Indian Accountants Moving to Australia: 189 Points, PY, 482 Explained

How Indian accountants can migrate to Australia — the CPA/CA ANZ/IPA skills assessment, why invitation scores on the subclass 189 sit at 90 or higher, and how the Accounting Professional Year adds points. Also covers the subclass 482 employer-sponsored alternative. Figures as at September 2026.

Read the full guide, with official sources →

Watch

Chapters

  1. 0:00 189 invitations for accountants:
  2. 0:12 A competitive points scenario
  3. 0:26 Assessed against
  4. 0:37 Bridging subjects:
  5. 0:49 Professional Year:
  6. 1:04 English is the biggest lever
  7. 1:22 Three pathways,
  8. 1:43 Visa charge:
  9. 1:56 Salary bands for sponsored accountants
  10. 2:15 ICAI CA?
  11. 2:29 Passing the migration assessment
  12. 2:39 Where to read more

Transcript

If you're an Indian accountant chasing a subclass 189, know this first: invitation scores regularly hit 90 to 95 points.

A competitive scenario looks like this: 30 points for age, 20 for Superior English, 10 for overseas experience, 15 for a bachelor degree, 5 for the Professional Year — a total around 85 to 90.

You need a positive skills assessment from one of three bodies — CPA Australia, CA ANZ, or the IPA — checked against nine core knowledge areas.

Indian degrees usually have gaps in Australian taxation and Australian business law. Expect two to four bridging subjects, at $800 to $2,500 each.

The Professional Year is a 44-week program with a 12-week internship. It adds 5 points, costs $10,000 to $15,000, and is only open to people already in Australia, usually on a subclass 485.

English is the biggest lever you control. Competent English earns zero extra points. Proficient — IELTS 7.0 or PTE 65 — adds 10. Superior — IELTS 8.0 or PTE 79 — adds 20.

An offshore 189 with no Professional Year runs $9,200 to $18,100. The student pipeline with a Professional Year runs $71,500 to $111,500. The 482 pathway alone is $5,100 to $5,600.

The visa charge itself is $6,135 for a subclass 189, or $4,015 for a subclass 482 — current as at 1 July 2026.

On the 482, salary has to clear the Core Skills Income Threshold. Graduate accountants earn $55,000 to $65,000. With three to five years' experience, $75,000 to $95,000. Senior roles exceed $110,000.

Holding the ICAI Chartered Accountant qualification doesn't grant automatic recognition in Australia. You still need the migration assessment, and full reciprocity between ICAI and Australian bodies doesn't exist yet.

A migration skills assessment doesn't give you CPA or CA membership either — that's a separate program, with its own exams, completed after you arrive.

The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.

Short versions

Talk it through with a registered agent

Every agent on Migratio is on the official OMARA register. Compare agents and their consultation fees.

Related Migratio resources