The Global Talent visa program, also known as the Global Talent Independent (GTI) visa was introduced in November 2019, and has since become a popular permanent residence pathway for highly skilled individuals to Australia. The government tripled the places available for Applicants for this visa category from 5000 in 2019-2020 to 15,000 in 2020-2021.
The Global Talent visa program is designed for highly skilled professionals, and/or PhD Graduates with international distinction and recognition in one of ten future-focused fields targeted by the government:
- Resources
- Agri-food and Ag-Tech
- Energy
- Health industries
- Defence, advanced manufacturing, and space
- Circular economy
- Digitech
- Infrastructure and tourism
- Financial services and FinTech
- Education
To be eligible under the Global Talent Visa Program you need to meet the following conditions:
- Are distinguished in one of the identified Global Talent Visa fields/industries listed above
- Have an Australian nominator – you will need an Australian citizen or an Australian organisation to nominate you for the Global Talent visa. There is no fee payable with the nomination, and there are no ongoing obligations for your nominator
- The nominator should be in a position of expertise in Australia in your field and be able to verify your international reputation. An organisation, such as the Australian Computer Society, can be a nominator.
- Must be able to find employment in Australian and the minimum salary must be above the Fair Work High Income Threshold (currently AU$153,600 per annum) in Australia which can be demonstrated with evidence of current earnings
- If applying and not yet earning this amount, you will need to demonstrate you have the potential to earn $153,600. In essence, an applicant needs to demonstrate that they would have no difficulty in obtaining employment (or establishing themselves independently) in their field at an income rate to meet Fair Work High Income Threshold.
- The application needs to address how you can be a potential asset to the Australian community
- PhD graduates and certain PhD students may still be eligible to apply for the GTI Program if you can demonstrate exceptional talent and international recognition in a target sector. In addition, for PhD students who are nearing completion of your degree must be able to demonstrate you have a record of achievement prior to commencing your PhD studies.
Benefits with the Global Talent (subclass 858) Visa Program (GTVP)
The GTVP provides priority processing, which means these visas are given the highest priority of all Australian migration programs. The process is streamlined and extremely efficient with Global Talent visas meeting the government’s priority requirements being granted in as little as 1 month from lodgement, but the average processing time is 3 months.
Once invited to apply for the Global Talent Visa, the pathway to permanent residence is direct, and it is not subject to months—if not years—of processing, which is the case with other visa programs. The government sees this as a much more targeted approach to attracting talent in sectors that are critical to Australia.
The visa is granted without being subject to any employment conditions. This means individuals are free to move roles and/or employers.
Our international borders have been for all practical purposes closed since last year, however if granted a visa through Global Talent Visa program, no exemption to enter Australia is required from the Australian Border Force, as individuals are granted Australian permanent residence and are free to travel into Australia.
If you intend to lodge a Global Talent Visa, or wish to understand your eligibility before applying, please contact Michelle Collins at Align Law to discuss further.