The Skilled Immigration Program of Australia is Created to attract skilled workers and fill the shortage of laborers by providing numerous pathways. With the increasing demand for skilled professionals across different industries, the Skilled Immigration Program enables migrants to stay and work in Australia while fulfilling the labor needs of the nation in the market. 

Choosing the right visa is a very important process because every category of visa has different requirements, objectives, and benefits. Selecting the visa type will also reflect the applicant's ability to obtain employment and eligibility for government benefits along with your long-term settlement option in Australia. The 2 most popular Australia’s Skilled immigration visa are:

I. What is the Subclass 190 Visa?

The Subclass 190 visa is a skilled Nominated Visa, this allows the applicants to become permanent residents and allows the nominated skilled workers to stay and work in Australia. This the help this Subclass 190 skilled Nominated Visa the applicants can study and work from any place in Australia.

If the candidates become eligible then they can get citizenship in Australia. To acquire this visa you need to have an occupation relevant to the skilled Nominated Visa. once you are eligible you will be invited to apply for this visa and then you need to meet the points test. 

The eligibility criteria for a Subclass 190 visa are as follows:

• The applicants need to be under the age of 45 years during the time of nomination. You can also apply still if you turn 45 after receiving the invitation to apply for the subclass 190 visa. 
• You need to be in a relevant skilled occupation which is listed in the skilled occupation list, you should have a positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation. 
• In the Australian Government point test, the applicants need to score at least 65 points to be eligible. The applicant must have English proficiency skills. 
• The candidates need to be nominated by the state or territory government of Australia.
• Applicants must submit an EOI through skillselect and should get an invitation to apply. You need to fulfill all the character and health requirements which is set by the Home Affairs Department. 

Applicants must satisfy the requirements of Residency, Employment, and Commitment to the state to be eligible for State nomination.

II. What is the Subclass 189 Visa?

The Subclass 189 Skilled Independent Visa is a permanent residency visa, this visa is designed for skilled workers who are not sponsored by any state, employer, or family members. This visa permits skilled professionals to reside and work from any place in Australia. This is created for the application who are with occupation on the medium and long-term skilled occupation list. 

To apply for this Subclass 189 Skilled Independent Visa applicants are supposed to follow some eligibility criteria, which include

• You must be in any of the occupations listed in the MLTSSL and score a minimum of 65 on the Government’s points test for Australia. 
• Applicants need to be between 18 to 44 years old at the time of application. You need to obtain a positive skills assessment from the appropriate assessing authority.
• The applicant should fulfill all the health and character requirements set by the Home Affairs department. Once you have submitted an EOI through Skill Select, you will receive an invitation to apply. 

 Key Differences Between Subclass 190 and Subclass 189

IV. Pros and Cons of Each Visa

The benefits and drawbacks of The Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) and 
The Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189) are:

The Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) 

Benefits:

1.  The Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) provides Permanent Residency (PR) to the applicants who get eligible under this visa and they stay indefinitely in australia.
2. The processing time for this Subclass 190 visa is faster compared to the other skilled visas.
3. The applicants with the subclass visa 190 have the freedom to work and study from any location in the nominated state in Australia.
4. Applicants are allowed to enroll in the public healthcare system of Australia, and they are allowed to sponsor qualified family members for Permanent residency (PR).
5. Once fulfilling the requirements of residency the applicants are eligible to apply for the Australian Citizenship. 
6. Candidates can travel in and out of australia for 5 years from the date of visa grant. 

Drawbacks

1. The limitation of the Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) is that the applicants have limited independence in choosing the place to live and work in Australia because they need to stay and work in the state or territory which nominated them.
2. There is heavy competition for state nominations, which means that the nomination process may be selective and competitive.
3. The government of the territory or state may require the applicants to work in a specified region or industry to meet the nomination terms and conditions. 

The Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189)

The benefits and drawbacks of The Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189) are discussed below:

Benefits:

1. Applicants can become a Permanent Residency (PR), and they don’t have any restriction on any location within Australia, they have the freedom to reside and work anywhere from Australia. 
2. Candidates can even work and study in any job and study without any limitations.
3. Applicants get access to Medicare, which indicates they can enroll in Australia’s public healthcare system. 
4. Applicants are allowed to sponsor the eligible family members for PR.
5. They can even apply for the Citizenship of Australia after fulfilling all the requirements of residency. 
6. Under this Subclass visa 189, They are even more benefited from the children’s education, they get free education for their children up to high school. 

Drawbacks:

The main disadvantage of this visa is the limited chance of nomination opportunities, which means this may influence your chance of getting an invitation to apply for the Visa.

The other disadvantage is A competitive points system, which indicates that fulfilling the minimum criteria may not be enough to get the invitation to apply specific options for applicants who don't meet the English language proficiency requirements.

V. How do you choose the right visa?

When deciding to choose the best and right visa type between Subclass 189 and Subclass 190 visas, the applicants need to remember their job opportunities, their point score, and their future goals. For the Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) the applicants need 5 points extra to become eligible, and should have an occupation that is listed on a particular state’s skilled occupation list, and applicants should have the wish to reside and work in the nominated state for minimum 2 years. 

But under Subclass 189, the applicants need 65 and above points, they have the freedom to stay and work anywhere in Australia, and the applicants need to work in the fields that have high demands nationwide. Subclass 189 has more flexibility but it may be a longer process, and Subclass 190 has faster processing time but it requires a commitment to a specific state.

Both the Subclass 189 and Subclass 190 visas provide permanent residency in Australia, but they have different requirements. While choosing the right visa among these 2, applicants need to consider some factors like points eligibility, job demand, processing times, and long-term career growth. If you get eligible for Subclass 189 then it offers high flexibility, but if your score is less than 65 points then Subclass 190 will be the best option for you.  It is advisable to look for expert consultation to ensure the best decision for your future in Australia because of the frequently changing immigration policies.