National Innovation Visa (Subclass 858): The Visa That Replaced Global Talent

What changed on 6 December 2024

The amending regulations (F2024L01416) commenced on 6 December 2024. Their Explanatory Statement lists four changes: the Global Talent (Class BX) visa was renamed the National Innovation (Class BX) visa; applicants must now be invited in writing by the Minister before they can make a valid application; the internationally recognised record of achievement in the application must be the same as the one stated in the invitation; and references to the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Global Business and Talent Attraction were repealed (the Explanatory Statement notes the position had been vacant since 2020 and fewer than five visas had been granted through it).

The subclass number is still 858, and the visa is still permanent. What disappeared is the ability to lodge an application on your own initiative: Schedule 1 item 1113 now makes an invitation, and lodging within the period stated in it, a validity requirement. An application made without one is not a valid application.

What happened to people who had already applied for Global Talent

The amendments apply only to applications made on or after 6 December 2024. The Explanatory Statement says existing Global Talent applicants continue to have their applications assessed under the criteria in force when they applied, and that the change does not affect their work rights or their ability to apply for citizenship or other permanent visas.

They are not outside the queue, though. Home Affairs states that Ministerial Direction No. 120 sets the processing order for three groups under subclass 858: National Innovation visa applications, former Global Talent applications and former Distinguished Talent applications. If you lodged a Global Talent application before 6 December 2024 and it is still undecided, the criteria are the old ones, but the order in which it is picked up is the current Direction's.

Who the visa is for: the legal test

There is no occupation list for this visa, and there was none for Global Talent either. Instead of an ANZSCO code, clause 858.212 of Schedule 2 asks whether you have an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in one of four areas: a profession, a sport, the arts, or academia and research. You must also still be prominent in that area, be an asset to the Australian community, and be able to obtain employment or become established independently in Australia in that area without difficulty.

Age is not a bar, but Home Affairs states that an applicant under 18 or aged 55 or over when they apply must be of exceptional benefit to the Australian community. If you currently hold, or last held, a subclass 491 or 494 provisional visa, Home Affairs says you must have held it for at least 3 years when you apply. A separate ground in clause 858.212(4) covers people who have given specialised assistance to the Australian Government in matters of security; it needs advice from the relevant Minister or the Director-General of Security rather than a Form 1000.

The invitation priority order

Home Affairs issues invitations and processes applications in the order set by Ministerial Direction No. 120. Its National Innovation visa priorities page lists four tiers, with priority one the highest:

• Priority one: exceptional candidates from any sector who are global experts and recipients of international 'top of field' level awards.
• Priority two: candidates from any sector nominated on the approved Form 1000 by an expert Australian Government agency, or a State or Territory Government agency.
• Priority three: candidates with exceptional and outstanding achievements in a Tier One sector: critical technologies; renewables and low emission technologies; health industries.
• Priority four: candidates with exceptional and outstanding achievements in a Tier Two sector: agri-food and AgTech; defence capabilities and space; education; financial services and FinTech; infrastructure and transport; resources.

The page also says an invitation does not mean Home Affairs has pre-assessed your eligibility. Once you lodge, the application is assessed on its own evidence. These tiers are policy set by Direction, not text in the Regulations, so they can change without a regulation amendment; read the current page before you prepare an EOI.

The income indicator: the Fair Work high income threshold

The Regulations do not set a salary figure. The employment criterion in clause 858.212(2)(d) is that you would have no difficulty obtaining employment, or becoming established independently, in Australia in your area.

Home Affairs does publish an income benchmark as one of its indicators of exceptional and outstanding achievement: current earnings, or a written offer of employment from an Australian employer, at or above the Fair Work high income threshold. That threshold is indexed every 1 July. It was $183,100 for 2025-26 and is $190,100 a year from 1 July 2026 (Victorian Government Solicitor's Office summary of the 1 July 2026 Fair Work changes). Treat it as an indicator Home Affairs considers alongside others, not a pass mark: an applicant can earn more than it and not be invited, and the Regulations do not make it a requirement.

Other indicators Home Affairs lists

The priorities page gives examples of evidence it treats as exceptional and outstanding achievement, without limiting itself to them:

• international top-of-field awards (the page names, among others, Nobel Prizes, the Fields Medal, the Turing Award, the Pulitzer Prize and an Olympic gold medal);
• national-level research grants, such as Australian Research Council grants or equivalent grants from the UK, the EU or the US National Science Foundation;
• a PhD with high academic influence, for example recent publications in top-ranked journals, a high h-index for career stage (the page's example is an early-career researcher with an h-index of 14), or a research degree from a university in the Times Higher Education top 100;
• keynote appearances at high-profile international conferences and recognised intellectual property such as international patents;
• earnings at or above the Fair Work high income threshold, as above.

The Home Affairs listing page also mentions supporting statements from peak bodies, memberships of advisory boards, Academic Level D or E appointments and international media coverage. Whatever you claim in the EOI has to be the record you rely on in the application, because the achievements must match the invitation.

