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.

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?

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Rebrand to “Move to South Australia - Skilled + Business Migration”

https://www.migration.sa.gov.au/ now has a new look.

We noticed that Immigration South Australia has changed its name to Move to South Australia.

Move to South Australia has updated its criteria for interim 491 and 190 nominations to support and prioritise South Australia’s economic recovery and public health response. 

Today it has been announced by Immigration SA that they have received a limited allocation from the Department of Home Affairs for GSM 491 visa and 190 visa nominations and Business/Investment visa nominations. 

The Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs introduced a new program in 2019 to boost the movement of highly skilled individuals from around the world to Australia.

This includes a fast-tracked pathway to Australian permanent residency for applicants with globally recognised talent in a target sector.

This is one of the first programs of its type where Australia is actively hunting talented people and asking them to come to Australia.

This is an older article. Click here to learn the criteria for the Global Talent Visa

The Visas for Innovation include the following three programs:

1. Global Talent Visa program (subclass 858 visa)

A pathway for talented individuals to get an Australian visa fast

2. Global Talent Employer Sponsored program (Temporary Skills Shortage visa, Subclass 482 visa)

A program helping Australian businesses fill unique positions with the best workers

3. Supporting Innovation in South Australia pilot (subclass 408 visa)

Attracting entrepreneurs to regional Australia to undertake their projects in a supported environment - this pilot program ends November 2021

Each of these programs uses a new pathway for an old visa.

These new pathways are seeking to increase the Australian workforce capabilities in high-tech industries.

Up to 15,000 places will be offered in the Global Talent program in 2021-22.

Global Talent Independent Visa (GTI) (subclass 858 visa)

NOTE: the Global Talent Independent Visa was renamed the "Global Talent Visa" in 2020.

The benefits of the Global Talent Independent Program is that it is fast, flexible and straight-to-PR. Find out why the GTI is so popular here.

It presents a great opportunity for a highly-skilled professional in a high-growth area to move to Australia permanently.

The Global Talent scheme was launched 4 November 2019 and is built on the existing Distinguished Talent program, comprised of:

• Offshore Distinguished Talent visa (subclass 124)
• Onshore Distinguished Talent visa (subclass 858)

Fast Processing

At the Law Council's Immigration Law Conference on 20 March 2020, respresentatives from the Department of Home Affairs stated that applications under the GTI program are being given priority processing. Processing times vary from 2 day to 2 months with many being decided in one to two weeks!

Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs (as he then was) David Coleman has also signed Direction no 85 to give high priority to GTI applications as they are considered to be highly desireable by the Government.

GTI Requirements

1. Highly skilled in one of the identified target “high-growth” sectors:

2. One of the following:

• “Ability to attract” a salary at or above the Fair Work High Income Salary Threshold (this varies each financial year and is AUD158,500 as at 01 July 2021) or
• Recent graduate of PHD or a Masters program who received high grades.

The program is designed to have global talent officers situated around the world in capital cities such as Dubai, New Delhi, Santiago, Shanghai, Washington DC, Berlin and Singapore.  These officers are seeking to attract and engage highly skilled individuals to the program to move to Australia and bring their skills with them.

Currently there are allocated 15,000 places in the GTI program which are up for grabs so if you’re a leader in your field, make sure you get your place to move to Australia.

Watch our video: Fast Track to Australian PR Now: GTI visa for Tech and IT sectors

High-Growth Fields

Agricultural Technology (AgTech)

AgTech is one of the fields identified for the Global Talent Independent Program.

Australia is looking to push the boundaries of “Agriculture 4.0”.

Growth through the Internet of Things (IOT) has been identified as an area for further explanation, with big advantages to flow for the agriculture industry.

https://www.austrade.gov.au/news/success-stories/agtech-in-australia-driving-iot-connectivity-for-farming

Financial Technology (FinTech)

FinTech is a growing field worldwide, including in Australia.

We have seen the rise of a range of:

• Modern banks such as Up, Xinja and 86,400
• Investing platforms such as Raiz, eToro and Spaceship
• Payment platforms and digital financial products, including AfterPay
• Regtech and many many other FinTech products in Australia

To develop cutting edge technologies which will function in not only the Australian financial market, but which can be exported to overseas markets, Australian FinTech startups and companies need the highest level of talent.

