Australian Global Talent Visa GTI: Eligibility, Nominator and Application Process Explained
Are you a highly skilled professional who wants to live and work in Australia? If so, you might be interested in the Australian Global Talent Visa (GTI Subclass 858), a permanent residency visa that can fast-track your migration goal. In the following, we will explain the eligibility requirements, target sectors, seeking an eligible nominator, the application process and share some of the successful cases of our GTI clients.
Eligibility requirements
To be eligible for the Global Talent Visa, you must meet the following eligibility criteria :
- You must have an internationally recognised record of outstanding achievement in one of the target sectors (see below).
- You must be prominent in your field of expertise and still be active in your field.
- You must currently earn or demonstrate the ability to attract a salary at or above the Fair Work high income threshold (currently AUD 162K per year; to be reviewed in July every year).
- You must have a nominator who has a national reputation in your area of expertise. Your nominator must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, eligible New Zealand citizen or an Australian organisation.
- You must meet health and character requirements.
Unlike the skilled visa program, there is no point test for the GTI visa.
There are also no set requirements for education qualification and number of years of professional experience. However, demonstrating these will help strengthen your claim of being prominent in your field and your potential to contribute to the Australian economy.
Age limit for GTI visas
Similar to the age requirements for Australian skilled visas, there is an age limit for applying for a Global Talent visa. Usually, you must be between 18 to 55 years old to be eligible for a GTI Visa. However, if you are under 18 or over 55, you may be eligible for an age requirement waiver if you can demonstrate exceptional achievements and ongoing prominence in your target sector, as well as ongoing contributions to Australia.
English language requirements for GTI visas
Unlike the set English requirements for skilled visa program, you do not need to demonstrate Competent English (IELTS 6.0 or equivalent) to be eligible for GTI. If you cannot demonstrate Functional English (IELTS 4.5 or equivalent) after DoHA accessed your application and before visa grant, a second installment of visa application cost is payable.
GTI Visa Target Sectors
The Global Talent Visa is open to applicants who have expertise in one of the following ten future-focused sectors :
- Resources
- Agri-food and AgTech
- Energy
- Health industries
- Defence, advanced manufacturing and space
- Circular economy
- Digitech
- Infrastructure and tourism
- Financial services and FinTech
- Education
These sectors are aligned with Australia’s priority industries and areas of competitive strength.
The Department lists some examples of who they would consider as strong candidates for each target sector on their website here.
Medical professionals are eligible for Global Talent Visas if they can demonstrate cutting-edge ideas, national reputation and exceptional contributions to the industry. Alternatively, medical professionals can consider their visa options for one of the skilled visa pathways.
Types of evidentiary documents to demonstrate your outstanding achievements
The following lists some of the supporting documents we gather from our GTI clients to help to substantiate their claims of international recognition and outstanding achievements:
- National and international awards and accolades
- Patents, trademarks, publications, copyrights and other intellectual property held.
- Grants received
- Media interviews and web mentions
- Presentation & public speaking opportunities
- Evidence of thought-leadership e.g. project plans, pitch deck & industry mentoring.
- Performance reports (P&L/ KPI reports) & business plans associated with your previous start-ups (if applicable)
- Publications and citations for academics
- Collaboration and/or joint ventures with high-profile global peers
- Reference letters from industry peers
- Involvement and contributions to your industry bodies
Finding an eligible GTI nominator
One of the key requirements for the Global Talent Visa is to have a nominator who can vouch for your achievements and suitability for the visa. Your nominator must have a national reputation in your area of expertise and be either an Australian citizen, permanent resident, eligible New Zealand citizen or an Australian organisation.
You can find a nominator through your own professional networks or by contacting relevant industry bodies, peak organisations or universities in Australia. You can also use online platforms such as LinkedIn to connect with potential nominators. Unfortunately, you cannot lodge an Express of Interest (EOI) with the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) without an eligible nominator.
Industry bodies that provide GTI nominations include Engineers Australia (EA), Australian Computer Society (ACS) and Institute of Managers and Leaders (IML). Make sure you check their assessment criteria and process before applying for their GTI nomination. Providing strong supporting documents to verify your achievements at the time of lodgement will help speed up the assessment process. A non-refundable assessment fee is payable before they commence your assessment.
Obtaining a nomination from one of these industry bodies does not guarantee that you will receive an invitation from DoHA to apply for a GTI visa as these industry bodies make their own individual assessment. Similarly, if you are unsuccessful in obtaining a nomination from your industry bodies, you may try to explore your own professional network for an individual to act as your nominator.
