Visas for Innovation
The Australian Government has introduced the Visas for Innovation program to attract exceptionally talented individuals to Australia.
Read more: Visas for innovation (homeaffairs.gov.au)
Global Talent Independent (GTI) Visa - Subclass 858
Global Talent Employer Sponsored program (GTES)
Supporting Innovation in South Australia
General requirements
Health requirements - Meet certain health requirements for all members of your family unit, whether they are migrating or not
Character requirements - Police certification from each country you have lived in for 12 months or more during the past 10 years after you have turned 16 years of age
Not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused
Sign the Australian values statement
No debt to Australian government
Global Talent Independent (GTI) Visa - Subclass 858
The Global Talent Visa Program is a streamlined visa pathway to attract highly skilled professionals to work and live permanently in Australia.
The program initially launched on 4 November 2019, which is to support the economy by introducing innovative skills to high priority industries.
In 2021-2022, there are 15,000 places available under the program.
Individuals who can demonstrate international recognition for outstanding and exceptional achievement and current prominence in these sectors, where they would be an asset to Australia, are encouraged to apply.
Benefits
No age limits
No points test
No asset valuation
Fast, flexible pathway to PR
GTI Requirements
Your field is on the list of target sectors (updated on 17 December 2020):
Resources
Engineering
Geology
Metallurgy
Waste management
Energy saving technology
Extraction and processing
Agri-food and AgTech
Seed technology
Nanomaterials
Biofuels
Supply chain and packaging
Wearable technologies
Energy
Clean energy
Resource robotics
Computational metallurgy
Geostatistics
Beneficiation
Battery/energy storage
Health industries
Medical and biomedical technology
Pharmaceutical and vaccine research and development
IT biochemistry
Digital health
Implantables and wearable devices
Genomics
Defence, advanced manufacturing and space
Astrodynamics
Satellite systems
Rocket and avionics systems
Urban mobility
Military equipment acquisition and sustainment
Automation and robotics
Nano-manufacturing
Sustainable manufacturing and life-cycle engineering
Circular economy
Bioenergy
Sustainable production
Recycling
Waste treatment
Waste to energy technology
Emissions technology
Ecologically sustainable manufacturing
DigiTech
Quantum computing
Cyber sciences
Cyber security
Artificial intelligence
Blockchain, IoT
Big data
Disruptive technology
Smart cities
Machine learning
Network engineering
Cloud computing
Infrastructure and tourism
Travel and tourism infrastructure
Water infrastructure
Energy infrastructure
Regional development
Financial services and FinTech
Neobanking
Payment systems
Wealth and regtech
Blockchain
Education
Cutting edge skills in emerging fields of the industry
Developing advanced educational systems and curricula
Improving the education infrastructure in Australia
Digital data and eResearch platforms
You must be internationally recognised with a record of achievement in:
a profession
a sport
the arts
academia and research
Your achievements must be exceptional and outstanding and be a benefit to Australian society. This means you:
are prominent in your field
have superior abilities to others in your field
are acclaimed as exceptional in any country where your field is practised
have a record of sustained achievement unlikely to diminish in the future
Candidates must meet a high standard and show an exceptional track record of professional achievement. This may include:
senior roles
patents
professional awards
international publications
memberships
You must also participate in a field that:
is recognised and accepted in Australia
has international standing
You must have been prominent in this field in the past 2 years.
You must be nominated to apply for this visa. Your nominator must be:
an Australian citizen
permanent resident
eligible New Zealand citizen, or
an Australian organisation with a national reputation in the same field as you.
Where appropriate, your nomination should come from the peak Australian body in your field.
You can be any age to apply for this visa (If you are under 18 years old, or are 55 years or older when you apply, you must be of exceptional benefit to the Australian community)
You must be able to find work in your field in Australia, or become independently established in your field in Australia.
You should have the ability to attract a salary at or above the Fair Work high income threshold of AUD158,500 (This figure is adjusted annually on 1 July), factors may considered include:
current salary shown through payslips or a contract
future job offers outlining remuneration
recent PhD graduates in the target sectors
If you are outside Australia at the time you apply, you do not need to hold a specific visa to apply for this visa. However, if you are in Australia at the time you apply, you must hold one of the following:
a substantive visa
Bridging visa A – BVA - (subclass 010)
Bridging visa B – BVB – (subclass 020)
Bridging visa C – BVC – (subclass 030)
Criteria for subclass 491 and subclass 494 visa holders:
If you currently hold, or your last substantive visa held was either:
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491); or
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494)
You must have held that visa for at least 3 years at the time you apply.
Global Talent Employer Sponsored program (GTES)
The Global Talent Employer Sponsored program is valid for 4 years and offers a pathway to permanent residency.
