Overview

The Global Talent Visa-Independent Program (GTI) is designed to provide a streamlined and priority visa pathway for highly skilled and talented individuals in one of the priority sectors to migrate to Australia permanently.  The government aims to attract talented individuals from across the world who are at the top of their field in the following “Target Sectors” to enhance Australia’s standing in the global community and boost its economic activities:

Target Sectors

Eligibility Criteria

In brief, the prospective applicants must demonstrate that they are highly skilled in one of the target sectors and establish that:

• Be under 55 years of age when invited to apply for the visa
• Have at least competent knowledge of English language
• They are internationally recognised with evidence of outstanding and exceptional achievements
• They have prominence in their field of expertise i.e. in one of the above-mentioned target sectors
• They would be an asset to the Australian economy, community and enhance its global standing
• A recognised Australian organisation or an individual, from the same field as the applicant, is willing to nominate them under the Global Talent Independent Visa program.
• They have an ability to find employment in Australia in their field and attract a salary at or above the Fair Work high income threshold i.e. an annual wage of A$153,600 or above
• Are recent PhD graduates and certain PhD students with relevant qualifications in the target sectors
• They meet the health and character criteria
• Have no debt to the Australian government
• They accept Australian Values Statement

*It is important to let us know if you have had a visa cancelled or refused in the past or have a criminal record

Who can be your Nominator

The nominator must have a national reputation in the same field as the applicant and is either:

• an eligible Australian citizen or permanent resident
• eligible New Zealand citizen
• an Australian organisation

Key Visa Entitlements

• Permanent residents are allowed to live in Australia indefinitely and can work anywhere in the country
• You are entitled to the public healthcare and education systems of Australia
• You can sponsor family members to travel to Australia
• You will be entitled to travel out of Australia multiple times while holding an Australian Permanent Residence or Resident Return Visa
• You can apply for Australian citizenship, subject to meeting the applicable criteria

Visa Application Charges

Primary Applicant	AUD 4,110
Spouse/Secondary applicant over the age of 18 years	AUD 2,055
Each child under the age of 18 years	AUD 1,030
Second Installment – for applicants over 18 years who don’t know functional English	AUD 4,890

Processing Timelines

Processing times for applications in this visa subclass can vary significantly depending on the risk assessment level of the applicants’ country of origin and how promptly the applicants can submit the requested documents, including translations, if required. The general processing times for the visa applications in this visa subclass are given below and it does not include the time needed to process the skills assessment and state-nomination applications.

• 75% of the applications are processed within 61 days
• 90% of the applications are processed within 3 months