu tawakultu and after refusal said alhamdulilah too. now wondering should i apply again or not waste my money

Hey everyone!
I’m interested in working as either a bricklayer or a wall and floor tiler in Australia, and I’d like to hear from people who work in the construction industry.
I have a few questions:
How is the current job market for bricklayers and tilers?
Which trade has higher demand and better job opportunities?
How difficult is it to find an employer willing to offer visa sponsorship?
Are there particular states or cities where sponsorship opportunities are better?
Is employer sponsorship common in these trades, or is it relatively rare?
I’d really appreciate hearing from tradies, employers, or anyone familiar with the industry.
Thanks in advance!