Checklist
Apply From
You can be inside or outside Australia to submit an EOI or lodge a valid application for this visa.
Age
You must be under 18 and 55 years of age.
If you are under 18 years old or you are aged 55 years or older when you apply, you must be of exceptional benefit to the Australian community.
English Proficiency
Unless you have a passport from the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada or New Zealand, you must provide evidence of functional English.
There are many ways to demonstrate functional English such as sitting an English exam: IELTS (overall Band 4.5 or more) or PTE (score of 30 or more).
Alternatively, if you elect to pay additional Visa Application Charges of $4890 then English language requirements do not apply to you.
Similarly, no English language requirements apply for any primary applicant who is under 18 at the time of application.
Target sectors
You must be a highly skilled worker in one of the ten target sectors for this visa, namely:
Resources;
Agri-food and AgTech;
Energy;
Health industries;
Defence, advanced manufacturing and space;
Circular economy;
Digitech;
Infrastructure and tourism;
Financial services and FinTech;
Education
Talent
At the EOI stage, the Department will assess your talent based on the documents you have submitted for the EOI. To be invited to apply for the Distinguished Talent visa, you must:
prove you are internationally recognised with evidence of outstanding achievements
still be prominent in your field of expertise
provide evidence that you would be an asset to Australia, in your area of expertise
have no difficulty obtaining employment in Australia or becoming established in your field
have a recognised Australian organisation or individual in the same field endorse you as global talent
You are expected to meet a high standard and show an exceptional track record of professional achievement. Some examples of this include senior roles, patents, professional awards and international publications and memberships.
High income threshold
You should have the ability to attract a salary at or above the Fair Work high income threshold of AUD153,600.
The Department will assess this by considering:
your current salary shown through payslips or a contract, or
future job offers outlining remuneration or
exceptional academic qualifications for PhD graduates in target sectors
Educational Qualification Requirements
There are no minimum educational qualification requirements for this visa if you meet the high income threshold.
Places are also available to recent PhD graduates who have completed their studies in the last 3 years who can demonstrate their exceptional talent and international recognition.
PhD students in their final 6 months of submitting their thesis are also eligible.
Nominator
You must be nominated by an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, an eligible New Zealand citizen, or an Australian organisation with a national reputation in your field.
Your nominator will endorse your achievements and international standing. They are not required to provide you with employment in Australia.
You can approach peak bodies in your field of expertise to nominate you. For example, Australian Computer Society (ACS) can nominate you for GTI visa under a number of target sectors.
You can change your nominators after teh EOI stage, however this is not possible once you have lodged your visa application.
If you are unsure of how to find a nominator, we can help you. Fill out the contact us form below and we'll get in touch with you within 24 hours.
Skills Assessment
You do not need a positive skills assessment to be eligible for this visa.
Dependents
You can add family members including your spouse and any dependent children.
If you are under 18, you can also include a parent or that parent's dependents.
Health Exams
You will be notified to undertake the health examinations after lodging your Distinguished Talent visa application successfully. When you are requested to undergo medicals, you will be provided with a HAP ID and a list of where the appointment can be undertaken.
You must pass health exams for the Distinguished Talent visa to be granted.
From 14th November 2020, there is now an option to waive health requirement for the main applicant and dependants.
Police Clearance
You will be notified to provide police clearances from all the countries/regions where you have been residing for over 12 months (included) cumulatively in the past 10 years.
Since the processing time for obtaining police clearances in some countries/regions can be very long, it is best to apply for these as soon as you lodge your visa application.
You must not have a substantial criminal record.