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What will happen to the Global Talent Visa?

The Australian Federal Government released the federal budget on 14 May 2024. The Budget reflects the Federal Government’s plan to reform Australia’s migration system as outlined in the Migration Strategy and will introduce changes to the skilled visa programs including the Global Talent Visa.

What does this mean for the Global Talent Visa?

It was announced that the Global Talent Visa (subclass 858)  will be discontinued and will be replaced by a new visa called the National Innovation Visa.

What is this National Innovation Visa?

The National Innovation Visa is said to be designed to attract exceptionally talented migrants and replace the Global Talent visa and the Business Innovation and Investment visa.  This new visa will provide a permanent visa pathway for the most exceptional talented migrants – such as high performing entrepreneurs, major investors and global researchers.

When will this take effect?

The Government announced that the change will be implemented from late 2024.

What will happen to the Global Talent Visa already lodged?

Transition arrangements will be in place and the Department will ensure that applicants including existing Global Talent visa applicants are supported in the application process. Existing Global Talent Visa applicants will not be adversely affected by the transition and will be assessed against the eligibility requirements/criteria applicable at the time of their application.

What will happen to the pending Expressions of Interest?

We do not have the details or confirmation yet, but we suspect that the EOIs that are undecided or that have not been finalized when the change is implemented will expire.

We suggest that those interested in applying for the Global Talent Visa- Invited pathway, should submit their EOIs as soon as they can so there is a greater chance that the EOI is decided before the Global Talent Visa is discontinued.

What if I already have received a successful EOI and have not applied for the visa yet? What will happen to my invitation?

We do not have official confirmation yet as to what will happen to the unused EOI invitations however, it is likely that the invitations will expire, and we suggest that potential applicants who had received the invitation should lodge their application as soon as they can.

What is the allocation for the Global Talent Visa for 2024/2025 Financial Year?

The Federal Budget also provides for the Migration Planning Levels. For the next financial year, 2024/2025, the number of places allocated for the Global Talent Visa has decreased to 4,000 places compared to 5,000 for the 2023/2024 financial year.

Will the new National Innovation Visa have a separate allocation from the Global Talent?

No, the National Innovation Visas granted in the 2024/2025 financial year will be counted towards the Global Talent Visa Program allocation.

What are the eligibility criteria for the new National Innovation Visa?

We do not have the details about the eligibility criteria for the new National Innovation Visa however, the Migration Review recommended that the requirement of having a nomination may be removed. Again, this is just a recommendation by the Review Panel and we will not know the criteria until the legislation and the corresponding regulations are passed.

Sources:

Department of Home Affairs website - Migration Program planning levels < https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/migration-program-planning-levels >

Budget 2024-25 website-  https://budget.gov.au/content/documents.htm

Migration Strategy - https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/programs-subsite/migration-strategy/Documents/migration-strategy.pdf

If you want to check if you are eligible for the Global Talent Visa, you can use our free Global Talent Assessment Tool.

How can Work Visa Lawyers help?

Work Visa Lawyers can help you with all steps in the Global Talent visa application process, including with applications for nomination from the ACS.

Our team of experienced Immigration Lawyers and Migration Agents look forward to assisting you with your Australian visa or appeal.

Contact us on (+61) 08 8351 9956 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Book an appointment with one of our experienced Immigration Lawyers and Registered Migration Agents here.

The Australian Government announced that it will close the Global Talent Visa in late 2024 and replace it with the new National Innovation Visa. Follow this link for more details about the National Innovation Visa.

Opportunity for you in the Global Talent Visa:

We’ve been working actively with the Global Talent Visa since it was introduced in November 2019. There have been quite a few changes in relation to the Department of Home Affairs' approach to the Expression of Interest and the Global Talent overall priority. It is no longer the top priority, which has gone to Nurses and Teachers through Direction 100.

The Global Talent Visa is taking longer, but there are still plenty of success stories. It is still a good option for those looking to go straight to Australian PR without needing to do a Skills Assessment, especially for those who are over 45 years old. 

I want to give you an update on what’s been happening lately.