If you are a developer, computer scientist or financial expert with a background in FinTech, a permanent move to Australia through the GTI program could be the way to go.

Experience and skills in blockchain are especially sought after.

Medical Technology (MedTech)

There is innovation globally in the medical technology field, using technologies both existing and developing.

From a range of industries to create technologies that better serve the health needs of patients.

In Australia, there are big opportunities in developing new and better medical devices, implants and bionics.

There is work to be done in designing, building and quality assurance on new implants and body augmentations

to help those with serious health problems to live a better life.

Key foundation competencies are needed in engineering and product design in the MedTech field.

Cyber Security

Cyber Security is very important to many businesses and government Departments, ensuring that data, personal information, commercial information and funds remain secure.

With more and more connections to the internet and a growing number of attacks on private and public bodies, new Cyber Security solutions are needed and there are more positions in Australia than can be filled. 

Energy and Mining Technology

Australia has a rich and varied history of energy, mining and resources industries.

There is room for further development in mining equipment, technology and services (METS).

Global talents are being sought who can bring skills to Australia to push the METS industry even further.

The CSIRO have released a roadmap for where they see development of METS heading.

Space and Advanced Manufacturing

South Australia has recently been set up as the home for the new Australian Space Agency and space industry entrepreneurs will benefit greatly from this.

There are a range of interesting startups already underway, looking at microsatelites and other services in the space and space-adjacent industries.

Applicants who have experience working with the development of sensors, advanced materials, robotics and augmented/virtual reality systems

will have skills which are highly valuable.

One of the advantages of operating in Australia, especially in the advanced manufacturing industry, is the access to nearby asian countries.

Timezones, close proximity and existing networks make Australia a positive environment.

If you are a global talent in the advanced manufacturing industry, this program might be a suitable way for you to obtain a permanent Australian visa

and work for an established company or establish your own.

Quantum Information/Advance Digital/Data Science and ICT

There is a lot of research taking place in advanced computational systems and the field of “big data”.

There is demand for high level talent with experience and aptitude in the area to make big breakthroughs.

Global talents are sought by universities, government research organisations and private industry to develop and apply quantum information/advance digital/data science and ICT.

Global Talent Employer Sponsored (GTES) (TSS subclass 482 visa)

The GTES is an option for businesses to sponsor highly skilled workers who do not fit neatly into atarget sector. It has been open for applications since 1 July 2018.

We have previously written about this in depth here: https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/all/new-global-talent-visa-as-part-of-tss-482-to-attract-entrepreneurs-to-australia.html

A number of big tech and adjacent industry names are already registered as sponsors for this program (all current agreements are published here: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/sponsoring-workers/nominating-a-position/labour-agreements/list-of-current-labour-agreements)

These include:

• Atlassian
• Goldman Sachs
• Canva
• Amazon
• Pfizer

One of the big benefits of this program is the skills which highly skilled individuals can pass on to their colleagues in Australia.

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/high-skilled-visa-scheme-promises-residency-within-weeks-20191102-p536vt

There are two streams for the GTES program:

• Established Business stream
• Startup stream

Supporting Innovation in South Australia (SISA) (subclass 408 visa)

The SISA program is a new stream for the 408 visa and an opportunity for entrepreneurs to develop their new idea in South Australia.

This program has actually been in force since November 2018. We wrote about this soon after its release here: New South Australian Entrepreneur Visa (SISA) Processing Times & Requirements

Success Stories

One success story is Daniel Tan, the founder of Pencil Rocket who has obtained a SISA visa in connection with ecosystem provider Flinders New Venture Institute.

You can read Daniel’s story here: https://www.nviflinders.com.au/daniel-sisa-visa/

Another is Pascal, founder of Jobspottr: https://www.nviflinders.com.au/pascal-sisa-visa/

Sources

• https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/visas-for-innovation
• https://www.migration.sa.gov.au/resources/faq/supporting-innovation-in-south-australia-sisa
• https://www.nviflinders.com.au/daniel-sisa-visa/
• https://migration.sa.gov.au/entrepreneur/eligibility-criteria-and-requirements

This article was written by Luke Edwards

Visit Luke's profile to find out more his expertise.