The Australia PR visa cost from India is spread across four payments made months apart: the skills assessment to your assessing authority, the English test, the visa application charge to the Department, and health and character checks. The visa charge is the largest single item, but it is the last one you pay.
Usually refers to skilled migration permanent residency visas — especially:
Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent)
Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated — state-sponsored)
Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional, a regional-skilled pathway with PR after meeting certain residency/work conditions)
These are the main routes Indian skilled workers use to get PR in Australia. There are other categories (family, employer sponsored, etc.) but costs/times differ.
Here are the steps you’ll go through. Each involves time + cost components.
| Step | What you do | Approx Time | Approx Cost & Other Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Determine Eligibility & Choose Occupation | Check if your occupation is on the relevant Skilled Occupation List. Then see if you meet minimum points (age, English, qualifications, work experience). | A few days to a week | Mostly zero cost (you may pay for document collection or verifying credentials) |
| 2. Skill Assessment | Submit your credentials & work experience to the relevant assessing authority (e.g. ACS for IT, Engineers Australia, VETASSESS, etc.). | 4-8 weeks (≈ 45-60 days) is common. | Cost depends on assessing body & occupation. Roughly AUD 250 – AUD 4,000 (~INR 13,000-2,20,000) for many professions. |
| 3. English Language Test | Take an approved test (IELTS, PTE, etc.) and get required score. | 2-4 weeks (including preparation + result waiting) | Tests cost in India: approx INR 15,000-20,000 depending on test & center. |
| 4. Expression of Interest (EOI) via SkillSelect | Submit EOI, wait for invitation. If applying under subclass 190 or 491, might also seek state/territory nomination. | Can take 2-4 months depending on points, occupation demand, state requirements. | Usually no fee for EOI itself. If nomination required, there may be “state nomination” fees. Some states charge AUD 300-500. |
| 5. Receive Invitation to Apply (ITA) | Once invited, you prepare and lodge full visa application. | After EOI + nomination (if needed). The invitation wait is included in the EOI period. | |
| 6. Visa Application Submission + Supporting Documents | Lodge visa application, provide all required docs; also medical checks, police/character checks. | The visa decision processing time (after submission of full application) is often 6-12 months for many skilled visas. | Cost: see below. Also cost of medical exams, police clearance, etc. |
| 7. Visa Grant & Move | Once visa is approved, you get PR status. Need to fulfill travel (if offshore), meet any other obligations like first entry. | After grant, travel & settling can take additional weeks for logistics. |
Here’s a breakdown of the main cost heads (in both AUD & rough INR), for the Indian scenario (exchange rate fluctuations apply).
| Expense Head | Primary Applicant | Additional Applicant (age 18+) | Child / Minor Dependent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa Application Fee (Government) | ~ AUD 4,640-4,770 (for skilled visas like 189, 190, 491) | ~ AUD 2,320-2,385 | ~ AUD 1,160-1,195 for under 18s |
| Skill Assessment | AUD 250 to AUD 4,000 depending on occupation & assessing authority. | If spouse or dependent’s skills also assessed (in some cases) similar costs. | Not always needed depending on visa subclass. |
| English Test Fee | Approx INR 15,000-20,000 (varies by test) | If spouse/dependent needs to take test, similar cost. | — |
| Medical Examination | Varies; maybe AUD 300-500 per person (~INR 15,000-30,000) depending on clinic & tests required. | Similar for others. | Lower for children perhaps (if fewer tests) |
| Police Clearance / Character Checks | In India, cost is relatively small (INR ~500-1,000 per certificate). But there could be administrative / translation fees. | Same for dependents. | Same or lesser depending on age. |
| Other costs | Document translation, notarization, postage / courier, state nomination fees (if applicable), agent/consultant fees (if using one). |
Putting all together, for a single applicant (no dependents), skilled visa PR route, you might expect:
Visa processing fee: AUD 4,640-4,770
Skill assessment: AUD ~250-4,000
English test + exam costs: maybe INR 15,000-20,000 (or equivalent in AUD)
Medical + police checks: AUD few hundred + small local fees
Converted roughly, many sources estimate INR ₹2.5-3.0 lakh (~AUD 4,500-5,000 at current rates) just for the visa + basic assessments etc. Depending on dependents, occupation, state, could go higher.
Here are typical timeframes for different visa subclasses, from India. Note: actual time depends a lot on completeness, your occupation, demand backlogs, and document correctness.
| Visa Subclass | Approx Processing Time (after submitting full application) | Total Time Including Prior Steps (skill-assessment, EOI, invitation etc.) |
|---|---|---|
| Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent) | ~ 8-12 months | Total often 9-14 months (from eligibility → grant) |
| Subclass 190 (State Nominated) | ~ 6-9 to 10-12 months | Total ~ 8-12+ months |
| Subclass 491 (Regional Skilled) | ~ 8-14 months in many cases | Total with prior steps maybe 10-16 months |
| Other (Family, Employer-sponsored etc.) | Can vary a lot; some family/partner visas take 12-24 months+ depending on backlog & verification needs. |
Here are what to watch out for:
Document completeness & correctness: Missing or mismatched documents (job experience, proof of English, qualifications) significantly delay.
Health / character checks: Delays in medical reports or police clearances affect timeline.
Occupation demand / backlog: If your field is highly in demand, or if there are many applicants, wait for EOI invitations can be longer.
State nomination criteria (for subclass 190/491): Some states have extra requirements; delays come from state-level steps.
Currency fluctuations: Can affect your budget if converting to AUD.
Policy changes: Immigration law / skilled occupation lists / visa subclass rules sometimes change, affecting time & eligibility.
Suppose you (an Indian skilled professional) want to apply under Subclass 189. Here’s a plausible timeline:
Week 1-2: Check occupation list + eligibility, gather documents.
Weeks 3-8: Skill assessment (say 6 weeks). Meanwhile prepare for English test.
Week 9: Sit English test, get result.
Weeks 10-15: Submit EOI & wait for invitation. (Could be faster if your points are high and occupation is in demand.)
After invitation (~Week 15-16): Collect remaining docs, medical, police clearance etc.
Submit full visa application: then等待 visa processing (say 8-12 months).
Grant: once approved, plan travel etc.
So total ~ 9-14 months from starting eligibility check to visa grant, if everything goes smoothly.
Check the latest Skilled Occupation List — some occupations get removed or added; this changes what skill-assessing authorities accept.
Confirm current visa application fees on Department of Home Affairs site; sometimes government fees adjust.
Exchange rate fluctuations matter since many costs are in AUD but paid from India.
State nomination streams (190 / 491) may have changed criteria or quotas.
Be mindful of any delays in medical checks or document verifications especially post-COVID or during busy periods.
Rough cost for single applicant via a skilled visa PR route: ~ AUD 4,600-5,000 + assessments, test & associated costs → overall around INR 2.5-3 lakh (could be more with dependents).
Processing time: Typically 6-12 months after full application; overall from start to grant more like 9-14 months depending on visa subclass and profile.
Extra time & cost for dependents, state nomination, or occupation specific processes.
Four separate payments made months apart: the skills assessment to your assessing authority, the English test, the visa application charge to the Department, and health and character checks. The visa charge is the largest single item and the last one paid.
The visa application charge is revised each July, and the charge that applies is the one in force when you lodge – not when you started. Applying against last year’s published figure is a lodgement error rather than a saving.
The Australia PR visa cost from India is spread across four separate payments made months apart: the skills assessment to your assessing authority, the English test, the visa application charge to the Department, and health and character checks. The visa charge is the largest single item and the last one paid.