Read more about the Global Talent Visa

Expressions of Interest:

Expression of Interest is the toughest of the two stages. The need to demonstrate prominence and achievements in your field and earning capacity of at least the FWHIT currently AUD 167,500 are centrally important.

Some Expressions of Interest still receive priority; for example, we recently got priority for our client whose professional experience is in the area of education.

However, fewer priorities are being given, and overall, you would expect the Expression of Interest stage to take 6 to 12 months.

The Australian Government announced that it will close the Global Talent Visa in late 2024 and replace it with the new National Innovation Visa. Follow this link for more details about the National Innovation Visa.

Since the Federal Labor government came into power in May 2022, there had been a number of concerns raised in relation to the future of the Global Talent Visa (subclass 858). However, based on the recently released Review of the Migration System and the speech of the Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Claire O’ Neil MP, it seems that the Global Talent Visa still has a place in Australia’s migration system and the this visa still has a bright future.

The concerns about the future of the Global Talent Visa came about when the Australian government significantly decreased the allocations for this visa from 15,000 places to just 5,000 places. The visa also got de-prioritised and the Global Talent Attraction Officers’ roles had been changed which resulted to the significant slowing down of the processing of the Global Talent visa Expressions of Interest (EOIs) and of the visa applications. Before this visa got de-prioritised, some EOIs was being processed in about 2 days to about 1 month and the visa granted within a month (or less) depending on the health and character checks.  It now takes 4-6 months for prioritized EOIs to get a response and about 7 months for Global Talent Visa applications to be decided.

Some even feared that the Global Talent visa will be abolished because of the perceived government attitude towards the Global Talent Visa and their preference for employer sponsored visas, independent skilled and regional visas.

However, based on the report and the Minister’s speech, the Global Talent Visa will still be a good option for those high-performing, specialized highly skilled, highly paid professionals who have the skills, talents and innovative spirit that Australia wants and needs to create jobs, help the economy, raise Australia’s technical and academic standards, and its competitiveness in the global market and contribute to Australia’s growth.

Get to know more:

• Government Updates

• Number of allocations 2022/2023

• What is the Global Talent Visa in Australia?

• Target sectors for the Global Talent Visa

How can Work Visa Lawyers help?

If you are interested in the Global Talent Visa or needs help with this visa, Work Visa Lawyers can assist you.

Work Visa Lawyers is highly experienced in all parts of the Global Talent visa application process. We are able to assist with all aspects of the application, and can also provide advice in relation to:

• your eligibility for a Global Talent Visa
• documents to demonstrate your skills and ability to attract the FWHIT salary

Work Visa Lawyers will provide an eligibility assessment before advising you to proceed with a visa application.

Our team of experienced Immigration Lawyers and Migration Agents look forward to assisting you with your Global Talent EOI, visa application or appeal.

Based in Adelaide South Australia, we provide Australian Immigration advice to people and businesses from all over the world.

You can book an appointment online  or call us at (+61) 8 8351 9956.

This article is not intended to be or taken as migration legal advice. The author of this article disclaims any liability for any action or omission on the information provided or not provided in this article. You should always consult an immigration lawyer or a registered migration agent (like Work Visa Lawyers) to form an informed opinion on your immigration matter.

In the last year there's been significant negative press and uncertainty about the Global Talent visa and the significant investor visa. The significant investor visa or SIV is a visa that requires a $5 million investment into a complying investment fund.

There was a statement from Minister of Home Affairs Claire O'Neill in 2020 to casting doubt into the future of the investment visa.

The Global Talent isa is a visa stream of the 858, which requires applicants to have expertise in a relevant sector and to have a salary above the Fair Work high income threshold.

There were articles criticizing the integrity of the global talent visa in 2022, so it's a little surprising that there are some positive comments about both in the review.

This is what the review says about the significant investor visa recommendation number eight.

Reconsider the size and role of the Business Innovation and Investment program, noting more positive outcomes from the significant investor visa. Based on this, I would expect a lower overall allocation for the 188. Perhaps even a closing of the 188A or business innovation stream.

But for the significant investor visa to survive and receive allocations.

Recommendation ten.

Consider changes to the existing global talent visa to improve the clarity in the selection criteria and remove the need for a nominator.

