Today, 10 September 2020, the interim nomination allocations for 190 visa, 491 visa, 132 visa and 188 visa for 2020 for the different state nomination programs have been released.

In the past few weeks, some Australian states and territories have opened for state nomination with limited places. There is a big focus on nominating applicants with 'critical skills' to help Australia's economic recovery post-COVID.

The Australian Government has announced that they have created a new taskforce, the “Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce”, to bring business and skills to Australia.

This was announced on ABC News, and repeated by Minister Tudge in a tweet this morning (5 September 2020).

The Shepparton news reported that Peter Dutton told Nine News "It's OK that we've got support in place at the moment with JobKeeper and JobSeeker - that's fine and that's a good thing - but to get to the next stage we need to have investment."

Click here to learn the criteria for the Global Talent Visa

Minister Tudge placed heavy emphasis on the benefit of this Taskforce for Australian employment opportunities in his interview with ABC AM earlier this morning. It will combined efforts of:

• AusTrade
• State governments
• The Department of Home Affairs

The AFR has reported that the Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce will be led by Peter Verwer, previously the boss of the Property Council of Australia.

A working target for the Government is 1,000 or so such businesses.

Global Business and Talent Attraction: A new pathway to Australian permanent residence?

Along with the new The Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce comes a new webpage.

The main focus of the new Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce appears to be targeting the Moby Dicks of the business world, attracting very large businesses to be the next Atlassian or Canva.

As a whole of Government approach, the target businesses are likely to received prioritised processing and higher service standards than applicants through other pathways.

We expect that the announcement of the Taskforce will lead to an increased focus on the Global Talent Independent visa, as well as continued focus on the business and investment visa programs, such as the 188 visa and 132 visa. The Global Talent Employer Sponsored program is likely to be a key to helping these businesses fill labour needs where Australians are not available to fill the roles.

Expression of Interest for Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce

While the Global Talent Independent visa Expression of Interest is still available, the Government has released a new expression of interest for The Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce. The new expression of interest is more open-ended and does not indicate any strict requirements.

Benefits of the Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce

The Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce is intended to provide:

• Faster and easier access to Australian permanent residency
• More hands-on support for (prospective) migrants
• Advice and information to assist with the migration process
• One direct contact who will assist in liaising with several areas of Government to provide a "whole of Government" package

Requirements for the Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce

The Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce has indicated it is looking for:

• Top tier business leaders
• Globally talent professionals 

The new taskforce has not indicated any clear requirements.

The expression of interest does not request any income or salary details and does not have a list of target sectors to choose from.

As such, the Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce appears to be more open-ended than the Global Talent Independent visa program, which has 7 key target sectors and requires a salary (or potential salary) of AUD $153,600.

For businesses, it has been indicated that there will be a focus on "high yield businesses". We expect that this might include businesses such as:

• Consulting businesses
• Marketing businesses, including digital marketing
• IT and software development businesses
• Corporate and professional services businesses
• Financial businesses

This also indicates that the Department will be less interested in "high capital" businesses, such as manufacturing businesses.

Hong Kong and Global Talent - Where will the centre of Asia Business Be?

The Australian Government in many of its announcements has indicated a strong intention to attract business and talent from Hong Kong to move to Australia.

Hong Kong has been a key hub of business and trade in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Australia seems to be looking to strengthen its position as such as hub in its own right, by attracting key players from Hong Kong to Australia.

Sydney, Australia has been highlighted as one of the top 10 cities for business in Asia Pacific. It is likely that this will continue to be a focal point for businesses looking to set up headquarters in Australia.

Other recent Global Talent visa initiatives

There are a range of recent initiatives already put in place by the Australian Government to attract and retain global talent. These are likely to form a part of the Taskforce’s initiatives to bring business and skills to Australia.

Global Talent Independent Visa

The Global Talent Independent visa is a thriving category which has been seeing more attention in recent months.

Established in November 2019, it has a yearly allocation of 5,000 positions to attract global talent to Australia from the following target sectors:

• AgTech
• Space and Advanced Manufacturing
• FinTech
• Energy and Mining Technology
• MedTech
• Cyber Security
• Quantum Information, Advanced Digital, Data Science and ICT

This forms a part of the 3 visa products highlighted for global talent attraction.

A recent FOI disclosure indicated that 100% of 38 visa applications for global talent from offshore were approved, and that there were 144 onshore 858 visa approvals out of 162 lodgements. It is not clear exactly what period of the program these statistics relate to.

Global Talent Employer Sponsored

A substantial, but less talked-about program is the Global Talent Employer Sponsored program. This program might support the labour needs of the big businesses which the Australian Government is hoping to attract to Australia with the new Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce.

South Australia pushing for Innovation and Global Talent

South Australia has identified itself in the Australian market as a strong contender for business innovation and headquarters for Hi-Tech developments. There are several programs pushing to develop this further.

Key Growth Sectors for South Australia

South Australia has a number of significant industries which, while many have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, will continue to be important to the growth of South Australia going forward.

These include:

• Tourism
• International education
• Defence industry
• Food, wine and agribusiness
• Hi-Tech
• Health and medical industries
• Energy and mining
• Space industry
• Creative industries

SISA 408 Visa - Supporting Innovation in South Australia

The Supporting Innovation in South Australia stream of the 408 visa is a program specifically designed to encourage innovative businesses operating in South Australia.

