Table of Contents
- What Experience, Qualifications and Achievements Are Relevant?
- What Are the Characteristics of an Australian Nominator?
- Do Nominators Have Any Obligations to the Department of Home Affairs?
- What if I Cannot Find an Australian Nominator?
- When Do I Need a Nominator?
- Am I Eligible if I Hold a Bachelors (Honours) or Masters Degree?
- Health Waivers
- Am I Eligible if I Have Extensive Work Experience In a Target Sector?
- How Long Does It Take to Receive an Invitation?
- How Long Does It Take to Process the Visa Application?
- Do I Need to Have an Australian Employment Offer?
- I Do Not Earn Equivalent or Higher to the FWHIT. Will This be a Problem?
- Key Takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
The Global Talent Visa is an attractive option for many potential candidates. However, is it a simple, fast-tracked process for Australian permanent residency? It involves much less stringent criteria than the other permanent residency options (e.g. subclass 189 or 190). Still, there are many misconceptions surrounding this visa option. It is also an area of constant change. This article lists some of the most frequently asked questions about the global talent visa process.
What Experience, Qualifications and Achievements Are Relevant?
The target sectors were expanded from 17 December 2020.
Target Sector |
Description |
Resources |
|
Agri-food and Agtech |
|
Energy |
|
Health Industries |
|
Defence, Advanced Manufacturing and Space |
Defence
Advanced Manufacturing
Space
|
Circular Economy |
|
Digitech |
|
Infrastructure and Tourism |
Infrastructure Potential or ability to:
Tourism Potential or ability to:
|
Financial Services and Fintech |
|
Education |
|
What Are the Characteristics of an Australian Nominator?
An Australian nominator should be either an:
- Australian citizen;
- Australian permanent resident;
- eligible New Zealand citizen; or
- Australian organisation.
The Australian nominator should also be:
- internationally recognised in the same industry sector as you;
- familiar with your international recognition and achievements; and
- able to attest to those achievements in detail.
Do Nominators Have Any Obligations to the Department of Home Affairs?
Your potential nominator may be concerned that they will be subject to stringent legal obligations or liabilities if they nominate you.
All that is required of the nominator is their willingness to provide their subjective and professional assessment and attest to your:
- record of international recognition and achievements in your specific field of expertise (aligned with one of the target sectors);
- prominence in the field (and provide examples accordingly);
- value as an asset to Australia; and
- chances of obtaining employment or becoming independently established in the relevant field of your specialisation, in their view.
The nominator must be willing to provide accurate information about the above concerning you.
What if I Cannot Find an Australian Nominator?
It is a legislative requirement for the subclass 858 Distinguished Talent Visa to identify an appropriate Australian nominator. If you cannot do so, you will not meet the criteria.
When Do I Need a Nominator?
As explained above, you are required to identify an Australian nominator when submitting your visa application. You should also have a nominator at the time of submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI).
Sponsoring overseas workers as an Australian business is complicated. Let us simplify it for you with this free employer guide.
Am I Eligible if I Hold a Bachelors (Honours) or Masters Degree?
As of 20 January 2021, Master by Coursework, Master by Research and Bachelor (Honours) graduates are no longer eligible for invitation to the GTI program solely based on their qualifications. This policy change affects all future EOI submissions and EOIs made by candidates who had not yet received an invitation by 20 January 2021.
Going forward, applicants who are recent graduates (of the above educational qualifications) must demonstrate the following in addition to their educational achievements. They must:
- be internationally recognised with evidence of outstanding and exceptional achievements;
- still be prominent in their field of expertise;
- provide evidence that they would be an asset to Australia in their field of expertise;
- have no difficulty obtaining employment in Australia or becoming established in their field; and
- have a recognised organisation or individual in Australia endorse them as global talent in the same field as the applicant.
Priority is also given to applicants that can demonstrate:
- there is written communication from an Australian employer offering employment in Australia with an annual salary equivalent to or higher than the Fair Work high-income threshold (FWHIT);
- current earnings in an amount equal to or greater than the FWHIT; or
- that they are likely to attract a salary that is equal to or greater than the FWHIT. Applicants can demonstrate this through current salary, future job offers outlining remuneration, or concrete evidence of realistic earning potential backed up with evidence based on the candidate’s credentials (rather than generic market salary evidence).
Unfortunately, your EOI will not be competitive enough to secure an invitation if you rely solely on being a recent graduate of a Bachelors or Masters in the last three years.
Health Waivers
From 14 November 2020, applicants (and their family members, if they are part of the visa application) who have serious health conditions can apply for a health waiver and receive the subclass 858 Distinguished Talent Visa (whether through the Global Talent Independent Program or otherwise).
You must provide a detailed submission with supporting documentation as part of the visa application (not at the EOI stage) for the Department to assess whether they can exercise a PIC4007 waiver in your favour.
Am I Eligible if I Have Extensive Work Experience In a Target Sector?
Many potential candidates believe that if they can demonstrate extensive work experience in one of the target sectors, that alone will be enough to secure a Global Talent Visa. Unfortunately, it is not so simple.
It is important to consider the key criteria to satisfy, such as:
- proving a record of international recognition and achievements in your specific field of expertise (that aligns with one of the target sectors);
- confirming that you are prominent in the field (and providing examples accordingly);
- describing how you would be an asset to Australia; and
- establishing you would have no difficulty obtaining employment or becoming independently established in the relevant field of your specialisation.
Receiving an invitation to apply for the Global Talent Visa is a very competitive process. As the process and assessment of each EOI is fairly subjective, potential candidates must understand that their work experience alone will not place them in a competitive position over other candidates. Many other candidates will be able to demonstrate significantly more of their international recognition and achievements (from a combination of extensive work experience, awards, published articles, speaking engagements and so on).
How Long Does It Take to Receive an Invitation?
Processing times vary. Due to the demand for the program, expect to wait for one to four months for an invitation.
How Long Does It Take to Process the Visa Application?
Similarly, times vary depending on the application.
Do I Need to Have an Australian Employment Offer?
No, you do not need to have an Australian employment offer. However, priority is given to applicants who can demonstrate that:
- there is written communication from an Australian employer offering employment in Australia with an annual salary equivalent to or higher than the Fair Work high-income threshold (FWHIT);
- current earnings is an amount equal to or greater than the FWHIT; or
- they are likely to attract a salary that is equal to or greater than the FWHIT. Applicants can demonstrate this through current salary, future job offers outlining remuneration, or concrete evidence of realistic earning potential backed up with evidence based on the candidate’s credentials (rather than generic market salary evidence).
I Do Not Earn Equivalent or Higher to the FWHIT. Will This be a Problem?
Not necessarily. See above.
Key Takeaways
If you meet certain criteria, you may be eligible to apply for the Global Talent Visa. If you are considering applying for this visa, our experienced immigration lawyers can assist as part of our LegalVision membership. For a low monthly fee, you will have unlimited access to lawyers to answer your questions and draft and review your documents. Call us today on 1300 544 755 or visit our membership page.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Global Talent Visa is designed to attract highly qualified, experienced and exceptionally talented individuals to live and work in Australia as permanent residents.
Global Talent Visas are issued for a certain number of targeted fields. These were expanded on 17 December 2020.
We appreciate your feedback – your submission has been successfully received.
