Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
189 Skilled Independent vs 186 Employer Nomination
Both are permanent on grant; what differs is who has to want you. The 189 depends on your points clearing an invitation round for your occupation and on nobody else, and it leaves you free to work anywhere for anyone from the first day. The 186 depends on an employer nominating a genuine position at the threshold salary, with no points, no invitation and, in the transition stream after two years on a 482, no skills assessment, and it is read for genuineness if you leave the employer soon after grant. A migrant with a competitive score takes the 189; a migrant with an employer and a weaker score takes the 186; a 482 holder usually reaches the 186 before a 189 invitation would arrive.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Depends on
- Your points and an invitation in your occupation · An employer’s nomination of a genuine position
- Occupation
- The skilled list for points-tested visas · The Core Skills Occupation List, or the labour agreement
- Skills assessment
- Required · Required for direct entry; not for most in the transition stream
- Age
- Under 45 at invitation · Under 45 at application, with exemptions; none under the transition stream’s own criteria in the ordinary case
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About the CPD →Side by side
| 189 Skilled Independent | 186 Employer Nomination | |
|---|---|---|
| Depends on | Your points and an invitation in your occupation | An employer’s nomination of a genuine position |
| Occupation | The skilled list for points-tested visas | The Core Skills Occupation List, or the labour agreement |
| Skills assessment | Required | Required for direct entry; not for most in the transition stream |
| Age | Under 45 at invitation | Under 45 at application, with exemptions; none under the transition stream’s own criteria in the ordinary case |
| Salary | None required | At or above the threshold and the market rate |
| Charge | $6,135 primary applicant | $6,140 primary applicant; the employer pays the nomination and levy |
| After grant | Free from day one | Expected to stay in the position; an early departure is read for genuineness |
| Watch out | The invitation bar and the occupation ceiling | Relying on the employer to lodge and to keep the business compliant |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
Both are permanent on grant; what differs is who has to want you. The 189 depends on your points clearing an invitation round for your occupation and on nobody else, and it leaves you free to work anywhere for anyone from the first day. The 186 depends on an employer nominating a genuine position at the threshold salary, with no points, no invitation and, in the transition stream after two years on a 482, no skills assessment, and it is read for genuineness if you leave the employer soon after grant. A migrant with a competitive score takes the 189; a migrant with an employer and a weaker score takes the 186; a 482 holder usually reaches the 186 before a 189 invitation would arrive.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
189 Skilled Independent or 186 Employer Nomination — which is better?
Both are permanent on grant; what differs is who has to want you. The 189 depends on your points clearing an invitation round for your occupation and on nobody else, and it leaves you free to work anywhere for anyone from the first day. The 186 depends on an employer nominating a genuine position at the threshold salary, with no points, no invitation and, in the transition stream after two years on a 482, no skills assessment, and it is read for genuineness if you leave the employer soon after grant. A migrant with a competitive score takes the 189; a migrant with an employer and a weaker score takes the 186; a 482 holder usually reaches the 186 before a 189 invitation would arrive.
What is the main difference between the 189 Skilled Independent and the 186 Employer Nomination?
Depends on: 189 Skilled Independent — Your points and an invitation in your occupation; 186 Employer Nomination — An employer’s nomination of a genuine position. Occupation: 189 Skilled Independent — The skilled list for points-tested visas; 186 Employer Nomination — The Core Skills Occupation List, or the labour agreement. Skills assessment: 189 Skilled Independent — Required; 186 Employer Nomination — Required for direct entry; not for most in the transition stream.
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