Global Talent Visa Australia

What is the Global Talent Program?

The Global Talent Program is designed to stimulate innovation and growth in the Australian economy and provides highly skilled migrants access to Permanent Residence. The program was first piloted in 2018 to attract international talent for STEM startups and is now available to other future-focused technology sectors, such as Mining and Energy Technology and AgTech. The Global Talent program is split into two parts – the Global Talent Employer-Sponsored (GTES) Program and the Global Talent Independent (GTI) program.

Each part of the program has a specific salary, international recognition and skills requirements that must be met.

The Global Talent Employer-Sponsored (GTES) Visa Program

Employers can use the GTES program to sponsor overseas workers for highly-skilled niche positions that cannot be filled by Australian workers or other standard visa programs – for example, the Subclass 482 Visa (TSS).

Employers should consider:

• The position must support job creation in Australia and assist in the transfer of skills to Australian workers.

Applicants must earn at or above the Fair Work High-Income threshold – currently AUD $153,600.

Who can use the GTES Program?

The GTES Program has two streams:

• The Established Business Stream allows businesses with Accredited Sponsorship status to access up to 20 positions per year.
• The Startup Streamallows tech-based or STEM field startup businesses to access up to 5 positions per year – they must be endorsed by an independent GTES startup advisory panel.

In both streams, applicants must be:

• Highly skilled with at least 3 years of relevant work experience
• Suitably qualified
• Able to pass on their skills/develop Australians.

Standard visa requirements may be negotiated under an Agreement with the Commonwealth – Subclass 482 and Subclass 186 Visas are processed in the Agreement stream.

The Global Talent Independent (GTI) Program

The Global Talent Independent (GTI) Program provides access to direct PR for highly skilled or talented individuals in industries of future growth.

Several industries that have been recognised by the Government as priority sectors can make use of the Global Talent Program. These priority sectors may change from time to time in response to Australia’s economic needs. The priority sector list currently includes:

• Resources
• Agri-food and AgTech
• Energy
• Health industries
• Defence, advanced manufacturing and space
• Circular economy
• Digitech
• Infrastructure and tourism
• Financial services and FinTech
• Education

According to the Government’s Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce, these priority sectors can be expanded to include the below business units as per our infographic.

Unlike standard employer-sponsored visa programs, individuals applying for the Global Talent Independent (GTI) Visa do not need to qualify under a specific occupation list. Rather, they may be eligible if they have distinguished skills in one of these industry sectors and meet the GTI criteria.

If you have exceptional skills in an eligible sector, you may be able to apply for the program based on your demonstrated ability to:

• Generate several jobs in areas that fill critical supply chain and talent gaps;
• Commercialise your ideas at scale;
• Distinguish yourself in Australia as an innovator or entrepreneur;
• Be recognised internationally as a leader in culture, science, the arts, or commercial enterprise;
• Make a significant economic impact;
• Facilitate connections between industries;
• Share your exceptional new skills and knowledge in Australia.

Students and graduates may also be able to apply for the Global Talent Independent program.

• PhD graduates and students must demonstrate that their PhD meets Australian standards.
• PhD students nearing completion of their degree must demonstrate they have a prior record of exceptional and outstanding professional achievement.

The visa process requires a very high standard of skills and talent. Applicants must:

• Be internationally recognised with exceptional achievements in their field
• Be considered an asset to Australians in their field
• Have continued prominence and have no difficulty obtaining employment in Australia
• Be nominated as a global talent by a recognised organisation or individual in Australia, although the applicant will not need to be employed by the nominator.
• Have the ability to earn at or above the Fair Work High Incomethreshold – currently AUD $153,600.

A person can express their interest in the GTI Program and if invited, can apply through the Subclass 858 Distinguished Talent Visa.

Applicants can apply from within or outside Australia with a provision for a health waiver if required.

The Global Talent Program for High-Yield Businesses

The Global Talent Visa may also be an option for Senior Executives looking to relocate or expand their business to Australia.

Your eligibility to relocate as a Senior Executive will depend on your ability to:

• Facilitate job creation in the Australian market;
• Invest significantly in Australia;
• Boost economic value to Australian society;
• Direct cutting-edge R&D;
• Establish or add to clusters of expertise, particularly for future-focussed industries;
• Strengthen Australia’s economic and supply chain resilience and;
• Co-invest with Australian businesses.

Businesses can fast-track the temporary deployment of critically skilled staff to Australia for up to 18 months to establish a ‘beach-head’ for business relocation.

This visa option may be available through the Temporary Activity visa (subclass 408), Australian Government Endorsed Events stream, and Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery event with up to 10 visas available to relocating businesses.

What can you do on an 858 Global Talent Visa? | Features and Benefits

Once the visa is granted, it allows the visa holders to stay in Australia indefinitely as this is a permanent visa. Therefore, they can live, work and study in Australia, enrol in Australia’s public healthcare scheme, Medicare, sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia, and apply for Australian citizenship if eligible. They can also travel to and from Australia as many times as they like for 5 years from the date the visa is granted and apply for a Resident Return Visa after 5 years if they want to travel after the initial 5-year travel provision (although international travel restrictions may apply due to the pandemic).

Interstaff | Migration to Australia in the COVID-19 Era

If you have any queries about your visa circumstances or options, we encourage you to get in touch with Interstaff’s Registered Migration Agents. We always keep ourselves informed about updates from the Department of Home Affairs so that we can provide accurate information to our clients.
Simply contact Interstaff on +61 8 9221 3388 or 1800 449 858 (Free Call Within Australia). You can also contact us online for more information.