Global Talent Visa – your ticket to Australian permanent residency

Are you a Ph.D. graduate or an established researcher? Do you hold a senior position in an international organisation? Or perhaps you are an innovative star with a significant achievement behind you and even a brighter future? This article is for you.

Interestingly, if you read the legislation behind the Global Talent visa you will find that the criteria are quite wide and subject to interpretation.

According to the legislation, an applicant may be eligible for this visa if they have an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in a profession, sport, the arts, or academia and research. The applicant needs to be prominent in the area of their achievement, be an asset to the Australian community, and have no difficulty in obtaining employment or becoming established independently in Australia in their area of achievement.

What did you understand from the above?

What would be considered “internationally”?

What would be regarded as “recognised”?

What would be deemed as an “achievement” and what is the meaning of “exceptional and outstanding”?

Let’s break it down a little further.

Specialty area and target sectors

Global talents may excel in different areas: profession, sport, the arts, or academia and research; but if these exceptional people are after the “Global Talent Independent” program under this visa, they must demonstrate achievements in one or more of the following target sectors:

(1) Resources,

(2) Agri-food and AgTech,

(3) Energy,

(4) Health Industries,

(5) Defence, Advanced Manufacturing and Space,

(6) Circular Economy,

(7) DigiTech,

(8) Infrastructure and Tourism,

(9) Financial Services and FinTech, and

(10) Education.

If the candidate’s area of expertise does not fall under one of the above sectors, they may be eligible for the Global Talent visa under the “distinguished talent” stream if they meet this stream’s criteria.

The process

If you search online, you will find that to apply for the “Global Talent Independent” stream (GTI), you need to first submit an Expression of Interest. However, if you apply under the “Distinguished Talent” stream, you can apply for the visa directly, without submitting an expression of interest (EOI).

Due to the high demand for the GTI program, we strongly believe that exceptional candidates for the GTI should first discuss their case with a registered migration agent and see if they could obtain endorsement for EOI priority allocation. A candidate who is endorsed for priority allocation will have their EOI assessed ahead of others and won’t be subject to the current processing time for EOI which already exceeds 15 months.

If an EOI is accepted, the candidate is then issued with a unique identifier number which allows them to apply for the Global Talent visa under the GTI program. Applicants can apply for this permanent visa in or outside Australia and include family members.

In Open World we believe in maximising chances and submitting complete and compelling applications / EOIs from the beginning. We have a proven workflow that has brought positive results to many of our clients, whose dream to live in Australia came true thanks to our experience and knowledge.

If your field of expertise is not in one of the target sectors, you may be eligible for the distinguished talent program. Bear in mind though that there are currently (as of the 2022-2023 financial year) 8448 spots allocated for the Global Talent Independent stream and only 300 spots allocated for the distinguished talent stream.

Who is a Global Talent?

So far, we have successfully lodged applications under the Global Talent Independent program for fresh Ph.D. graduates as well as for professionals with expertise in a target sector; some of them had many years of work experience and held senior positions in an international organisation, while others had less work experience but already spearheaded innovative solutions in a target sector.

There are many ways to demonstrate how a highly skilled candidate meets the eligibility criteria for the Global Talent visa. Here are some examples:

Showing the candidate is internationally recognised can be done by providing evidence regarding senior positions held in international organisations, or employment in different countries; we can show projects or research that the candidate worked on, and that had a wide reaching impact.

To demonstrate recognised records, we make sure that "Form 1000” is completed properly and provides all required information by an Australian nominator; we provide qualifications by recognised and reputable institutions, copies of awards, statements from highly reputable individuals and organisations in the same field as the applicant, and we explain the candidate’s work experience in detail. If there are media publications about the candidate, we may provide them as well.

Exceptional and outstanding achievements are normally demonstrated by academic qualifications, publications, prestigious awards, titles (e.g. professor, CEO, director), recognition by peers or official organisations, and also public reputation, if relevant.

One indicator to the candidates’ skills, talent and prominence is their income. It is expected that candidates should have the ability to attract a salary at or above the Fair Work high income threshold of AUD162,000. This figure is adjusted annually on 1 July.

Nomination is a must

Unlike employer sponsor nomination, the Global Talent’s nominator does not need to employ the applicant. This nomination is also very different to a state’s nomination under the General Skilled Visas, which requires applicants to meet certain requirements set up by the nominating state.

For the purpose of the Global Talent visa, the term ‘nominator’ describes an Australian individual or organisation who has completed a prescribed form to attest to information in relation to an applicant for a Global Talent visa. The nominator should have a national reputation in the same field as the applicant, and preferably be familiar with the applicant’s achievements based on their professional relationship. Alternatively, if the nominator has no or minimal professional relationship with the applicant, they should conduct appropriate enquiries to verify that the applicant has an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in the same sector as the nominator.

So, you are a Global Talent; what do you get?

Well, here is the good news: if you meet the requirements for the Global Talent Visa under the GTI program, you will be granted a permanent visa which allows you to live and work anywhere in Australia indefinitely. If you wish, you will be able to apply for Australian citizenship when you meet the relevant eligibility criteria.

Your permanent visa is likely to be processed relatively quickly, which in our experience means that you receive an outcome within days from the date you provided all required documents and met all character and health requirements.

In addition to that, you will belong to a growing group of talented immigrants in Australia, and you will be invited by the Department of Home Affairs to attend presentations and join groups on social media. If you are after tax benefits because you are establishing a business in Australia, you may be eligible for that too.