The Global Talent Independent Visa program aims to attract top talent. With this visa, Australia hopes to attract the world’s best and brightest. If you’re thinking about applying, make sure you’ve done your IELTS test. You only need an IELTS score of 4.5. Get IELTS for Global Talent Visa

What is a Global Talent Visa?

Australia

The Global Talent Visa offers a pathway to permanent residency in Australia for talented applicants. Through this special program, Australia is seeking up to 15,000 highly skilled and talented people from across the world in specific industries so that they may live and work in Australia. Some of the targeted sectors are

  • Health industries

  • Education

Global Talent Visa for Australia

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United Kingdom

You can apply for a Global Talent visa to work in the UK if you’re a leader or potential leader in one of the following fields:

  • Academia or research

  • Arts and culture

  • Digital technology

Global Talent Visa for the UK

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Canada

In Canada, the Global Talent Stream allows certain skilled workers to obtain a work permit within two weeks of applying. It’s one of the pillars of Canada’s Global Skills Strategy, which aims to help innovative companies grow by ensuring they can access the highly skilled talent they need quickly. There are two streams

  • Stream A is for high-growth companies that can demonstrate a need to recruit unique specialized talent from abroad

  • Or, Stream B is for employers looking to hire certain highly skilled foreign workers for occupations found on the

     

Global Talent Visa for Canada

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The Benefits of a Global Talent Visa

  1. Receive priority processing of your visa.

  2. No age limit for applicants.

  3. You don’t need an Australian employer to sponsor you with a job.

  4. It is not a point tested visa.

  5. You only need an IELTS score of 4.5

  6. When applying, you can be in Australia or offshore.

  7. This visa allows you to stay in Australia permanently.

  8. And, you can live and work anywhere in Australia.

  9. Additionally, you may enrol in Australia’s public health care program.

  10. Your children can receive free government schooling

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Why choose the Global Talent Visa (GTIP) over other options?

  • Priority processing means these visas are given the highest priority of all Australian migration programs. The process is streamlined and extremely efficient. Some people get their Global Talent visas in as little as 1 month from lodgement. But, usually it takes about 3 months.

  • Also, if the Department of Home Affairs invites you to apply for the Global Talent Visa, the pathway to permanent residence is much more certain. And, you’re not subject to very long processing times. Conversely, Skilled Nomination visas usually take long. Why? The Australian government sees this as a targeted approach to attract talent in critical sectors to Australia.

  • The visa is granted without being subject to any employment conditions. This means individuals are free to move roles and/or employers.

  • Because the visa is not tied to an employer, there is no training levy which can be a saving of AU$3,000 or AU$5,000 depending on the size of the employer.

  • Our international borders have been practically closed since last year, however if granted a visa through Global Talent Visa program, no exemption to enter Australia is required from the Australian Border Force as individuals are granted Australian permanent residence and are free to travel

  • Being a permanent resident provides a pathway to Australian citizenship.

Are you eligible for a Global Talent Visa?

If this visa sounds interesting, make sure you meet the official eligibility criteria. So, to get a visa under the Global Talent Visa Program, you should be highly skilled in one of the 10 target sectors. Additionally, you need to be able to attract a salary that meets the high-income threshold.

Global Talent Target sectors

  • Resources

  • Agri-food and AgTech

  • Energy

  • Health Industries

  • Defence, Advanced Manufacturing and Space

  • Circular Economy

  • DigiTech

  • Infrastructure and Tourism

  • Financial Services and FinTech

  • Education

Show your Talent​

If you’re skilled in one of the target sectors, you must also:​

  • prove you’re internationally recognised with evidence of outstanding achievements

  • still be prominent in your field of expertise

  • provide evidence that you’re an asset to Australia (in your area of expertise)

  • have no difficulty obtaining employment in Australia (or becoming established in your field)

  • and, you have an individual (or organisation) in Australia nominate you as global talent

For example, successful applicants must meet a high standard. And they usually have an exceptional track record of professional achievement. This may include senior roles, patents, and professional awards. Or, international publications and memberships.

High-income threshold

There’s one more requirement. If you apply, you should be able to attract a salary at or above the Fair Work high-income threshold of $153,600. This figure is adjusted annually on 1 July. When the Department of Home Affairs looks at this requirement, they can consider:

  • current salary shown through payslips or a contract, or

  • future job offers outlining remuneration, or

  • recent PhD graduates in the target sectors

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How do I apply for the Global Talent Visa?

If you think you meet all the requirements, you can submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) with the Department of Home Affairs. After you have done this, the Department may invite you to apply for this visa. After this, and if you’re successful, you receive a unique identifier and be invited to apply for a Global Talent visa. Then, your visa application receives priority processing. For the 2020-2021 year, about 15,000 migration places are allocated for this visa. So, how do you apply?

Step 1: Submit an Expression of Interest

At the moment, you need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) here. This goes directly to the Department of Home Affairs. Then, if you meet the program requirements, the Department sends you an unique Invitation reference identifier and invitation code.

Step 2. Apply for a visa

Done with Step 1? After you receive an invitation reference identifier and invitation code, lodge the visa application via your ImmiAccount. If you are in or outside Australia at the time of application, lodge a Global Talent (Subclass 858) visa.

Distinguished Talent Visa (Subclass 858)

On 27 February 2021, the Distinguished Talent Visa became the Global Talent Visa. This is the visa you need to apply for after you’ve received a successful invitation to apply through the Global Talent Visa Program.

The Global Talent visa comprises two visa pathways:

  • The streamlined Global Talent Visa Program pathway for applicants with skills in identified priority sectors who have submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI); or

  • The Distinguished Talent pathway for applicants working in other sectors.

What can you do on a Global Talent Visa (Subclass 858)?

With this visa, you can:

  • stay in Australia permanently

  • work and study in Australia

  • enrol in Australia’s public health care scheme, Medicare

  • sponsor your relatives to come to Australia

  • travel to and from Australia for 5 years

  • if eligible, apply for Australian citizenship

What are the English Language Requirements for the Global Talent Visa program?

The Global Talent Visa (subclass 858) is a permanent visa for people who have an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in an eligible field. There are a number of requirements you need to meet. And, one of these requirements is that you need to demonstrate functional English.

For migration to Australia, you may need to show that you have an understanding of the English language. So, to prove this, the Department of Home Affairs can ask you to show that you’ve done an official language test, like IELTS. You may also have to show that in the 3 years before you apply you have gained the minimum scores needed for your visa.

Functional English for Global Talent Visa

Applicants aged 18 or over, must have functional English. You must pay an extra charge, called the second instalment, if you do not have functional English.​​​​ Functional English is an Overall IELTS bandscore of 4.5.

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