Australia 189 Visa: Top Courses for PR in 2026

If you have been researching the Australia 189 Visa, you may have noticed something odd. A carpenter with 65 points can be invited, and an accountant with 80 points is still waiting. That gap is not accidental, and once you understand it, it makes the selection of the right course a whole lot easier.

We have spent years at Pathway to Aus helping international students turn the right qualification into the right occupation, and eventually into a genuine shot at permanent residency.

This article compares both routes side by side so you can see where your time and money stretch furthest.

How the Australia 189 Visa Works in 2026

The Skilled Independent Visa 189 is one of the cleanest permanent residency routes Australia offers. There is no employer sponsoring you or a state nominating you. Just your skills, your points, and the invitation round that decides your future.

To be eligible your occupation must be on the eligible skilled list, you must have a positive skills assessment from the relevant authority, and you must lodge an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect. 

The takeaway is simple: Your course is feeding your occupation, your occupation is feeding your skill assessment and that skill assessment is what counts your points. Take the wrong course early on and the rest of the pipeline can quietly fall apart. That’s why the first conversation matters more than most students realise.

Which Leads to PR: Trades vs Professional Occupations

When our clients weigh up Australia PR courses, most decisions come down to two broad routes:

• The first is trades, which currently dominate the lower points bracket thanks to persistent shortages across housing, construction and services. 
• The second is professional occupations, covering everything from nursing and teaching to engineering, sciences and architecture. 

Both routes can lead to permanent resident status. It depends on how long you study, how much you put in and how competitive your points score needs to be.

Trade Occupations on the 189

Housing construction, electrical work and skilled hospitality roles have been on Australia's shortage lists for years, and the gap keeps widening. Because supply is thin, invitation rounds tend to lean toward these occupations, and applicants often move through at points totals that would leave many professionals waiting.

The occupations that keep appearing on our clients' invitation letters are trades like carpentry, plumbing, electrical, boat building, joinery, wall and floor tiling, commercial cookery, and engineering fabrication. These are hands-on roles Australia genuinely cannot fill locally.

The Courses that Get You There

Most trade occupations require a Certificate III or IV, sometimes followed by a Diploma, before you can pursue skills assessment. We regularly enrol students in a few of the courses such as through our partner colleges:

• Carpentry: Tuition around $10,000 to $15,000 a year.
• Commercial Cookery: Tuition around $15,000 to $20,000 a year.
• Boat Building: Tuition around $10,000 to $15,000 a year.

Study time is usually around two years, which is why so many of our clients view trades as the fastest route to give themselves a real shot at the Skilled Independent Visa 189. If you would like the full picture, our overview on trade courses in Australia for international students walks through the wider list.

Professional Occupations on the 189

Professional pathways require more of you up front, but they open doors into some of Australia’s highest paying long-term careers. Here’s the breakdown of the main clusters:

Medical Careers

Medicine is the marathon. A Bachelor of Medicine runs roughly six years, and once you add internship and specialist training you are often looking at ten years or more before you are practising fully. Not to mention, English requirements are high, and the AMC exam adds another hurdle. 

It is a long road, but for those already committed, it is a road that reliably ends in secure, well-paid work.

Nursing

A Bachelor of Nursing sits at three years, or four when combined with another discipline. Registered nurses remain among the most consistently invited groups across recent 189 rounds, and the pay outlook has kept improving, as our team explains in Registered Nurses and Earning Potential in Australia.

The Diploma of Nursing through a vocational provider can also be a stepping stone into the bachelor.

Allied Health

Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy and medical imaging almost all sit at four-year bachelors, with registration through AHPRA. Longer than trades, but shorter than medicine, and demand remains steady.

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering is typically a four-year bachelor accredited by Engineers Australia. Architecture is usually five years, whether through an integrated program or a bachelor followed by a master's. 

Both roles hold their own on the 189 list, and our clients regularly progress through pathways such as the Advanced Diploma of Electrical Engineering before moving into higher qualifications.

Natural and Life Sciences

Biomedical science, laboratory technology and chemistry-related occupations generally need a three to four-year bachelor. Skills assessment varies by discipline, and points scores usually need to be strong.

Teaching

Teaching is a four-year initial teacher education degree, or a bachelor plus a Master of Teaching. Early childhood education is especially in demand, which is why we often recommend the Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education for graduates looking to pivot. 

Cost and Time, Side by Side

Here is how the two pathways compare in practical terms:

The pattern is hard to miss. Trades give you the shortest study window and the lightest tuition bill. On the other hand, professional degrees ask for a longer runway, but often lead to higher long-term earnings.

Living costs sit on top of tuition, and your visa investment does not stop at course fees, which is another reason we always encourage a proper planning conversation before enrolment.

189 Skilled Independent Visa Application Steps

The general flow looks similar for both pathways, but the details differ.

For trade applicants, the route is: 

• Study your Certificate III or IV
• Complete your skills assessment through the relevant authority (often TRA)
• Meet the English requirement
• Submit your EOI
• Wait for invitation
• Lodge your 189

For professional applicants, the process is:

• Complete your bachelor or master's
• Register with the relevant body such as AHPRA or Engineers Australia
• Meet a higher English band
• Complete your skills assessment
• Submit your EOI
• Wait for invitation before lodgement

How Pathway to Aus Can Help With Your Next Step

The highest paid jobs aren't always the strongest 189 visa occupations. They are the ones that fit your background, your budget and your timeline while fitting cleanly with an eligible skills assessment.

That mapping is what we do here at Pathway to Aus. Whether you want a trade, a bachelor's degree or a graduate diploma, we can help you plan a route that suits your circumstances and gives you a stronger chance in future invitation rounds. 

Book your free education consultation today and start turning research into a real plan.