Global Talent Visa Australia — Now the National Innovation Visa (Subclass 858)

There is no occupation list — here's what replaced it

A specific, common search is "global talent visa Australia occupation list," and the direct answer is that one does not exist for this visa, and never has in the way it does for the points-tested skilled visas. The National Innovation Visa (and the Global Talent program before it) was never built around a list of eligible occupations checked against the ANZSCO code. It's built around invitation by priority tier and sector, assessed on the strength of your individual record. If you're looking for your job title on a list, that's the wrong framework for this visa — the right question is which of the four priority tiers below your profile fits into, and whether your achievements are strong enough within it to be invited.

The four priority tiers, and who needs a nominator

Invitations under the EOI system are issued against four priority tiers, and whether you need a nominator depends entirely on which tier you fall into.

**Priority One** — exceptional candidates from any sector: genuinely global experts and recipients of top-of-field international recognition (the kind of profile that includes major international prizes). No nominator or Form 1000 is required; these candidates are identified and invited as soon as they're recognised.

**Priority Two** — candidates nominated on Form 1000 by an expert Australian Commonwealth, State, or Territory government agency. The nominator must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, eligible New Zealand citizen, or an Australian organisation acting through the relevant agency, and completes the nomination on your behalf. Priority One and Two candidates are invited as soon as they're identified, rather than waiting for a periodic round.

**Priority Three** — exceptional and outstanding achievement within a Tier One sector: Critical Technologies, Health Industries, or Renewables and Low Emission Technologies. These three sectors currently receive the largest share of invitations of any priority group.

**Priority Four** — exceptional and outstanding achievement within a Tier Two sector, a broader set of nationally significant industries outside the Tier One list. Priority Three and Four candidates are invited on a periodic (broadly monthly) basis rather than immediately.

An EOI does not require Form 1000 unless you're specifically applying for consideration under Priority Two — most applicants submit their EOI on the strength of their own evidence and are assessed against Priority One, Three or Four.

What counts as a Tier One sector

The three Tier One sectors driving most Priority Three invitations are Critical Technologies (spanning advanced ICT, advanced manufacturing and materials, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, biotechnology, clean energy generation and storage, cyber security, quantum technology, photonics, and robotics/positioning/sensing technology), Health Industries (antimicrobial resistance, AI in health, biochemistry and cell biology, biotechnology, genomics, infectious disease prevention, pharmaceuticals and precision medicine, and therapeutic manufacturing), and Renewables and Low Emission Technologies (clean energy technology, emission reduction and carbon storage, green metals, critical minerals processing, renewable hydrogen, renewable energy generation and storage, and waste-to-energy). Critical Technologies alone typically accounts for roughly half of all invitations issued in a given period, well ahead of Health Industries and Renewables. If your work sits outside these three but is still nationally significant — finance, agrifood, education, advanced digital services and similar — you are assessed under the broader Priority Four (Tier Two) sector, which receives fewer invitations per round than Tier One.

How the EOI, invitation and application sequence works

The National Innovation Visa runs in three stages, and you cannot skip ahead. First, you submit an Expression of Interest through the Department's online EOI form, setting out your achievements, sector, and (if applicable) your Priority Two nomination. An EOI is not a visa application and does not, by itself, give you any right to be in Australia or any assessment outcome. Second, the Department reviews EOIs against the priority tiers and invites the strongest profiles — Priority One and Two candidates as they're identified, Priority Three and Four candidates in periodic invitation rounds. There is no guarantee of invitation regardless of tier; recent invitation numbers relative to EOI volume show the process is genuinely competitive even within Tier One sectors. Third, only once invited can you lodge the Subclass 858 visa application itself, which requires a full evidence file and (outside Priority One) the relevant nomination. Because eligibility to even apply depends on being invited, the quality of the EOI — the specific, verifiable evidence of international or national prominence you present up front — is what determines whether you progress at all.

The income requirement

A National Innovation Visa case needs to show your skills and record place you at a level where you would be expected to earn at or above the Fair Work high income threshold — $190,100 for the 2026–27 financial year (this threshold is indexed and republished each 1 July, so check the current figure before relying on it). This is a capacity test, not a condition that you already hold an Australian job paying that amount: acceptable evidence includes your current salary converted to AUD, benchmark Australian salaries for comparable roles in your sector, an Australian employment offer or contract if you have one, and your salary trajectory over your career. Academics and researchers whose institutional salary sits below the threshold can still meet this requirement on the strength of a strong publication and citation record, since the test is about your market value, not your current pay slip.

Evidence that actually moves an EOI

Because there's no occupation list or points test, the entire case rests on documented evidence of international or national prominence, matched to your sector. For research and academic profiles: citation counts and H-index, publications in top-tier journals, competitive research grants, keynote invitations, and editorial or peer-review roles. For technology and business: granted or filed patents, meaningful equity outcomes or exits in venture-backed companies, C-suite or VP-level roles at recognised organisations, board appointments, and industry awards. For Tier One sector applicants specifically, evidence that ties your achievements directly to the sector's own language (for example, naming the specific critical technology or health domain you work in) tends to align more clearly with how the Department frames Priority Three assessment. A migration agent experienced with this visa's current EOI structure — as opposed to the old Global Talent process — is worth using specifically to map your evidence against the current tiers rather than the pre-2024 sector list.

