Global Talent and National Innovation visa (858)

From Global Talent to National Innovation

From 2024-12-06 the subclass 858 visa, formerly Global Talent, became the National Innovation visa. Applications made on or after that date follow the new rules, which make a written invitation from the Minister a precondition for applying. The explanatory statement says this had not been mandatory for Global Talent before.

The Prime Minister’s Special Envoy route was repealed, and Home Affairs lists the Global Talent visa as closed. People who had already applied for Global Talent are assessed under the rules that applied when they lodged.

Who the visa is for

The National Innovation visa (subclass 858) is a permanent, invitation-only visa for exceptionally talented migrants from anywhere in the world. The main criterion is an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in a profession, a sport, the arts, or academia and research.

The applicant must also still be prominent, meaning active in the field with recent exceptional achievements, and must be an asset to the Australian community. They must show they could find work or become independently established in their field in Australia without difficulty.

Home Affairs describes exceptional and outstanding as abilities and achievements superior to others in the field, acclaimed as exceptional in any country where the field is practised, and a record of sustained achievement unlikely to diminish soon.

How the invitation works

To be considered, a person submits an Expression of Interest (EOI) through the Home Affairs online form. The EOI is not a visa application and does not guarantee an invitation.

An EOI stays in the system for 2 years, and Home Affairs may invite the person during that time. An invitation gives 60 days to submit the visa application, and Home Affairs says that period cannot be extended. Someone who misses the window must submit a new EOI, with no guarantee of being invited again.

How applications are ordered

Ministerial Direction 120 took effect on 2026-07-25 and sets the order in which subclass 858 applications are considered. Highest first: global experts with top-of-field international awards; people nominated on Form 1000 by an expert Australian Government or State/Territory agency; achievers in tier 1 priority sectors; achievers in tier 2 priority sectors; everyone else.

Tier 1 sectors are critical technologies, renewables and low emission technologies, and health industries. Tier 2 sectors are agri-food and ag-tech, defence capabilities and space, education, financial services and FinTech, infrastructure and transport, and resources.

Decision makers are told not to treat the listed indicators as a checklist. They weigh the applicant’s circumstances as a whole against the exceptional and outstanding achievement criterion.

Nominator, age and costs

An applicant relying on the achievement criteria must supply a completed Form 1000, in which a nominator with a national reputation in the same field attests the record of achievement. The nominator must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, eligible New Zealand citizen or Australian organisation.

An applicant who is under 18, or 55 or older, at the time of application must also be of exceptional benefit to the Australian community.

The first-instalment charge is AUD 6,235 for the main applicant, AUD 3,120 for each additional applicant aged 18 or over and AUD 1,560 for each under 18. The charge is not refunded if the application is refused.

Planning level and a different route

The Talent and Innovation category, which includes the National Innovation visa, has a planning level of 3,500 places for 2026-27 (including 20 places for the Business Innovation and Investment visas), down from 5,300 in both 2024-25 and 2025-26.

The Global Talent Employer Sponsored (GTES) program is a different route: approved businesses sponsor workers for highly skilled niche roles through a Skills in Demand visa. It is not the National Innovation visa. An Established Business stream employer can use up to 20 positions a year and a Startup stream employer up to 5; startups must be endorsed by the GTES startup advisory panel.