Understanding The Australian Global Talent Visa
Also known as the GTI program, the Australian Global Talent Independent Visa (subclass 858) is a streamlined and fast-tracked visa program for professionals and industry leaders to work and resettle permanently in Australia. The Department of Home Affairs launched the GTI program in November 2019 to supplement the Global Talent – Employer Sponsored program in an effort to compete with countries such as the US, UK, and Canada to attract the ‘best and the brightest’ in particular future focused industries. The government is actively promoting this program and they have a dedicated website here, as well as posting dedicated talent officers around the globe.
The program’s primary goal is to attract highly talented and innovative individuals and businesses to settle in Australia permanently. Additionally, the scheme is designed to attract distinguished individuals who will become assets to Australia’s wider community. As such, the program looks to attract people that can earn an income of at least AU$158,500 – this is the Fair Work Australia High Income Threshold and indicates that the applicant will do well in Australia once settled and be of benefit not only to their industry sector but to the community in general.
The government announces the number of available spots every year. For instance, for 2019/2020, the open spots were 5,000. This number increased to 15,000 spots for 2020/2021 and remains the same for this programme year.
What are the Priority Sectors eligible for the Australian Global Talent Visa?
#1. Resources
#2. AgTech and Agri-food
#3. Energy
#4. Health industries
#5. Circular economies
#6. Defence, advanced manufacturing, and space
#7. Digitech
#8. Infrastructure and tourism
#9. Financial services and FinTech
#10. Education.
Who qualifies for the Australian Global Talent visa?
The Global Talent Visa has no occupation list stipulations or skills assessment needed, unlike employer-sponsored visas subclasses 186 and 482 and skilled independent visas under subclasses 189, 190, and 491. To be eligible for a Global Talent Visa you would need to be a leader in your field, show some particular innovation, have led disruptive or transformative change and be recognised by your peers and others as more than just good at your job!
For instance, under the Education sector – a teacher would unlikely qualify for this visa, but someone who has set up an EdTech platform or has created significant future focused change in the sector would.
Australia wants to bring exceptional talent to their emerging future industries so experience at Facebook, Google, Netflix, green energy companies, challenger banks and FinTech apps are all well thought of. Academic brilliance is also sought so recent PhD graduates in the above sectors and those with a history of prolific publications, speaking engagements and cutting-edge research are also well regarded. Business start-ups in the right sector are also of interest where we can show the potential for growth and what they can bring to Australia.
The possibilities are quite wide and the evidence required is not prescriptive – in fact many clients of ours that have been successful in gaining a global talent visa had thought they would not qualify at first, until we dig down into their career history and highlight the achievements, they thought nothing of! See some of our clients featured here.
High profile applicants do well, however emerging talent shouldn’t be discouraged from applying – they are most interested in your recent achievements and potential more than having a decades long career under your belt.
An expression of interest doesn’t require any upfront investment – there is no fee for it and you do not need to go to the expense of a skills assessment or English language test before applying. Things like English tests (if needed), medicals, police clearances etc are only needed at the visa application stage – and by then the ‘talent’ component has already been assessed and you can be fairly confident the visa application will succeed.
Am I Eligible for an Australian Global Talent Visa?
One of the main considerations is your expertise in one of the priority sectors.
Then you need to show that you will not have any difficulty earning a high salary in Australia, $158,500 or above. This can be demonstrated by already earning this, a future job offer at this salary level, recently completing a Ph.D. in the sector or having business interests that will produce this sort of income.
You also should have an Australian nominator prominent in your sector to attest to your achievements and exceptional talents. They need to be a citizen or permanent resident of Australia living in Australia or overseas or a NZ eligible citizen living in Australia. Alternatively, a peak body, company or institution in your field can nominate you.
There is a requirement to have functional English and the usual health and character requirements apply – with the added bonus of a health waiver that is available in case of not meeting the health criteria.
If you meet the above requirements, you’re eligible to apply for a global talent visa.
What Is the GTI Visa Application Process?
For the application, you must follow the following process:
Step #1: First, you need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) for the GTI – this will focus on your talents and earning potential as well as indicate who you have as a nominator. This will be assessed and if successful you will receive an invitation to apply for the visa.
Step #2: Apply for the subclass 858 Global talent visa. At this stage you submit your career evidence again as well as background info, evidence of English ability, family info, travels police checks and medicals. You can add your partner and any dependent children at this stage.
See the official Home Affairs Global talent subclass 858 visa process info here- https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/global-talent-visa-858
What Are the Processing Times for The Global Talent Visa?
There is no definitive time scale for the Australian Global Talent visa or EOI processing. For instance, the Expression of Interest is processed in as little as one to two months for some applicants. On the other end of the spectrum, some applicants have to wait eight to eleven months for their EOI to be processed.
Generally, the better and more refined your application is and the more obvious your talent is and is presented, the faster the application processing will be. Obviously a good registered migration agent experienced at these sorts of applications can be very helpful here (just saying).
In all, GTI visas get priority processing and are among the fastest pathways to Australian permanent residency. Many people wait for years for their visa applications under other visa streams and global talent visa holders have been able to enter Australia even during the COVID border restrictions.
How Much are the Australian Global Talent visa application fees?
The Global talent visa application fees you pay the Department are:
– AUD $4,180 for the main applicant
– AUD $2,095 for every dependent over the age of 18 years eg your partner
– AUD $1,045 for every dependent younger than the age of 18 years.
What Are the Benefits of The Global Talent Independent Visa?
There are numerous benefits to the GTI visa. Among the most notable benefits include:
#1. Once you get the visa, you become a permanent resident and can travel freely in and out of Australia freely for as long as you like.
#2. You do not need an employer to sponsor you with a job to apply and receive the visa.
#3. The permanent residency you get with this visa gives you a pathway to Australian citizenship after 4 years.
#4. You may enrol in Australia’s public health care program, and your children can enrol to free state schools.
What Are the Common Mistakes When Applying for A GTI Visa?
Submitting incomplete applications is one of the leading causes of failure. You should bear in mind that the Global Talent Independent Visa is a highly competitive scheme. Consequently, you should submit supporting documents that really illustrate your achievements while filing the EOI. Your goal should be to create the very best first impression.
What do I do next to apply for a Global talent visa?
Get in touch if you have any questions about making a Global Talent visa expression of interest or visa application – we have helped many applicants get their visa through quickly and with minimal stress, even where they were worried as to whether they qualified or not.
You can schedule a call directly with our Global Talent visa specialist, Paula McGeown to find out if you are eligible and what you need to do for an application to succeed. Otherwise, fill in the contact form below and send us your CV for an initial assessment.
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