What you get on grant, and what the process doesn't tell you upfront

Grant of the Subclass 858 remains direct permanent residence — there is no provisional stage and no second-stage fee, which is the single biggest structural advantage this visa has kept from the old Global Talent program. What the Department does not publish is a fixed, subclass-wide processing time in the way it does for points-tested visas, because the real variable is the EOI-to-invitation wait, which differs by priority tier and is not guaranteed at all. If your profile is a clear fit for Priority One or Two, that stage moves quickly; if you're relying on Priority Three or Four, expect to wait through periodic invitation rounds and to compete against a genuinely strong applicant pool, particularly in Critical Technologies. Migratio is Australia's marketplace for finding and comparing MARA-registered migration agents — if your case sits in a specialised sector, matching with an agent who has actually built EOIs under the current NIV structure is more useful than one who worked the old Global Talent occupation-style approach.

National Innovation Visa vs points-tested and employer-sponsored pathways

It helps to place this visa against the other permanent pathways it's often compared with. The points-tested Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) requires an occupation on the relevant skilled list, a positive skills assessment, and a competitive points score, with an invitation round system of its own — a completely different assessment logic from the NIV's priority tiers. The Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) requires an actual job and an approved employer sponsor, which most NIV-eligible applicants don't need to already have. The National Innovation Visa sits apart from both: no occupation list, no points test, and (outside Priority Two) no employer or agency needed to sponsor you — what it demands instead is a genuinely strong, well-documented record of achievement that a case officer can verify independently. If your profile doesn't clear that bar, the points-tested or employer-sponsored routes remain the more realistic pathway, and there is no cost to preparing an EOI in parallel with exploring those alternatives, since an unsuccessful or unanswered EOI does not count against you elsewhere.

Form 1000 and who can act as a nominator

For Priority Two specifically, the nomination is made on Form 1000 — Nomination for National Innovation Visa — by an expert Australian Commonwealth, State, or Territory government agency, not by a private individual or employer. This is different from the Priority One pathway, which needs no nomination at all, and different again from the general description some older material still gives of "a distinguished individual or peak body" nominating any applicant — that broader nominator description matches the pre-2024 Global Talent structure more than the current NIV priority framework. If an agent or adviser is telling you that any well-connected industry figure can nominate you under Form 1000, confirm against the Department's current guidance for your specific priority tier before relying on it, since this is exactly the kind of detail that changed in the 2024 transition.

Is the Global Talent visa still available in Australia?

Not under that name. The Global Talent (Independent) program was replaced by the National Innovation Visa (NIV) on 7 December 2024. The visa subclass number, 858, is unchanged, and applicants who started under the Global Talent name are in the right place — it's the same visa, now run under the NIV's invitation-based priority tiers.

What is the occupation list for the Global Talent / National Innovation visa?

There isn't one. Unlike points-tested skilled visas, this visa was never built around an ANZSCO occupation list. Eligibility is assessed against four priority tiers (exceptional global achievers, government-agency nomination, Tier One sector, Tier Two sector) based on individual evidence of prominence, not a job title on a list.

How long does the National Innovation Visa (858) take to process?

There is no single published processing time, because the real variable is the wait for an invitation after your Expression of Interest, which depends on your priority tier. Priority One and Two candidates are invited as soon as they're identified; Priority Three (Tier One sector) and Priority Four (Tier Two sector) candidates are invited in periodic rounds and face real competition, particularly in Critical Technologies.

What is the income threshold for the National Innovation Visa?

You need to show your record and skills place you at or above the Fair Work high income threshold, which is $190,100 for the 2026–27 financial year and is indexed on 1 July each year. This is a capacity test based on your career trajectory and comparable Australian salaries, not proof that you currently hold an Australian job paying that amount.

Do I need a nominator for the National Innovation Visa?

Only if you're seeking Priority Two consideration, which requires nomination on Form 1000 by an expert Australian Commonwealth, State or Territory government agency. Priority One (exceptional global achievers) and Priority Three/Four (Tier One or Tier Two sector applicants) do not require a nominator or Form 1000.

What are the Tier One sectors for the National Innovation Visa?

Critical Technologies, Health Industries, and Renewables and Low Emission Technologies. These three sectors currently receive the largest share of invitations of any priority tier, with Critical Technologies alone typically accounting for around half. Sectors outside this list are assessed under the broader Priority Four (Tier Two) category.

Is the National Innovation Visa a permanent visa?

Yes. Subclass 858 is granted as direct permanent residence with no provisional stage and no second-stage application or fee — the same structure the Global Talent visa used before the December 2024 changeover.