Step by step: EOI, invitation, application

1. Expression of Interest. You lodge an EOI through Home Affairs with evidence against the criteria. An EOI is not a visa application and gives you no visa or bridging visa. Home Affairs says an EOI stays active for 2 years; if you are not invited in that time it expires.
2. Invitation. Home Affairs may invite you in writing, in the priority order above. There is no guarantee of an invitation. If invited, you receive a unique reference to use when applying.
3. Application. You must apply within the period stated in the invitation; the Home Affairs listing page currently says 60 days. The application must include a completed Form 1000 signed by your nominator (unless you are applying on the security-assistance ground). You can be in or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance. If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or a Bridging A, B or C visa.
4. Assessment and grant. Every applicant must meet the health and character requirements, including family members in the application whether or not they travel with you. Home Affairs does not publish a fixed processing time for subclass 858; its visa processing time guide shows times for recently decided applications.

Form 1000 and who can nominate you

Form 1000 is the Nomination for National Innovation visa. Schedule 1 item 1113 makes it a validity requirement when you apply under clause 858.212(2). The nominator attests to your record and must have a national reputation in the same area as you. They must be one of: an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, an eligible New Zealand citizen, or an Australian organisation. Home Affairs states that all relevant questions on the form must be answered and the nominator must sign it.

A nomination by an expert Australian Government agency, or a State or Territory Government agency, is what places a candidate in priority two, so the choice of nominator affects where you sit in the queue as well as whether the application is valid.

What it costs from 1 July 2026

The visa application charges in Schedule 1 item 1113 of the Migration Regulations (compilation 288, in force 1 July 2026) are:

• First instalment, main applicant: AUD 6,235.
• Each additional applicant aged 18 or over: AUD 3,120.
• Each additional applicant under 18: AUD 1,560.
• Second instalment: AUD 4,890 for each applicant aged 18 or over who is assessed as not having functional English, payable only before grant. Applicants covered by subclause 858.321(3), (3A) or (4) pay nil.

From 1 July 2026 a lower first instalment applies where the main applicant holds a passport from a Pacific-regional country: AUD 5,110 base charge, AUD 2,560 for each additional applicant 18 or over and AUD 1,280 for each under 18. Health examinations, police certificates, translations and professional fees are separate. Charges are reviewed every 1 July, so check the Visa Pricing Estimator before you pay.

What the visa gives you

Subclass 858 is granted as permanent residence with no provisional stage. Home Affairs lists the entitlements as: staying in Australia permanently, working and studying, enrolling in Medicare, sponsoring eligible relatives, travelling to and from Australia for 5 years from grant, and applying for citizenship once eligible. After the 5-year travel period, you need a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter as a permanent resident. Newly arrived residents may wait before they can receive some Australian Government payments.

National Innovation Visa compared with the 189 and 186

The points-tested Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) needs an occupation on the relevant list, a positive skills assessment and at least the 65-point pass mark. The Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) needs an approved employer and a nominated position. The National Innovation Visa needs none of those, but it needs an invitation, a Form 1000 nominator with a national reputation in your field, and a documented record a case officer can check independently. If your profile is strong but not top of field, the points-tested or employer-sponsored routes are usually the ones to compare. For the size of the overall talent category in the 2026-27 Migration Program, see our explainer on the Talent and Innovation category.

Migratio is Australia's marketplace for finding and comparing MARA-registered migration agents. For an EOI under the current priority order, look for an agent who has prepared National Innovation EOIs since December 2024, not only Global Talent applications; agents reply with their consultation fee, typically $150 to $300, before you book.

Is the Global Talent visa still open in Australia?

No. The National Innovation Visa replaced it for applications made on or after 6 December 2024. The subclass number, 858, is the same, but you now need a written invitation before you can lodge a valid application.

I applied for Global Talent before 6 December 2024. What happens to my application?

It is assessed under the criteria in force when you applied, according to the Explanatory Statement for the 2024 amendments. Home Affairs states that Ministerial Direction No. 120 sets the processing order for former Global Talent applications as well as National Innovation applications.

What is the income threshold for the National Innovation Visa?

The Regulations do not set one. Home Affairs lists earnings, or an Australian job offer, at or above the Fair Work high income threshold as one indicator of exceptional achievement. That threshold is $190,100 a year from 1 July 2026 (it was $183,100 in 2025-26). It is an indicator, not a pass mark.

How much does the National Innovation Visa cost in 2026?

From 1 July 2026 the first instalment 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. A second instalment of AUD 4,890 applies to each applicant aged 18 or over assessed as not having functional English. A lower first instalment of AUD 5,110 applies to holders of a Pacific-regional country passport.

Which sectors does Home Affairs prioritise?

Under Ministerial Direction No. 120, priority one is global experts with international top-of-field awards and priority two is candidates nominated by an expert Australian, State or Territory Government agency, both from any sector. Priority three covers Tier One sectors (critical technologies; renewables and low emission technologies; health industries) and priority four covers Tier Two sectors (agri-food and AgTech; defence capabilities and space; education; financial services and FinTech; infrastructure and transport; resources).

How long does an EOI last, and how long do I have to apply once invited?

Home Affairs says an EOI stays active for 2 years and then expires if you have not been invited. Once invited, you must apply within the period stated in your invitation; the Home Affairs listing page currently states 60 days.

How long does the National Innovation Visa take to process?

Home Affairs does not publish a fixed figure. Its visa processing time guide shows times for recently decided 858 applications. The wait for an invitation is separate and not guaranteed, because an EOI is not an application.