Global Talent Visa (GTI) Australia

What is Global Talent Scheme?

The Department recently introduced the Global Talent Visa (GTI) Scheme, a 12-month pilot scheme, run on a trial basis that aims to attract highly skilled global talent and deliver innovation, mostly in technology-focused industries to Australia.

It is a new Australian visa pilot scheme that has two streams, one being Established business stream and the other being Start up Stream, which all aim to bring and import skills to help Australia in combating the increasing global competition for high-tech skills and talent and cannot be filled by Australian workers and through other existing visa schemes.

The Global Talent Visa (GTI) Scheme comprises 2 streams:

+ Global Talent Visa (GTI) Stream 1 - Established Business Stream

Applicant who wishes to apply under the Established business stream will be required to have a sponsor who wishes to employ such highly-skilled individuals with cutting-edge skills.

+ Global Talent Visa (GTI) Stream 2 - Start-up Stream

Applicant who wishes to apply under the Start-up Stream does not require an accredited sponsor. But the employer who wishes to employ such applicant will need to be operating in a technology based or STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) related field and must be endorsed by the independent start-up advisory panel designed specifically for the Global Talent scheme.

All applicants will be subject to the usual health, character and security and must have relevant qualifications. Upon the grant of visa, they will have access to transitional pathway to permanent residence after 3 years.

What is the Application Process?

Global Talent Visa (GTI) Applicants must email and liaise with the Department directly if they feel that they meet the requirements.

After receiving the required details from the Applicants, the Department will email back interested business with a GTS request form. Upon receiving responses from the company, the Department aims to provide an assessment outcome between 6-11 days and finalize the Nomination and Visa applications within another 10 days.

This is a fast way to sponsor overseas workers as the total processing time would be under two (2) weeks as compared to the processing times of the subclass 482 and subclass 186 which can exceed 12 months.

+ Common Criteria

  • Labour Market Testing (LMT) requirements for the specific position.
  • The business to have no breaches of workplace or immigration law.
  • Employees are to be paid in accordance with an Enterprise Agreement (EA) or internal salary table that reflects current market salary rates for all occupations in the business.
  • The business’ recruitment policy gives first preference to Australian workers (for established business, for instance, percentage of workforce that is Australian and training of Australians can be shown as evidence)

+ Additional Criteria for Established Business Stream

  • The company must be publicly listed or have an annual turnover of at least $4 million for each year, for the past 2 years

+ Specific Criteria for Start-up Stream

  • The company operates in STEM-related field (eg digital, biomedical, agtech)
  • A ‘start-up authority’ (to be decided in consultation with industry) will endorse the business
  • Financial criteria to be determined in consultation with stakeholders (examples could be a working capital or capital raised threshold).

+ Criteria for Visa Applicants

  • Must meet health, character and security requirements
  • 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:
    • For established business stream: $180,000
    • For start-up stream: at market salary rate (may include equity, but the cash component must be at least the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (currently $53,900).

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