The Australia Global Talent Visa was created with the purpose of providing to exceptional foreigners, working in specific fields, the possibility of relocating here; the visa grants numerous rights and it can be obtained solely by those who have proven highly professional skills in their fields of expertise, so the visa is limited to a certain category of workers.
For advice on how to apply for this visa, our Australia migration lawyer remains at your disposal and you can send to our lawyer any inquiry that you may have regarding this visa type.
We can help with the documents necessary for the application, the fees that you may need to pay, the duration of the visa processing, the rights and obligations of the visa holder and others. For a short presentation on the Australia Global Talent Visa, we invite you to read this article.
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Who can apply for the Australia Global Talent Visa?
In order to qualify for this visa, you must complete specific requirements. First, you must know that you can apply for this immigration document if you want to migrate to Australia, but you are also entitled to apply while being in the country (but not in the immigration clearance process).
You must be able to provide documents regarding your exceptional talents and skills, regardless of the field that you are a part of.
For instance, the document can be granted to those who are working professionals, or who are artists or sportsmen, as well as to those who are involved in the academic life or work in the research industry.
However, in order to obtain the Australia Global Talent Visa, the applicant has to be nominated by a resident Australian entity (a permanent resident, a citizen, an Australian organization or by a New Zealand citizen who qualifies for this).
Our immigration lawyer in Australia can provide more details as to why the New Zealand citizens are entitled to this.
What are the highlights of the Global Talent Visa in Australia?
When applying for immigration in Australia, all foreigners will generally have to comply with a set of basic requirements. These will vary based on the visa that they need in order to have the right to reside here.
When we refer to the Global Talent Visa in Australia, foreigners should be aware of the fact that this visa can be obtained by a maximum of 15,000 persons for the year of 2021-2022.
The number can vary on a year to year basis, in accordance with the decision of the immigration authorities, which are founded in the country’s needs for employment.
Please mind that this visa used to be known under the name of Distinguished Talent visa, but the name was changed on 27 February 2021. Although the visa program is addressed solely to high achievers, there are numerous economic sectors that are eligible under this program.
The Global Talent Visa in Australia can be found under the Subclass 585; in order to start the process of immigration in Australia, the foreigners will have to complete the Nomination for Global Talent – Form 1000.
We invite you to watch the video below on the process of receiving the Australia Global Talent Visa:
Aspects to know on the Australia Global Talent Visa
If you have decided to apply for this visa and you consider that you meet the minimum requirements, you must know that this visa type grants the right to migrate to Australia on a permanent basis.
One is entitled to work here and to study in this country, and you can also act as a sponsor of your close family members who will want to relocate here to live with you.
The Australia Global Talent Visa can also lead to Australian citizenship, but this is a more complex immigration procedure and applicants must know that the visa will not automatically grant this right.
A person can qualify for Australian citizenship by meeting the residency requirements and by passing the citizenship test. The test is applicable to persons with an age above 18 years old and maximum 60 years old.
At the moment when the application is made, the foreign must have obtained the permanent residency and he or she must show a commitment to staying in this country.
Please mind that there are certain differences between a person who has obtain permanent residency in Australia and a citizen. They can refer to the rights and obligations when travelling outside the country and to the voting rights.
A permanent resident is not allowed to vote in Australia, but an exemption can apply to British nationals registered for voting in Australia before 1984.
You can request further advice on how to become an Australian citizen from our immigration lawyer in Australia; with regards to this visa type, you should also mind the following:
- according to the Department of Home Affairs, applicants of the Australia Global Talent Visa are required to pay a processing fee of AUD $4,180 (this being the minimum value, which can increase based on various factors);
- a large part of the applications for this visa, 75% of them, are processed in a period of 62 days;
- most of the applications, of 90%, are generally processed in an overall time of 3 months and you should take this into consideration when starting the process for immigration in Australia;
- the visa allows a special category of applicants, who will apply through the Distinguished Talent Pathway (highly skilled individuals, with exceptional results in their field of expertise) – here, 75% of the applications are processed in a period of 18 months;
- most of the applications for the Distinguished path are, however, processed in 23 months (90% of the applications).
Given that the visa is granted to professionals with a high level of expertise in their fields and who are high achievers, the Australian authorities show their appreciation for selecting Australia as a place of residence and work.
Thus, they can provide automatic permanent residency status to those who will receive the Australia Global Talent Visa. Permanent residency starts the day the visa is issued.
As we said above, the visa processing fee starts from a cost of AUD $4,180. Additional fees will apply if you will include in your Australia Global Talent Visa application other family members.
Please mind that the visa application can be processed only if the according fees for your particular situation have been paid. If you need advice on this matter, our immigration lawyer in Australia can be of assistance.
Many of those who apply for this visa are interested in becoming a permanent resident in Australia, after living in the country for a number of years.
Are there any similar programs in Australia?
Yes, foreigners can apply for another similar program, addressed to persons with a high level of expertise and knowledge in their respective fields. The Global Talent Visa in Australia is a part of the innovation visa stream.
Under this stream, foreigners have the possibility to apply for the Global Talent Employer Sponsored visa. The visa program is similar with the global talent visa, with the exception of the fact that an Australian employer will sponsor an overseas worker.
This visa program is founded on 2 basic sub-programs: the established business program and the startup program. For both programs, foreign workers can migrate to Australia for a period of 4 years.
Between this visa program and the Global Talent Visa in Australia there is a difference regarding the duration of stay, as the global talent grants the right to living here for 5 years, which implies that the foreigner will receive permanent residency.
Please mind that the second visa pathway for global talent, meaning the one through employer sponsorship, is limited to only 20 visas per year (for the established business stream).
For the startup stream, there are only 5 positions open on a year and the employers are required to present evidence regarding the fact that they haven’t been able to find suitable candidates from the Australian employment market.
For those who are accepted, and who will migrate to Australia under this program, there are also specific legal implications in the case in which their position in the company is closed due to various reasons.
If this happens, the holder of the visa will have to find a new sponsor in a period of maximum 60 days; it the person is not able to find a sponsor in the respective period of time, then there are 2 options.
The foreigner will either depart from Australia, either will apply for another visa that can grant the right to stay in this country further on. For the Global Talent Visa in Australia, the foreigner is required to be nominated by a person, for the other visa stream, the nominator is always the employer.
The employer must meet specific requirements, just like the applicant. For instance, the company must have had an annual turnover of AUD 4 million for at least the last 2 financial years.
The foreign applicant must have at least 3 years of experience for the position to fill in the Australian company and for the startup up stream, he or she must have an yearly salary of AUD 80,000.
It is also necessary to prove, as an applicant, that there aren’t any family relations between the applicant and the directors of the company, or its shareholders.
For more details on immigration in Australia and the procedure for applying for this visa type, we invite you to address to our lawyer.
If you need information on any of the legal matters regulated by the law on immigration to Australia, you can always contact our lawyer for advice and legal representation.