Global Talent Visa Questions Answered

Does the Department place a quota on the number of invitations issued per targeted sector?

There is no quota in place per targeted sector, however, individuals who can contribute Australia’s economic growth post-pandemic are highly sought after. These include individuals in MedTech, FinTech and Advanced Manufacturing sector. In the 2019-2020 Migration Program, the break down of grants per targeted sector were as follow:

• Quantum Information, Advanced Digital, Data Science and ICT (28%)
• MedTech (26%)
• Energy and Mining Technology (20%)
• AgTech (9%)
• Space and Advanced Manufacturing (8%)
• FinTech (6%)
• Cybersecurity (3%)

Does the Department place a quota on the number of invitations issued per applicant’s country of origin?

The government allocated 15,000 spots for the GTI program. However, there is no quota in place per countries of origin.

Will the applicant receive an invite if he/she meets all the requirement for the GTI program?

The eligibility criteria for the GTI program can be broken down into a few different sections.

1. The applicant must be highly skilled in one of the seven targeted sectors.
2. The applicant must demonstrate that he/she is internationally recognised and prominent in his/her field of expertise. The applicant must be an asset to Australia and show that he/she has no difficulty obtaining employment in Australia.
3. Have a nominator.
4. The applicant must have the ability to attract a salary of $162,000.

Applicants who can meet the above criteria are encouraged to apply. However, it is also vital to remember that the applicants are ranked against each other meeting the minimum requirement does not guarantee a spot in the GTI Program.

Global Talent Independent changes – Masters and Honours students (from 20 January 2021)

Global Talent Independent program now prevent Masters and Honours students from receiving an invitation, based solely on their academic qualifications.

This policy change affects all future EOI assessments, and applies to EOI submissions made by candidates who have not yet received an invitation to the Global Talent program by 20 January 2021.

EOI candidates who submitted an EOI prior to the policy changes and have not been invited are encouraged to review their eligibility and to consider applying again when they meet the new requirements.

New eligibility requirements:

Applicants must demonstrate that they are highly skilled in one of the target sectors and:

• prove they are 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
• have a recognised organisation or individual in Australia endorse them as global talent, in the same field as the applicant.

Applicants must meet a high standard and show an exceptional track-record of professional and outstanding achievements. This may include senior roles, patents, professional awards, international publications, media articles and international memberships.

Applicants should have the ability to attract a salary at or above the Fair Work high income threshold.

In assessing the applicant the Department considers:

• current salary shown through payslips or a contract, or
• future job offers outlining remuneration, or
• recent PhD graduates and certain PhD students with relevant qualifications in the target sectors.

Is the Department flexible regarding ‘recent graduate’ requirement?

Recent graduates must have an overall grade-point average of 80 (or above) to meet the minimum requirement. This is stated in the policy; thus, it must be met. As such if the applicant GPA is 79, then the applicant would not be eligible.

How does the applicant demonstrate that they can meet the income threshold?

The applicant must show the ability to attract a salary of $162,000. As such, the applicant does not need to prove that he/she is earning the above amount at the time of application. There are different ways an applicant can prove this. Some of them include:

• Job offers which meet the income threshold.
• Suitable job advertisements in Australia that match the applicant’s qualification and experience.
• If the applicant is a recent graduate, they can show evidence of suitable roles in the targeted sector.

Can an applicant holding a BVA apply for the visa?

Applicants who hold a BVA cannot apply for the GTI program as they would not be eligible to apply for the Distinguished Talent Visa. Onshore applicant must hold a substantive visa before submitting the EOI.