The immigration program designed to attract international talent on the Australian market has been recently modified as, starting with December 2024, the previous visa addressed for international talent, known as the Global Talent visa, has been replaced by the Australia National Innovation Visa.
The new immigration document is granted as a permanent visa to eligible applicants, provided that they have a proven exceptional achievement in their field of expertise, which must coincide with one of the areas included in this program.
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Definition | The Australia National Innovation Visa is a type of talent visa that is designed for exceptionally skilled individuals, who excel in specific fields. |
Areas of expertise | The Australia National Innovation Visa is available for those with remarkable results in academia/research, sports, arts or in certain professions. |
Expression of Interest | In order to apply, foreigners must first make an Expression of Interest (EOI), by presenting relevant information on the professional results relevant to this visa program. |
| Invitation to Apply | Provided that the EOI is successful, the applicants will receive an Invitation to Apply (from a party known as nominator, who must be an individual/company/organization associated with the field of expertise of the applicant). |
| Who can initiate the invitation? | An Australian citizen/permanent resident, an Australian organization or a New Zealand citizen. |
| Required documentation | The passport, the CV and documents/information concerning the achievements in the field of expertise. |
| Place of application | Overseas/Australia |
| Eligible visas for applicants in Australia | Those who apply for the Australia National Innovation Visa while being on the Australian territory must hold a Bridging visa (A, B or C), the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa or the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa. |
| Deadline to submit the application | Once an applicant has received the Invitation to Apply, he/she must submit the visa application in a period of maximum 60 days. |
| Fees | Start from AUD4,985 |
| Age requirements | There aren’t any age requirements, but applicants below 18 years old or over 55 must provide evidence on how they can be of exceptional benefit (ongoing, sustained or immediately after the immigration process is completed) for the Australian society. |
| Rights granted by the National Innovation Visa | – permanent residency; – study/employment in Australia; – access to the public health system; – relocation with close family members. |
| Character requirements | The applicant and his/her close family members above the age of 16 relocating to Australia as well as those remaining at home must make proof that they meet the character requirements stipulated by Section 501 of the Migration Act 1958. |
| Digital/physical visa | Digital visa (the visa is linked to the passport, it is not issued as a label/stamp on the passport) |
| Visa refusal | In the case in which the application is denied, the Australian authorities will inform the applicant on the reasons of the refusal and whether he/she may appeal the decision. |
Our immigration lawyer in Australia can offer in-depth legal information on the new immigration program and can assist foreigners who want to relocate here.
Table of Contents
Basic conditions
First of all, a foreigner can be eligible for immigration to Australiaonly if he/she has exceptional achievements in one of the following 4 areas:
- academia/research;
- sports;
- arts;
- a profession.
Then, it is necessary to be invited to apply for the Australia National Innovation visa by a person/entity that has one of the following qualities:
- Australian citizenship;
- Australian permanent residency;
- New Zealand citizenship;
- is an Australian organization.
The individual or the entity that makes the invitation (also known as a nominator) must have credentials in the same area of expertise of the foreign applicant. Another condition to abide by is to be either outside Australia at the moment of the application, or in Australia, but not in immigration clearance.
Eligible visas in Australia
Applicants who are already in Australia can be eligible for the Australia National Innovation visa only if they hold one of the following visas:
- Bridging visas A, B or C (Subclasses 010, 020 or 030);
- Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 491);
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 494).
Our infographic below presents the characteristics of the National Innovation Visa:
Rights granted to successful applicants
Foreigners who will migrate to Australia under the innovation program will obtain a large set of rights, given that their contribution to the Australian society is considered to be a very important one. One of the basic rights obtained by successful applicant is the right to permanent residency in Australia, along with the rights of working and studying here.
Visa holders can also enjoy the Australian healthcare system, as the visa grants them the possibility to enroll in the public system, known as Medicare. Additionally, the visa program can be used for family reunification purposes, as it allows immigration in Australia for close family members, provided that the holders of the innovation visa act as sponsors for such family members.
Eventually, the visa holders may apply for Australian citizenship, if they wish to and if they qualify for it (this right is not granted automatically as a holder of an Australia National Innovation visa, it can only be acquired after satisfying the conditions imposed by the law).
We mention that a new visa holder, who has just relocated to Australia, will not be eligible from the beginning for all the rights mentioned above, as certain benefits may be accessed after a given time after the arrival. Our Australia migration lawyer can offer more details on this issue.
Things to take into consideration
When applying for this visa type, interested individuals should know the following:
- once the nomination has been made, the applicant can submit the visa application in 60 days since the date of the invitation;
- when applying, it is mandatory to submit the Nomination for National Innovation visa (Form 1000);
- there aren’t any age limits (as it can happen to other visa programs), but those below 18 years old and those above 55 must make the proof on how they can be of exceptional benefit for the Australian society;
- the law on immigration to Australiastipulates a visa processing fee, starting from AUD 4,985.
Character requirements
According to the law on immigration to Australia, many visas, especially those that are issued on a long-term basis, impose specific character requirements, which refer to the fact that the applicant must prove a socially approved conduct, on criminal, financial, employment, immigration levels.
For instance, those who apply for the Australia National Innovation visa must present their previous immigration status – in cases where the applicants were denied the issuance of a visa, or if a visa was cancelled, the Australian authorities may take this as a negative immigration history and can potentially decide not to issue this visa type.
Also, a factor that could negatively influence the visa application process is having debts to the Australian authorities. When initiating the visa formalities, it is mandatory to have any debts associated with Australia paid, and the same applies to the applicant’s family members, including those who will not migrate to Australia.
A police certificate may also be required, and/or a military certificate. In some cases, the immigration authorities may ask for a letter from a previous employer, in which it is stated that the applicant has had good conduct while working in the respective company.
Please mind that those who have been convicted in any other country or have been charged and the legal action is pending are legally required to report these matters when applying for an Australian visa. The character requirements that foreigners must adhere to are prescribed by the Section 501 of the Migration Act 1958, which can be detailed by our immigration lawyer in Australia.
Visa outcomes
Eligible applicants must wait for their Australia National Innovation visa to be processed by the immigration authorities. There are 2 possible outcomes – the applicant is accepted and the visa is granted or the Australian authorities can reject the application.
In the 1st situation, the responsible authorities will issue a decision, in which they will state the visa number, the date at which it becomes valid, the conditions of the visa, etc. In the 2nd case, they will provide an explanation as to why the visa was denied. Applicants will also be informed whether they can appeal the decision or not (our Australia migration lawyer can assist in visa appeals).
Please mind that in situations in which visa applications are rejected, the applicant does not have the right to obtain a refund on the processing fee paid at the beginning of the application for the Australia National Innovation visa.
From the previous Global Talent program only the Global Talent Employer Sponsored program has been maintained and was included in the Innovation visas program. We kindly advise you to contact our Australia migration lawyer for assistance.