Based on this, there may be more specific criteria added to the Global Talent Visa.

The current nomination process is likely to be cut. Changing the nomination process is a good idea. Nomination often proved to be a barrier to applicants that did not personally know an Australian citizen or PR holder. The report makes 31 references to highly skilled migrants. While global talent is not the only way to secure highly skilled migrants. I feel stuck in the global talent visa has risen.

Another way to secure highly skilled migrants is through the points system.

The report looks to refine the points system to better target highly skilled migrants.

So where to from here?

A new migration program year begins very soon. From the 1st of July 2023. There is not enough time to make large legislative and regulatory changes before the 1st of July 2023. What's more likely is that the current visa categories will be managed with different allocation levels.

This will give more time for substantial changes in 2024

So that's the report on the future of the global talent visa and the significant investor visa.

Do you want to know more?

• Business/Investment Migration | Business Visas
• Global Talent Visa

Do you need help?

Our team of experience Immigration Lawyers and Migration Agents look forward to assisting you with your Australian visa or appeal.

Based in Adelaide South Australia, we provide Australian Immigration advice to people and businesses from all over the world.

The Australian Government announced that it will close the Global Talent Visa in late 2024 and replace it with the new National Innovation Visa. Follow this link for more details about the National Innovation Visa.

GLOBAL TALENT VISA – Opportunities remains

All you need to know about Global Talent Visa is on this page: CLICK HERE

Immigration changes

Since the Australian Federal Labor government came into office last May 2022, they have announced a few changes to Australian Immigration law policy including changes to the Global Talent Visa.

In September 2022, the Australian Federal Government announced that the allocation for the Global Talent Visa for the 2022-23 Migration Program will be decreased from 15,000 places to 5,000.  We have previously talked about this in our video which you can watch here.

Government Updates

Then in October 2022, the government released Ministerial Direction No. 100 which changes the processing priorities and provided for the prioritisation of healthcare and teaching occupations as well as offshore permanent and provisional applications.  Ministerial Direction 100 also removed the priority given to the Global Talent and Business Innovation and Investment Programs.

Later in the year, the Department of Home Affairs closed the mailboxes for the Global Talent regions and announced that “In line with Australian Government priorities, the Global Talent Officer (GTO) concierge service and Global Talent Expression of Interest (EOI) prioritisation function is no longer available. Departmental Officials (Global Talent Officers) will no longer consider and endorse requests for priority processing of an EOI from individuals or agents on behalf of individuals for the Global Talent (subclass 858) visa.”

This means that the EOI candidates are no longer able to request for the support of the GTO to have their EOIs prioritised. Before this change, with the support of a GTO we were able to get successful EOI results for our high calibre clients in as little as 2 business days.  EOIs that were prioritized were decided in 1-3 months’ time. Now EOIs are assessed in order of receipt, however, Hong Kong nationals and residents and candidates of extremely high calibre may still receive priority assessment.

Last February 2023, the Department of Home Affairs provided information to the migration profession in relation to the change in the role of the Departmental officers or representatives. The Global Talent Officers’ role had been changed and they are now referred to as Global Skills Attraction Officers to reflect the new focus, service and functions.

Generally, Global Skills Attraction Officers are tasked to “attract overseas skilled migrants through the permanent Migration Program to help fill critical skill shortages in Australia.” And their role is “largely promotional”.  This

The Global Talent Taskforce website had also been changed and it is now Global Australia and, while still aiming to attract the best and brightest talents, is now more about attracting investments to Australia. The information about the Global Talent Program has been largely removed from the website.

Priorities

This shows the Australian government’s shift in priorities or focus, that is, that they prefer to attract overseas skilled migrants through the General Skilled Migration which includes subclasses 189, 190 and the employer sponsored visas. In line with this, the government had increased the allocations across these skilled visas. And in December 2022 extended 35,000 sc-189 invitations.

Opportunities Skills remains for the Global Talent Visa

The Global Talent Visa though would still be a good visa option for high performing individuals especially for those over 45 years old. It would also be attractive for those whose professions are not listed in the skilled occupations list, for those who do not want to or cannot get a skills assessment for their occupation and for those who do not have at least “competent English skill” required for most skilled visa as the Global Talent Visa only requires functional English.

