The Global Talent Visa | New Industry Sectors and Statistics

Australia, COVID-19, Engineering & Construction Migration, Immigration Articles, Immigration News, Interstaff News, Resource Industry, Uncategorized | 5 May, 2021 |

The Global Talent Visa Sectors and Statistics

The Global Talent Program may appeal to highly skilled individuals because it provides fast-tracked visas with a streamlined path to Permanent Residence.

The program is designed to attract the best and brightest talent from across the world to boost Australia’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

If you head a high-value global business or are an exceptional leader in your field, you could possibly qualify for the Global Talent Visa and secure permanent residence for you and your immediate family members in Australia.

People that are granted a Global Talent Visa can come to Australia as Permanent Residents and therefore would not need to apply for a Travel Exemption.

The Global Talent program is split into two parts – the Global Talent Employer-Sponsored (GTES) Program and the Global Talent Independent (GTI) program and specific salary, international recognition and skills requirements must be met.

Here’s an update on the industry sectors available through the Global Talent Visa plus recent statistics.

Priority Sectors for the Global Talent Independent (GTI) Visa

New Global Talent priority sectors were recently added. The priority sector list now 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, the priority sectors can be expanded to include the below business units as per our infographic.

Source: The Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce

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 they meet the GTI criteria.

The Global Talent Independent (GTI) Visa | Statistics

The below statistics show most Global Talent Visas have been granted for Quantum Information, Advanced Digital, Data Science and ICT sectors followed by MedTech and Energy and Mining Technology.

This is in line with the level of demand. Statistics released by the Department of Home Affairs show that these sectors also received the highest number of Expression of Interests.

You will notice that any new priority sectors added in February 2021 have not been captured in the below graph. It will be interesting to see the grant trends for all priority sectors once these statistics are available.

Source: The Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce

Update on Global Talent Visa Processing

In 2020-21, a total of 15,000 placements were allocated to the GTI, as well as 200 placements for the Distinguished Talent Visa.

It’s worth noting that this allocation includes secondary applicants – for example, any immediate family members added to a person’s Global Talent Visa.

Once the cap has been reached, the program is ceased until the next financial year.

In our experience, there does seem to be a backlog in invitations being issued. It appears the Department of Home Affairs is still reviewing Expressions of Interest that were lodged in 2020.

According to statistics from the Department of Home Affairs:

1,149 GTI Visa applications were on-hand to be processed for a visa refusal grant decision as at 29 January 2021.
The current average processing time for the GTI visa was 90 days as at 29 January 2021.
7,222 GTI Expressions of Interest were under assessment as at 2 February 2021.
Only 4,253 Primary Applicants received an invitation for the GTI as at 2 February 2021.

More about the Global Talent Visa for Highly Skilled Professionals

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.

Eligibility requirements for students and graduates applying for the Global Talent Independent program have recently tightened.

Graduates that have a Bachelor with Honours, Masters by Coursework and Masters by Research can no longer apply for the visa based solely on having achieved a qualification in a priority sector.

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 Global Talent Visa for High-yield Businesses

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

The Government’s Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce is facilitating the relocation of Senior Executives, company staff and their families through the Global Talent program with flexible visa arrangements available.

As of February 2021, the taskforce can directly nominate suitable exceptionally talented candidates for the program who will make a significant contribution to the Australian economy.

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.

To support the Global Talent program, temporary work visa provisions are also available to relocate key staff to Australia to establish the business.

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 ten visas available to relocating businesses.