The Department of Home Affairs (DOHA) will extend invitations to apply for a National Innovation Visa in the following priority order, with priority one being the highest:

Priority one	Exceptional candidates from any sector who are global experts and recipients of international ‘top of field’ level awards.
Priority two	Candidates from any sector nominated on an approved Form 1000 by an expert Australian Commonwealth, State or Territory Government agency.
Priority three	Candidates with exceptional and outstanding achievements in a Tier One sector: Critical Technologies Health Industries Renewables and low emission technologies
Priority four	Candidates with exceptional and outstanding achievements in a Tier Two sector: Agri-food and AgTech Defence Capabilities and Space Education Financial Services and FinTech Infrastructure and Transport Resources

Invitation and visa application priority processing matrix:

Since the program commenced, more than 9000 Expressions of Interest (EOI) have been submitted, with 304 invitations issued and approximately 85 visas granted.

Priority 1 and 2 candidates are invited as soon as they are identified, while Priority 3 and 4 candidates are invited monthly.

Applicants must have an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement

The National Innovation Visa requires that the applicant has an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in one of the following areas (as defined in accordance with their ordinary dictionary meaning):

• a profession (refers to ‘a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science’);
• a sport (refers to ‘an activity involving physical exertion and skill, in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment’);
• the arts (refers to ‘the theoretical or physical expression of creativity found in human cultures and societies. Major constituents of the arts include visual arts, literature, and performance arts’);
• academia and research (refers to ‘scholarly and systematic inquiry into a subject to discover facts or principles’).

The applicant must also demonstrate that they:

• are still a prominent participant in their field;
• would be an asset to the Australian community;
• would have no difficulty in obtaining employment, or in becoming established independently, in their field and in Australia;
• have produced a completed Form 1000 in which an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, eligible New Zealand citizen or Australian organisation with a national reputation in a related field has attested to the applicant’s record of achievement; and
• if they are not aged between 18-54, that they would also be of ‘exceptional benefit’ to the Australian community as defined above

If DOHA have doubts about the applicant’s international recognition or level of achievements, they may seek further information and supporting evidence from the applicant or nominator.

Definition of ‘international recognition’

According to DOHA policy, ‘internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement’ means that a person’s achievements have been, or would be, acclaimed as exceptional and outstanding in any country.

An achievement that may attract national acclaim would be considered ‘internationally recognised’ if that achievement is in a field also practised in other countries and has attracted, or would attract, similar acclaim in those countries.

Assessing international recognition

In determining the international standing of the applicant within a field of note, DOHA would consider their standing as it compares to the overall international standard in that field.

For example, an applicant rated at or near the top of their field in their home country would be considered to have an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement if:

• the field is actively pursued and recognised in a number of countries; and
• their achievements would be similarly recognised according to Australian and/or wider international standards in that field

Examples of scenarios where an applicant would likely meet the ‘internationally recognised’ threshold are:

• an individual currently holding a senior position in a highly competitive ‘international organisation’
  • any organisation with an internationally renowned reputation would be considered to be an ‘international organisation’
  • senior positions are generally considered to be at or above the level of, for example, a senior academic (such as a professor), or a senior executive (such as a CEO or Vice President).
• an individual with an established track record of previously holding senior positions in organisations in a number of countries;
• an individual who has completed major international projects that have had a wide reaching impact, for example:
  • a pharmaceutical executive who has led projects and as a result, successfully accelerated the clinical trial process to achieve a medical outcome with a significant impact on wider public health;
  • a senior software engineer who has successfully led the innovation and implementation of a novel product with market disrupting qualities, positively impacting productivity within their industry;
  • an academic whose research is internationally lauded or has global applications e.g.
    • a scientist involved in genomic sequencing, whose work has benefits for international pandemic control;
    • a computer scientist whose pioneering research has been recognised with an international award for enduring impacts on the computing industry.
• a professional athlete whose performance is internationally recognised through success in competing at major national or international events.
• an internationally acclaimed creative artist with a sustained record of well-recognised work.

When assessing the international standing of degree qualifications and research, DOHA would consider:

• the standing of the qualification when compared to Australian tertiary education quality standards.
• the standing of the research activities undertaken in comparison to the international standard, including consideration of any existing collaborations with world-ranking research centres, scientists, government and industry leaders.

In determining whether an overseas-obtained qualification is equivalent to Australian standards, DOHA will make reference to the resources of Australia’s Department of Education, Skills and Employment, including Country Education Profiles and the Australian Qualifications Framework.

Definitions of ‘record’, ‘exceptional’ and ‘outstanding achievement’

The terms ‘exceptional’ and ‘outstanding achievement’ are not defined in the Regulations. Therefore, the ordinary dictionary meaning of the words apply.

Therefore, exceptional and outstanding achievement is considered to mean the act of accomplishing something extraordinary that places the individual above the average. Individuals with an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement are usually those who are leaders in their particular field.