If you are interested or if you want to check if you meet the criteria for the Global Talent Visa, you can take our free GTV assessment here

How can Work Visa Lawyers help?

Work Visa Lawyers is highly experienced in all parts of the Global Talent visa application process. We are able to assist with all aspects of the application, and can also provide advice in relation to:

• your eligibility for a Global Talent Visa
• documents to demonstrate your skills and ability to attract salary

Work Visa Lawyers will provide an eligibility assessment before advising you to proceed with a visa application.

Our team of experienced Immigration Lawyers and Migration Agents look forward to assisting you with your Australian visa or appeal.

Based in Adelaide South Australia, we provide Australian Immigration advice to people and businesses from all over the world.

SOURCES:

Department of Home Affairs, Migration Program planning levels, https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/migration-program-planning-levels

Department of Home Affairs, Skilled visa processing priorities, https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/news-media/archive/article?itemId=973

Department of Home Affairs website, SkillSelect, Invitation rounds https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skillselect/invitation-rounds

Global Australia website - https://www.globalaustralia.gov.au/

Want to know what the skills summit outcomes affect the future of Australian Migration settings - read this>>

This is for someone who does not know about the Global talent visa in Australia.

Basically, this is the fast-tracked permanent residency pathway for highly skilled and talented people in the world with significant achievement in Australia’s target sectors.

There are about 10 target sectors listed for the GTI program Australia.

There is no specific occupation required for being eligible for the Global Talent Visa program.

Within the scope of this writing, we only mention the latest update that we have received on the media or during our visa application process.

Updates on Offshore applicants as the highest priority for Global Talent Visa Program

In a bid to “fix” the immigration system and address the skill shortage, the Australian government announced that it will be making some changes in the processing the Global Talent Visa.

One change that was flagged by the Home Affairs Minister, Ms. Clare O’Neil in an interview with the Australian Financial Review is the Global Talent Visa program.

Minister O’Neil said that the only candidates that would be considered are those located offshore.

With the explanation that onshore applicants may be able to find other pathways for Australian PR.

The government would like to focus more on recruiting talent worldwide.

Last program year has seen a more than 70% of GTI visas were granted to ONSHORE applicants.

However, to date, there are still no legislative, regulatory, or policy changes nor new Ministerial Directions to this effect.

We have been advised that the Global Talent Visa EOIs continue to be processed in submission order.

According to the Global Talent Visa program officers: “Government is currently revising Ministerial directions to give priority to applicants for a permanent visa where the applicant is offshore, including within the Global Talent program. This will enable more workers to enter Australia more quickly, contribute to the labor market and ease labor shortages.”

This is appropriate because most Global talent visa applicants in Australia have secured their own stable jobs.

Granting those onshore workers will not help deal with the labor shortages the country is facing.

So, for now at least, pending any policy changes, EOIs from onshore applicants are still being accepted and processed.

Global Talent Visa priority assessment order

EOIs for the Global Talent visas are usually assessed in order of receipt but some EOIs receive priority assessment. these are:

1. Those that have the confirmed support of a Global Talent Officer
2. The EOIs from Hong Kong nationals and residents
3. Candidates of extremely high calibre including those who meet the high-income threshold.

Those EOIs that clearly do not meet the criteria for the Global Talent Visa may receive an early unsuccessful notification.

Global Talent Visa Current processing time

It is advised by the department that they are currently processing EOIs submitted in April 2021. 

With the current skills summit, the government has announced the budget to deal with the backlog.

In fact, our clients have received good turnaround time recently.

We expect that in the near future, the Global Talent Visa processing time will be decreased further.

Removal of EOI invitation expiry

One recent significant change in the Global Talent Visa program is the removal of the EOI invitation expiry.

Prior to this, EOI invitations are only valid for 12 months.

That means those who got the invitation to apply for the Global Talent Visa have 12 months to apply for the visa.

If you want to check your eligibility for the Global talent program, you can use our free Global Talent Assessment Tool

ACS NOMINATION FOR GLOBAL TALENT VISA OVERVIEW

The one stumbling block for a lot of potential Global Talent Visa applicants is getting a nominator. While they may have internationally recognised achievements and are prominent in their fields, they cannot find anybody who can or will nominate them.

