4th November 2019 marked an important milestone in the Australian immigration system, as it was the day when the Global Talent Independent (GTI) Program was officially launched. A highly popular and sought-after pathway, the GTI Program is designed to attract highly talented individuals to Australia, giving them permanent residency (PR). 

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The GTI Program is an ancillary part of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) ‘Global Talent initiative. Like the GTI Program, this initiative focuses on attracting talented individuals to Australia and helping increase the country’s stand in different fields. Highly-skilled individuals belonging to certain fields, also known as target sectors, as often invited to apply for a visa under the program. 

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GTI Program 

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Individuals who are recruited under the GTI Program will help Australia by not only increasing growth in certain areas but also positioning itself as a major economic, financial and cultural hub. This, in turn, will also create new job opportunities for Australian, along with the transfer of skills and increased innovation. 

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In this program, the DHA also takes on a more active role in engaging Global Talent Officers located overseas to invite individuals from across the world. 

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Individuals who are interested in applying for the visa may submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) with the DHA. It is important to note that individuals can only resume the application process if they receive an invitation. 

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Successful applicants will receive a unique identifier and be invited to apply for a Global Talent visa. Their application will be placed under priority processing, which generally takes approximately 3 months. 

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Annually, there are a specific number of spots available for applicants. These spots are subject to change depending on various factors taken into account by the DHA. Here are some statistics about the number of spots available since the implementation of the GTI Program.

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• 2019/2020 Migration Program Year: 5,000 spots 
• 2020/2021 Migration Program Year: 15,000 spots 
• 2021/2022 Migration Program Year: 15,000 spots 
• 2022/2023 Migration Program Year: 5,000 spots 

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Among these 5,000 spots for Migration Program Year 2022/2023, the DHA aims to scout highly talented individuals with work profiles belonging to 10 specific target sectors. The DHA is also scouting for student cohorts with internationally recognized research that is relevant to the target sectors. This includes people who have recently (in the past 3 years) completed their PhD.

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To understand more about the GTI Program and its criteria, click here. 

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The general criteria that all applicants must fulfil to prove their eligibility are:

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• They must be working in any of the 10 target sectors 
• They must be internationally recognized in their field and have outstanding achievements 
• They must be able to attract a salary that would place them in the Fair Work High Income Threshold (AUD $162,000)

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Target Sectors 

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Resources 

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• Engineering
• Geology
• Metallurgy
• Waste Management
• Energy Saving Technology
• Extraction and Processing

Agrifood and Agritech 

• Seed technology
• Nanomaterials
• Biofuels
• Supply Chain and Packaging
• Wearable Technologies

Energy

• Clean Energy
• Resource Robotics
• Computational Metallurgy
• Geostatistics
• Beneficiation
• Battery/Energy Storage

Health Industries

• Medical and Biomedical Technology
• Pharmaceutical and Vaccine Research and Development 
• IT Biochemistry
• Digital Health
• Implantable and Wearable Devices
• Genomics

Defence, Advanced Manufacturing and Space

• Astrodynamics
• Satellite Systems
• Rocket and Avionics Systems
• Urban Mobility
• Military Equipment Acquisition and Sustainment
• Automation and Robotics 
• Nano-Manufacturing
• Sustainable Manufacturing
• Life-Cycle Engineering

Circular Economy 

• Bioenergy
• Sustainable Production
• Recycling
• Waste Treatment
• Waste-to-Energy Technology
• Emissions Technology
• Ecologically Sustainable Manufacturing

Digitech 

• Quantum Computing
• Cyber Sciences
• Cyber Security
• Artificial Intelligence
• Blockchain
• IoT
• Big Data
• Disruptive Technologies
• Smart Cities
• Machine Learning
• Network Engineering
• Cloud Computing

Infrastructure

• Water Infrastructure
• Energy Infrastructure
• Regional Development

Tourism and Travel Infrastructure

Financial Services and Fintech

• Neobanking
• Payment Systems
• Blockchain

Education

• Cutting-edge skills in emerging fields of the industry
• Developing advanced educational systems and curricula
• Improving the education infrastructure in Australia
• Digital data and eResearch platforms

How to Apply

There are 3 important things an applicant must have in order to secure their spot under the GTI priority processing section:

• The unique identifier and code issued by the DHA 
• A nomination 
• The Global Talent Visa application

The applicant can directly submit their EOI on the DHA’s website. They should also have a nominator at the time of application lodgement. Once this has been assessed, the DHA will email the applicant a unique identifier number and code to make the Global Talent Visa application and be considered under the GTI provisions. 

The cost for this is as follows:

Main Applicant: AUD $4,305 

Dependent (18+): AUD $2,155 each 

Dependent (<18): AUD $1,080 each

Dependents over the age of 18 who do not have functional English skills will have to pay an additional fee of AUD $4,890 when the visa is going to be granted. 

Direction 100 

Direction No. 100 was issued by the Australian government on 28th October 2022. This outlined the order of consideration of skilled visas for priority processing, including Global Talent Visas. 

Direction 100 gives the highest priority to applications that pertain to the healthcare industry or a teaching occupation. The highest priority is also awarded to applications wherein the primary applicant is located outside Australia at the time of visa application lodgement or is a Hong Kong national.

Disclaimer: Kindly note that the information provided here does not constitute legal advice. This must solely be regarded as content that provides general immigration information and is not a substitute for professional legal advice that occurs between an immigration lawyer and a client. 

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Path Migration strongly recommends readers contact certified immigration lawyers for a holistic overview of the Australian immigration system and a detailed analysis of each case.