It is anticipated that an applicant would generally have a record of sustained and multiple achievement. However, a single achievement by an applicant may still be regarded as a record of ‘exceptional and outstanding’ achievement if that achievement is ‘cutting-edge’ and highly innovative in nature.

Assessing ‘exceptional and outstanding achievement’

In assessing the applicant’s record of achievement, DOHA would take into account information such as:

• information provided by an accepted nominator who has a national reputation relating to the applicant’s area of claimed achievement. This may include a full account of the reasons why the nominator believes the applicant has an exceptional and outstanding record of achievement.
• supporting statements and material provided by the applicant detailing relevant aspects of their record of achievement, including their qualifications, awards, and professional or academic positions held. This could include information relating to achievements both in Australia and overseas.
• supporting statements from internationally recognised individuals or organisations in the applicant’s claimed area of achievement, who are themselves sufficiently qualified to comment on the applicant’s achievements and the applicant’s reputation in their field.
• prestigious and internationally-recognised awards received from suitably highly-regarded institutions or organisations.

Academia and research

• If the applicant’s area of achievement is in the area of academia and research, evidence of exceptional and outstanding achievements may include:
  • reports commissioned.
  • books published.
  • articles published in refereed journals with a strong reputation, high Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and high standard of peer-review as reflected by the prestige of the journal.
  • prestigious and internationally-recognised awards received.
  • recognition by peers (including an exceptional record of citations in journals).
  • statements of achievement from government, professional, scientific or other relevant bodies.
  • honours and accolades e.g. a Nobel Prize; an award from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), an award from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC)
  • professional designation such as Professor, PhD, or M.D. (Doctor of Medicine), or other high-level credentials attesting to specific competence, learning or skills.
  • membership of international groups and organisations associated with the area of learning.
  • evidence of government/private grants associated with the applicant’s research.
  • evidence of receiving a fellowship or an honorary appointment such as Professor or Associate Professor in one or more highly regarded educational institutions that specialises in the same field.
  • academic qualifications associated with the applicant’s area of expertise that are equivalent to Australian standards, as set out in the Australian Qualifications Framework.
  • a demonstration of the large scale and/or audience of research undertaken or completed.
  • statements from the applicant’s research supervisor (or professor) that the student’s thesis/research has strong prospects of being published.
  • evidence of patents with strong prospects of application and commercialisation.
  • links to any reputable websites that refer to the applicant and what they have done/achieved.

Professions

• If the applicant’s area of achievement is in a particular profession, evidence of exceptional and outstanding professional achievement could include:
  • prestigious national and international industry awards and accolades.
  • references from current and past employers.
  • statements from prominent business and industry peers.
  • academic degrees or professional designations associated with the applicant’s profession.
  • personal/professional titles (such as CEO, Director, Department Head and Professor) indicating an earned, senior rank or position in an internationally recognised organisation.
  • newspaper and magazine articles attesting to achievements and/or awards.
  • links to any reputable websites that refer to the applicant and what they have achieved.

Sport

• If the applicant’s area of achievement is in a sporting discipline, evidence of exceptional and outstanding international sporting achievements could include:
  • national and international rankings.
  • membership of national sporting teams.
  • results in international competitions or tournaments.
  • statements from international sporting bodies.
  • sporting scholarships received.
  • newspaper and magazine articles attesting to the applicant’s achievements.
  • links to any reputable websites that refer to the applicant’s sporting achievements.

The arts

• If the applicant’s area of achievement is in the arts, evidence of exceptional and outstanding artistic achievements could include:
  • books published.
  • national and international sales achieved.
  • awards and commissions received.
  • galleries in which works are displayed.
  • scale and audience of displays or exhibitions held.
  • formal recognition by peers.
  • honours and accolades (for example, Screen Actors Guild Awards, British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, Academy Awards, Nobel Prize in Literature).
  • academic qualifications associated with the applicant’s area of the arts.
  • statements from national and international artistic bodies.
  • newspaper and magazine articles attesting to the applicant’s achievements.
  • links to any reputable websites that refer to the applicant’s artistic achievements.

While it is open to DOHA to accept a single strong achievement as evidence of an applicant meeting the criteria (for example, winning a Nobel Prize or Olympic Medal), it is generally expected that an individual who is exceptional and outstanding would be able to provide evidence of a track record of achievements, such as those listed in the above examples.

When evaluating an application for a National Innovation Visa, DOHA may use the internet to source additional material and as a method of confirming the accuracy of any claims made. DOHA would only consider information that is relevant, credible and significant. When sourcing information, DOHA would be required to consider their obligations under the Privacy Act 1988. Any adverse or conflicting information obtained from internet sources that is relevant to the decision would be put to the applicant for comment, in writing, in compliance with section 57 of the Act.

Related:

What is “internationally recognised achievement” as it relates to the Global Talent Visa?