The nominator for a Global Talent Visa must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident or an Australian organization and MUST have a ‘national reputation’ in the same sector as the applicant.

One of the organizations that have been recognized by the Department of Home Affairs to have a national reputation and that can provide nominations to eligible applicants for the Global Talent Visa is the Australian Computer Society (ACS).

ACS is the skill assessing authority for most IT skilled workers who want to get skill assessments for the Skilled Migration Program (Visa 491, 190 and 189) or Employer-Sponsored Program (TSS 482 Visa, Visa 186…)

ACS is listed in the top 10 nominators of 2021 for Global Talent Visa program since this is one of the first choices for technological talents to sign up for their nominator.

We have previously discussed the process of applying for an ACS nomination back in June 2020. However, the ACS nomination process had changed since then.

For other programs, you only need to meet the criteria of each streams you are aiming toward and apply for the visa. As long as you provide all supporting documents required by the Department of Home Affairs, you will just need to wait for the result.

It is not like that in Global Talent Visa Australia.

Through the process of expressing your interest in the Global Talent Independent program, you have to make sure the documents show your best aspect of your expertise in the Targeted Sectors.

Read our latest Australian Immigration updates here >

During Australia’s border closure and travel restrictions in 2020 to late 2021,

visas such as the Skilled Independent (subclass 189) visa, Skilled Nominated (subclass 190), and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491) were not processed as quickly as the GTV and fewer invitations were extended.

The Global Talent Visa (GTV) on the other hand has gained popularity as it was an attractive option for several skilled and talented individuals because it was designed to be a streamlined pathway to permanent residency for those who are considered as high-calibre, outstanding global talents.

So how would you know whether the Global Talent Visa or another skilled visa is suitable for you?  Below are some of the considerations

Since its introduction, the Global Talent Visa proved to be one of the most popular visas for highly skilled individuals wanting to come to Australia.  When it was first introduced, the Australian Government allocated 5,000 places for the program, for this financial year (2021-2022), there are now 15,000 places under this program and will be reducing to approx 8,500 in 2022-23 program year. 

Information page for Global Talent Visa >

It even became more popular when Australia imposed the border and travel restrictions because the Global Talent visa holders were not subject to the inbound travel restrictions because it is a permanent resident visa.

Because of its popularity, the Expression of Interest (EOI) process to get an invitation to apply for the Global Talent Visa is very competitive (read full blog about the current application numbers here) and the processing time could be longer than expected. The current processing time for Global Talent Visa post EOI lodgment could be 6-12 months depending on how exceptionally talented the applicants are.

However, the Department of Home Affairs in its September 2021 ​​Skilled visa newsletters ​​noted that they received many EOIs that are not within the scope of the program.  The number of EOIs received would necessarily increase the Department’s workload and therefore delay the processing.

Considering the competitiveness of the global talent visa program, what do you need to do to make your EOI stand out and/or to increase your chances of getting an invitation?

In General, visa applicants are required to meet the following 4 core requirements to be able to apply for a Global Talent visa: Target sectors, Salary above the income threshold, internationally recognized for outstanding achievement and qualified Australian nominator

If you are still unsure about your eligibility, please take our free GTV assessment here!

Take Free GTV Assessment

Overview of the current Global Talent Visa program

The Global Talent visa is aimed to target high achievers in the following 10 target or priority sectors:

• Resources
• Agri-food and AgTech
• Energy
• Health Industries
• Defence, Advanced Manufacturing and Space
• Circular Economy
• DigiTech
• Infrastructure and Tourism
• Financial Services and FinTech and
• Education

However, some sectors are more popular than others.

According to the figures released by the Department of Home Affairs, around this time last year, there were 920 Expressions of Interest (EOIs) submitted to the Department in February 2021. The sectors with the most number of EOIs submitted are:

1. Digitech with 275 EOIs;
2. Health industries with 177;
3. Energy and Mining Technology with 112;
4. Financial services and Fintech with 108; and
5. Agri-Food and Agtech with 65.