The Distinguished Talent visa aims to attract individuals who have an “internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement” in either a profession, sport, the arts, or academia and research. The Distinguished Talent visa previously held two visa subclasses - the offshore Subclass 124 visa, and the onshore Subclass 858 visa application. You can read more about this visa here.…
January 20, 2021
Common Mistakes made by Global Talent Independent (GTI) applicants
The Global Talent Independent (GTI) program is one of the most in demand at the moment, due to the simplified visa process and priority processing that it receives. You can read more about this program here. Having spoken to hundreds of prospective applicants and assisted numerous individuals through both the Expression of Interest (EOI) and the visa application itself, the…
January 20, 2021
How do I apply for a fast tracked tech talent / global talent visa? (updated: 20 January 2021)
On 4 November 2019, the Global Talent Independent (GTI) program was officially launched to provide a streamlined, priority pathway for highly skilled and talent individuals to obtain Australian permanent residency. This program is another layer of the “Global Talent” initiative that the Department of Home Affairs (Department) have rolled out to support innovation in Australia, which joins the recently renamed…
November 15, 2020
What is a Distinguished Talent visa (Updated: 15 November 2020)?
The Distinguished Talent visa is one of the more interesting and unique visas to Australia, offering permanent residency to individuals who have an “internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement” in an eligible area. The purpose of this visa is to attract highly skilled/talented individuals in their field to come to Australia, where they would elevate Australia’s standards internationally,…
October 14, 2020
Global Talent Independent Program: Interview with a Global Talent Officer (Nedra Kelaart)
Under the Global Talent Independent (GTI) program, the Department of Home Affairs (Department) has appointed Global Talent Officers (GTOs) in London, Shanghai, Singapore, and Washington DC to promote the program. They now perform this role from within Australia due to COVID-19. We are very fortunate to have one of the GTOs, Nedra Kelaart, answer some of our questions regarding the…
On 6 October 2020, the Australian Government is expected to announce its 2020/21 budget, which amongst other things, will include the planning levels for the migration programme year. Hannan Tew Lawyers (Hannan Tew) anticipates that along with a greater push for regional migration, innovation will feature heavily under the “skilled” stream of the migration programme year as part of a…
September 24, 2020
Can I apply for a Graduate Subclass 485 visa from outside Australia using the COVID-19 concessions?
The COVID-19 pandemic has been disruptive for all, including migrants and visa holders. Australia’s travel restrictions and the pandemic in general meant that a significant number of individuals had their eligibility for Australian visas removed due to factors outside of their control. On 19 September 2020, a suite of legislative amendments came into effect which, amongst other things, made certain…
September 10, 2020
New Priority Migration Occupation List & Labour Market Testing (LMT) Requirements (updated: 10 September 2020)
A new Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL) has been released today which will provide for priority processing of Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa applications for certain critical workers in the health care, construction and IT sectors. A new legislative instrument has also been issued which adds the requirement to advertise on the Government’s Jobactive website in addition to existing…
Accredited Sponsorship status is granted to those employers who meet specific criteria set out by the Department of Home Affairs (Department). Accredited Sponsors receive preferential treatment from the Department for a range of employer sponsored visas, including particularly the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Subclass 482 visa. This results in faster turn-around times and less scrutinised applications. What does sponsorship accreditation grant…
Having an unexpected visa refusal is always upsetting and stressful. Fortunately, for some visa refusals, there is an appeal mechanism for a “merits review” of the visa refusal. This means that an independent entity will review your application from fresh, while still having access to all the documents/information you previously submitted. Generally, visa refusals are appealed to the Migration and…