It is a temporary visa program for those looking to run businesses in South Australia, with a key focus on the following fields:

• Defense and Space
• Cybersecurity, big data, digital and blockchain
• Food, wine, and ag. Tech
• Health and medical technology
• Robotics
• Media and film

A key benefit of the program is the involvement of innovation hubs and the Chief Entrepreneur.

Lot Fourteen

Lot Fourteen is a business and innovation hub located on North Terrace in the middle of Adelaide CBD, South Australia.

As an innovation hub, Lot Fourteen is home to a range of businesses operating in the growth areas highlighted above. 

A key feature of Lot Fourteen is the Australian Space Agency which opened at Lot Fourteen in February 2020.

Do you need help?

Our team of experienced Immigration Lawyers and Migration Agents look forward to assisting you with your Australian visa or appeal.

Based in Adelaide South Australia, we provide Australian Immigration advice to people and businesses from all over the world.

If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:

(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The world is changing quickly and to keep up with it, we have some updates for you on the Global Talent Independent visa.

Click here to learn the criteria for the Global Talent Visa

Effects of Coronavirus on GTI visa

Processing Times for Global Talent Visa

The Global Talent Independent program has been held up as the fastest way to get a permanent visa in Australia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing the Expression of Interest processing times slowing down for some applicants. This seems to be especially the case for applicants who are applying from outside of Australia.

This may be due to the Department prioritising Global Talents who are already inside Australia.

What impacts Global Talent visa processing times?

There are a number of factors which might be contributing to current processing times.

The Department's priorities for global talent visa processing are set out in Direction No. 85.

This specifies that for distinguished talent applications, they are to be considered in the following order:

1. Priority 1 (the following are equal in priority):
   1. You have an Australian job offer paying higher than the $158,500 Fair Work High Income Threshold, or
   2. You are currently earning more than the $158,500 Fair Work High Income Threshold
   3. You can show that you are likely to attract a salary greater than the $158,500 Fair Work High Income Threshold
2. Priority 2:
   1. All other distinguished talent applications

The Department has indicated in its information that "likely to attract" can be shown in a number of ways, including through high grades (80% or higher) in a recent higher level qualification (Honours, Masters, PhD).

Priority for Hong Kong Candidates?

In its announcements to support Hong Kong SAR passport-holders, the Department has included references to the Global Talent Independent visa. It seems that the Department of Home Affairs will be prioritising GTI visa applications (even more so than the normal priority given to GTI) for Hong Kong SAR passport-holders.

Australian Computer Society (ACS) Nominations

We are still waiting on further information from the ACS regarding their nomination process.

We have recently been updated that ACS will nominate those who have been invited through the Expression of Interest process.

If you are looking to be nominated by ACS under one of their target sectors, read more about the process by clicking here.

We look forward to having further updates on this soon.

How can Work Visa Lawyers help?

Work Visa Lawyers can help you with all steps in the Global Talent Independent visa application process, including with applications for nomination from the ACS.

Our team of experienced Immigration Lawyers and Migration Agents look forward to assisting you with your Australian visa or appeal.

Contact us on (08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Book an appointment with one of our experienced Immigration Lawyers and Registered Migration Agents here.

Sources

• https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/all/global-talent-independent-visa-video.html
• https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/services/global-talent-distinguished-talent-visas.html
• https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/all/why-the-australian-global-talent-independent-visa-is-so-hot-right-now.html
• https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/all/acs-nomination-global-talent-visa.html
• https://www.sbs.com.au/news/how-a-little-known-visa-program-could-be-the-answer-for-hongkongers-hoping-to-move-to-australia

If you are interested in applying for a subclass 491 or a subclass 190 visa, you will need to be nominated by an Australian state or territory. At present, all the states and territories in Australia are closed for new nominations. This is because the Federal Government has not yet announced the quota for the program 2020-21 year.

The subclass 190 and subclass 491 visas are point-based visas, requiring visa applicants to have a minimum of 65 points, plus be nominated by an Australian State or Territory. 

With the significant decrease in migration numbers in the coming year, obtaining state/territory nomination is more competitive than ever. States and territories are more likely to nominate high quality applicants, especially those working in essental occupations to assist with post-COVID recovery. While you wait for state nomination applications to re-open, you may want to work on increasing your points to increase your chances of getting a nomination.

There is no indication for when nomination applications will be accepted again, therefore it is imperative that you have all your documents ready to lodge an application as soon as possible. Some states may work on a 'first come, first served' basis, as such, being prepared to apply for nomination as soon as applications are open may work in your favour.

In this article, we give you 4 tips to improve your chances of getting state nomination. 

In this video, we are joined by Scott Johnston from Swoosh English to give us an insight into the popular International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and Pearson Test of English (PTE) tests, including some helpful tips and tricks to get the best English results.

If you are interested in English tutoring from Swoosh, please use our affiliate link: https://go.swooshenglish.com/pass-ielts?fpr=wvl-ielts

If you have any questions about English requirements for migration purposes, please feel free to contact us: -

Phone: (08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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