Your nominator will need to complete a Nomination for Global Talent – Form 1000 and provide a statement explaining why they are nominating you and how you meet the eligibility criteria for the visa. They will also need to provide their resume to verify their achievements in the same field of expertise as yourself.
It is not a requirement that you have worked extensively with your nominator. However, it is important to note that making any false or misleading statement by any parties during your visa application process will have serious consequences, and may lead to cancellation of your visas even after grant.
How to apply for a GTI visa Application process
The application process for the GTI visa consists of the following:
- Seek nomination (contact Miet Migration to assist you if an Australian professional body can nominate i.e. EA or ACS)
- Obtain a completed nomination form from your nominator
- Submit an Express of Interest (EOI) application to the Department (DoHA)
- Receive an invitation to apply for the visa if accessed as eligible
- Submit a visa application with all supporting evidence to DoHA
- Arrange health and police checks
- Visa application notification
Step 1: How to submit an EOI for GTI Visa
The first step is to submit an EOI using the Global Talent Expression of Interest form on the DoHA website. This is not a visa application but a way to indicate your interest in the program. You will need to provide information about your personal details, field of expertise, achievements, income level and nominator’s details. You will also need to attach supporting documents such as your passport, evidence of qualifications, evidence of income and evidence of achievements. There is no fee for the EOI submission. Similar to skilled visas such as 190, 189 and 491, you will not be able to obtain a Bridging visa by submitting an EOI application onshore while in Australia because EOI submission is not a visa application.
After submitting the EOI via the web form, we usually email the relevant GTI assessment team in the region to request priority processing. With our specialised knowledge and experience in GTI visas, we assist our clients to write succinct and persuasive narrative statements to highlight their exceptional achievements and why they should receive priority processing.
Once your EOI application has been processed, you will receive an email notification with the outcome of your EOI submission. Processing time varies between 2 to 3 months for Hong Kong SAR nationals who automatically receive priority processing, to up to 18 months for all other applicants.
If your EOI is successful, you will receive a unique reference identifier that you can use to apply for the visa. If your EOI is unsuccessful, you will also receive a notification email briefly outlining the reasons why the case officer finds you ineligible.
At this point, if we still think our client is highly eligible, we will review and rewrite the narrative statement and re-submit an EOI. Alternatively, we will explore other visa options.
As an EOI submission is not a visa application, there is no ban on re-submitting your EOI if you are unsuccessful in the first instance. A negative outcome for your GTI EOI application will not adversely affect your eligibility in your future visa application nor your immigration history.
Step 2: How to apply for a GTI visa upon invited
The second step is to apply for the Global Talent Visa via ImmiAccount online You will need to use the unique reference identifier received from your EOI submission. You will also need to provide information about your personal details, migrating and non-migrating family members’ details, health and character declarations. You will also need to attach all supporting documents such as your identification documents, evidence of qualifications, evidence of income, evidence of achievements and nomination form.
You can add members of your family unit to your application at any time before a decision is made. Family members who apply for the visa must also meet health and character requirements.
The visa applications are processed according to the skilled visa processing priorities and annual migration cap. The processing time may vary depending on the complexity of your case, whether it is decision-ready with all required evidentiary documents and the availability of places in the program each year. You can check the global visa processing times on the DoHA website.
Successful GTI Cases
The Global Talent Visa program has attracted many talented individuals from around the world who have contributed to Australia’s innovation and economic growth. At Miet Migration, we have proudly worked with a number of high-profile GTI applicants to successfully obtain their GTI nomination and subsequent visa grant. Here are a few highlights of our successful Global Talent Visa cases:
- Mr Li from Hong Kong SAR who runs a global mobile app development start-up with extensive C-level experience in multi-national digitech companies.
- Ms Chang from Taiwan who works for a leading software engineering firm with cutting-edge ideas and contributions to the IC production industry.
These are just some of the examples of how our team and the Global Talent Visa can help you achieve your migration goals and make a positive impact in your career. If you think you have what it takes, speak to our experienced migration agents who can assess your eligibility for a GTI visa.
At Miet Migration, we have the skills and techniques to prepare compelling submissions with your GTI application that showcase your unique talent and expertise. Being a highly competitive programme with limited visa numbers every year, submitting a persuasive GTI application with a strong narrative statement undoubtedly helps our clients stand out from the crowd.
Book a consultation with one of our Registered Migration Agents at Miet Migration to assess your eligibility and let us help you plan your migration journey.
Disclaimer: Any posted material is not intended to be immigration advice and does not purport to represent all requirements for a successful application or applications. No person should act on the basis of the material contained in any post without obtaining advice relevant to their circumstances, and without considering and taking professional advice.
