189 Visa Application Documents: The Complete Checklist for Lodgement

You have 60 calendar days from the date your invitation is issued to lodge your 189 visa application. Not 60 business days — 60 calendar days. If your invitation arrives on a Friday afternoon, the clock starts immediately. There are no extensions available under the Migration Act under any circumstances.

Most of the documents you need cannot be obtained in 60 days if you are starting from scratch. Police clearances from some countries take 4–6 weeks alone. NAATI-certified translations take time to commission and receive. Medical examinations require booking through Bupa Medical Visa Services.

The practical reality: you should be preparing your document package before your invitation arrives, so that when the 60-day window opens, you are uploading rather than sourcing.

Identity Documents

• Passport: Biographical data pages for your current passport and all passports held in the past 10 years. Include any pages showing previous Australian visas.
• Name change certificates: If your name has changed (marriage, deed poll), include legal evidence of the change linking all name variants.
• National identity card: If your country issues a national ID separate from the passport, include it.
• Birth certificate: Your own, and for all secondary applicants (children, partner).

All documents in a language other than English must be accompanied by certified English translations. If translated in Australia, use a NAATI-accredited translator. If translated offshore, use an officially certified translator with their credentials stated on the translation.

Skills Assessment

• Your original skills assessment letter from the relevant authority (ACS, Engineers Australia, ANMAC, VETASSESS, CPA Australia, CAANZ, or other designated body)
• The letter must be current — most assessments are valid for 3 years; check your specific authority's validity period
• If your assessment is from ACS, confirm the Skill Level Requirement Met Date is clearly stated — this is what the case officer uses to verify your experience point claims

English Language Test Results

• Your test report form from IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, OET, or Cambridge C1
• Results must be within their validity period — 3 years for immigration purposes — at the time of application lodgement
• If you are claiming Superior English (20 points), every band or component must individually meet the threshold (IELTS 8.0 in each of Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking; PTE 79 in each component)

Employment Evidence

This is the most heavily scrutinized document category and the one that causes the most s56 requests and refusals.

For each employment period you are claiming on your EOI (both Australian and overseas), you must provide:

Reference letters: On official company letterhead, signed by a named supervisor or HR representative with their title and contact details. The letter must state:

• Exact start and end dates (DD/MM/YYYY format — not "approximately three years")
• Whether the role was full-time or part-time, and exact hours per week
• Whether the role was permanent, contract, or casual
• A detailed list of core duties that mirror your nominated ANZSCO occupation's tasks
• Your salary/remuneration

Supporting financial evidence for every claimed period:

• Payslips (minimum 3 months per employment period, ideally continuous)
• Taxation records — ATO Notice of Assessment for Australian employment; equivalent for overseas employment (W-2, P60, Form 16, etc.)
• Superannuation/provident fund statements for Australian employment

If you worked for a large multinational and their HR policy does not permit custom reference letters, the workaround is a Statutory Declaration from a former direct supervisor, sworn before a Justice of the Peace, that provides the same level of detail. This is legally recognized by the Department, though it may require explanation.

Educational Qualifications

• Degree certificates for your highest qualification and any other qualifications claimed
• Academic transcripts showing subjects completed, grades, and institution details
• If your degree was from a non-English-speaking country, certified translations of transcripts and certificates are required
• For ACS applicants: transcripts are particularly important because ACS uses them to assess degree relevance to the nominated occupation (which determines the deduction amount)

Health Examination

Medical examinations must be completed at Bupa Medical Visa Services (if you are in Australia) or an approved panel clinic (if offshore). You cannot book through your own GP.

• Book as early as possible — Bupa appointment availability in major cities can be 2–4 weeks out
• Complete the examination for every applicant (primary and all secondary applicants)
• Medical results are submitted directly from the examining clinic to the Department; you will see confirmation in your ImmiAccount when clearance is received (or if further review is required)
• The current Significant Cost Threshold is AUD $86,000 — any medical condition estimated to exceed this cost over a 5-year period will result in a health requirement failure. The 189 visa does not have a health waiver provision.

Police Clearances

You need National Police Certificates for every country where you have lived for 12 months or more in the past 10 years.

• Australia: Australian Federal Police clearance (valid 12 months; AFP processing time approximately 10–15 business days)
• India: National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) clearance — requires specific in-country process, allow 3–4 weeks
• UK: ACRO Criminal Records Office — online application, typically 10–15 business days
• UAE: DED clearance for former residents — can take 4–6 weeks; plan early
• Philippines: NBI Clearance — allow 2–3 weeks
• Any other country of 12+ months residence in the past decade

If a police clearance for a particular country cannot be obtained (e.g., country no longer exists in its previous form, or clearances are not issued by that country's government), contact the Department for guidance before lodgement.

Relationship Evidence (for Partner and Family)

If you are including a partner (spouse or de facto) on your application, or claiming partner points:

• Marriage certificate (if legally married) — with certified translation if not in English
• Evidence of genuine relationship spanning the claimed period:
  • Joint bank account statements
  • Joint lease or mortgage documents
  • Evidence of shared utilities or bills
  • Evidence of cohabitation (shared address on official documents)
  • Photographs at events across the relationship period
  • Statutory declarations from people with personal knowledge of the relationship
• For long-distance or recently separated couples: provide evidence of ongoing communication (travel records showing visits, financial transfers, messaging platform records)

Supplementary Point Evidence

For any supplementary points claimed on your EOI, provide documentary evidence:

• NAATI CCL: Your NAATI credential certificate with credential number
• Professional Year: Completion certificate from the PYP provider
• Australian Study: Degree certificate and transcript from Australian institution confirming full-time enrollment of 92+ weeks
• Regional Study: Documentation from the institution confirming the campus location was in a designated regional area

Formatting Requirements

• All uploads to ImmiAccount must be in PDF format. HEIC, JPEG, and TIFF files may be rejected by the upload system.
• Colour scans of original documents — not black-and-white photocopies.
• Readable quality — blurred or cropped scans will be queried.

For a document checklist that matches your specific situation (solo applicant, partnered, with children; onshore or offshore), the Australia Skilled Independent Visa (189) Guide includes a printable master checklist organized by application stage.