National Innovation Visa (subclass 858)
National Innovation Visa
On 14 May 2024, the Australian Government announced that a new National Innovation Visa (NIV) would be released in late-2024, to replace the Global Talent (Subclass 858) visa and the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP). It commenced on 7 December 2024 mirroring a lot of the features of the former Global Talent Visa. It will confer immediate permanent residency.
National Innovation visa
On 14 May 2024, the Australian Government announced that a new National Innovation Visa (NIV) would be released in late-2024, to replace the Global Talent (Subclass 858) visa and the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP). It commenced on 7 December 2024 mirroring a lot of the features of the former Global Talent Visa. It will confer immediate permanent residency.
What is the National Innovation visa?
The NIV aims to target individuals with an “internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement”. It is very broad in scope but focuses on one of the following areas:
1. A profession
2. A sport
3. The arts
4. Academia and research
Criteria
To be eligible for the NIV, the applicant must
still be prominent in the area
be an asset to the Australian community
demonstrate that they’d have no difficulty in obtaining employment (or being established independently) in the area; and
be nominated by either an Australian individual or organization with a national reputation in the area (see here).
Applying for a NIV
There is no direct pathway to a visa application. An applicant first submits an Expression of interest (EOI) to the Department of Home Affairs. This is not a visa application and therefore not entitled the person to a bridging visa. Expression of Interests expires after two years. There is no cost to apply for the EOI.
There are two stages to the National Innovation Visa
1. submission of an Expression of Interest (EOI); and
2. apply for the NIV itself (only if invited to apply).
The EOI would remain in the system for two years, and the Department of Home Affairs will invite candidates based on their set priority order.
Key Priorities
Your EOI would remain in the system for two years, and the Department of Home Affairs will invite candidates based on their set priority order.
The NIV has four priority groups set out below, and described in further detail here. They are:
Priority | Talent | Nominator | Sector |
One | Global experts and recipients of international ‘top of field’ level awards (Nobel prize, Olympic medal – any sector)
| Any | Any |
Two | Relevant government agency has nominated and provided business case for exceptional talent (Form 1000)
| Expert government agency | Any |
Three | Exceptional and outstanding achievements | Any | Tier 1 Sector |
Four | Exceptional and outstanding achievements | Any | Tier 2 Sector |
Examples of exceptional and outstanding achievements
There are several listed factors to guide decision makers in considering those who are high caliber talents. These factors are taken to be indicators of exceptional talent in various fields, noting that this is not to be treated as a checklist, and a person’s whole circumstances need to be considered:
Indicator | Examples |
International ‘top-of-field’ awards | Awards for exceptional and outstanding achievements in all fields. E.g. Nobel Prize, Breakthrough Prize, Fields Medal |
Recipients of National Research Grants | - Australian Research Council grants - Department of Education Accelerator grants - Equivalent level grants from other countries |
PhD holder with high-levels of academic | -recent publications in top ranked journals - a high h-index for their stage of career - a research-based degree from a top global university |
Other Measures | - recent keynote appearance at a high-profile international conference - Earning at or above the Fair Work high income threshold - Recognised intellectual property attributed to them |
Benefits of NIV
The NIV is an extremely attractive option over other permanent residency visas because eligible candidates:
- Candidates do not need to provide a skills assessment.
- No skilled occupation list to adhere to;
- Candidates are required to meet minimum points threshold
- Candidates are not required to meet minimum English requirements
- Do not require state or employer nomination
- Can be up to 55 years are older if they can demonstrate exceptional economic benefit to Australia
- There are no target sectors
Contact Us
Canberra Visa & Migration Services has significant experience in the citizenship application process and can deal with any difficult issues that may arise when applying for citizenship. If you need any assistance, please contact our office to arrange a consultation.
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