It allows employers to sponsor overseas workers for highly-skilled niche positions that cannot be filled:
by Australian workers
through existing skilled visa programs - in particular, the Short-term stream and Medium-term stream of the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa
The main features of the GTES are:
trusted employers can access highly-skilled roles - you are not restricted to occupation lists for the TSS visa short-term or medium–term streams
the earning threshold for applicants is higher than under the standard TSS stream
you can negotiate variations on the standard TSS visa requirements
you can negotiate age requirements for the permanent residence pathway
priority processing of GTES agreements
There are two GTES streams:
1. Established Business stream
The Established Business stream lets employers who are accredited sponsors employ workers with cutting-edge skills to help innovate in an established business and make Australian businesses and their Australian employees the best at what they do.
The main features of this stream are:
access up to 20 positions per year
flexibility in certain visa criteria, including access to 4 year TSS visas
transitional pathway to permanent residence after 3 years, including age cap concessions
simpler agreement applications and faster processing of agreements
if the position ceases, the visa holder will have 60 days to find a new sponsor and a new visa or depart Australia
Employer criteria
Demonstrate that access to the GTES will support job opportunities and skills transfer for Australians
Labour market testing evidence for the specific positions as part of requesting a GTES agreement
The employer must be in good standing with relevant regulatory agencies, including compliance with immigration and workplace laws
Must be publicly listed or have an annual turnover of at least AUD4 million for each of the past 2 years
Be endorsed as a TSS accredited sponsor
Applicant and position criteria
No familial relationship with directors/shareholders
Qualifications must be commensurate with the highly skilled role
At least 3 years work experience directly relevant to position
Capacity to pass on skills/develop Australians
Position must have minimum annual earnings equivalent to the Fair Work High Income Threshold (AUD$158,500 as at 1 July 2021).
2. Startup stream
The Startup stream lets employers sponsor workers with cutting-edge skills to contribute to Australia's developing startup ecosystem and bring new ideas, new jobs, new skills and new technology into Australia.
This stream is for startups operating in a tech-based or STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) field.
The main features of this stream are:
access up to 5 positions per year
flexibility in certain visa criteria, including access to 4 year TSS visas.
transitional pathway to permanent residence after 3 years, including age cap concessions.
simpler agreement applications and faster processing of agreements.
if the position ceases the visa holder will have 60 days to find a new sponsor and a new visa or depart Australia
Startups must be endorsed by the independent GTES startup advisory panel.
Panel members include:
Alex McCauley (Chair), Chief Executive Officer, StartupAUS
Alex Gruszka, Chief Operating Officer, StartupAUS
Bronwen Clune, Digital Director, LaunchVIC
Emily Close, Investment Manager, AirTree
Lorraine Chiroiu, Chief Executive Officer, AusBiotech
Murray Hurps, Director of Entrepreneurship, Director/Co-founder University of Technology Sydney, Startup Muster
Employer criteria
Demonstrate that access to the GTES will support job opportunities and skills transfer for Australians.
Labour market testing evidence for the specific positions as part of requesting a GTES agreement.
The employer must be in good standing with relevant regulatory agencies, including compliance with immigration and workplace laws.
Operates in a technology based or STEM-related field (eg digital, biomedical, agtech).
Independent startup advisory panel will assess and endorse the business as a viable and genuine startup.
Applicant and position criteria
No familial relationship with directors/shareholders.
Qualifications must be commensurate with the highly skilled role.
At least 3 years work experience directly relevant to position.
Capacity to pass on skills/develop Australians.
Minimum annual earnings at the market salary rate, but not less than AUD80,000. This can include equity, but must have a cash component that is no less than the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (currently AUD53,900).
Startups seeking to access the GTES must meet at least one of the following requirements:
you have received an investment of at least AUD50,000 from an investment fund registered as an Early Stage Venture Capital Limited Partnership
you have received an Accelerating Commercialisation Grant at any time
Supporting Innovation in South Australia (SISA)
SISA is a new visa arrangement designed to attract foreign entrepreneurs to take forward innovative ideas and launch seed stage startups in South Australia. The program runs from November 2018 to November 2021.
It allows overseas and local entrepreneurs to share their experience, skills and talent, exchange ideas, learn from each other, collaborate and network – all to grow Australian innovation systems.
Participating in SISA
Eligible overseas entrepreneurs can apply for a Temporary Activity (subclass 408) visa to participate in SISA. The visa allows you to stay in Australia for the duration of the event.
In addition to the standard requirements for a Temporary Activity visa, applicants for a visa to participate in SISA must:
be endorsed by the Government of South Australia to participate in SISA
include a supporting business plan when applying for your visa
be under 45 years of age at time of application
demonstrate a minimum of Vocational English (At least 5 for each of the 4 test components in IELTS or equivalent)
Distinguished Talent visa – subclass 124