Australia’s National Innovation Visa (NIV) – Subclass 858 is designed to attract talented entrepreneurs, researchers, and business people from around the world to contribute to the country’s innovation-driven economy.

The NIV is an Australian permanent residency visa for internationally recognised individuals with exceptional talent. If the applicant receives nomination for the NIV from a state or territory, their chances of getting invited for the National Innovation Visa increase.

South Australia and New South Wales have now published their criteria for the National Innovation Visa (NIV) – Subclass 858, previously known as the Global Talent Visa.

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Why State Nomination Can Help You Secure a National Innovation Visa Invitation Faster

If a state or territory nominates you, you will have a better chance of being invited for the National Innovation Visa.

Under Ministerial Direction 112, those nominated by a state receive the second-highest priority. The highest priority is for those considered as global experts and international prize winners, such as Nobel Prize recipients.

The South Australian criteria include being able to demonstrate benefit to the South Australian economy and the ability to create jobs.

National Innovation Visa – South Australia State Nomination Criteria

South Australia is open, meaning you can apply for state nomination.

The South Australian criteria include the opportunity to provide evidence of current employment in South Australia, or a job offer with a salary at or above the Fair Work High Income Threshold (AUD).

The document checklist also includes the option of a support letter from a South Australian State Government agency referring you to submit a National Innovation Visa Registration of Interest (ROI) application.

So, having connections to South Australia is an advantage.

South Australia also rules out some types of investment activities, including cafés and restaurants, consulting firms, franchises, and buying existing businesses as these are not considered as ‘innovative’

South Australia has a Registration of Interest system (ROI). If your application progresses, you will be contacted by South Australia. 

 
Their assessment process will include a panel interview of candidates.

National Innovation Visa – New South Wales State Nomination Criteria

The New South Wales criteria focus strongly on demonstrating benefits to New South Wales.

• For the Entrepreneur Pathway – New South Wales wants "innovative and scalable business ventures with high growth potential for NSW".

• For the Investor Pathway – New South Wales wants "innovative ventures, contributing to their success and the growth of the innovative ecosystem in NSW".

New South Wales will have their own seven-stage Expression of Interest (EOI) process. 
This will include, in stage 4, New South Wales seeking independent expert endorsement.

The New South Wales Government recently gave a presentation where they explained what the NIV is not for:

• Not for passive investment

• Not part of the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP)

• Not for vague or unsubstantiated ideas

Practical Considerations

For those seeking state nomination, the NIV will now be a 3-stage process:

1. State Nomination

2. Department of Home Affairs (DHA) Expression of Interest (EOI) – then, if invited

3. Visa application

Which State is Best for NIV Nomination?

The short answer: if you have a proven business track record or a collaboration lined up in a state, then that is the best state for you.

If you don’t have an existing relationship or collaboration with a state, it’s the perfect time to begin making that connection.

Complete our FREE National Innovation Visa assessment, where we can check your eligibility or contact us for more information. 

We will share more updates on the NIV soon, including the nomination allocations for the new financial year once they are  released.

Share this blog if you know someone who is highly talented and who will be a good fit for the National Innovation Visa

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Sources: 

https://www.migration.sa.gov.au/news-events/national-innovation-visa-nominations-open-high-performing-individuals

https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/images/PDF/National_Innovation_Visa_Criteria_NSW.pdf

From 1 July 2025, income thresholds for skilled visas will increase by 4.6%, in line with updates to the Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE). These changes deliver on commitments outlined in the Australian Government’s Migration Strategy and reflect recommendations from the Migration Review.

This annual indexation ensures that wages for skilled migrants grow in step with Australian earnings—helping to prevent skilled migration from being used to undercut local workers.

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Updated Income Thresholds (Effective 1 July 2025)

Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT)

• Current: $73,150

• New CSIT (from 1 July 2025): $76,515

• Applies to nomination applications for the Core Skills stream of the Skills in Demand (subclass 482 Visa) and Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visas.

Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT)

• Current: $135,000

• New SSIT (from 1 July 2025): $141,210

• Applies to the Specialist Skills stream of the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482 Visa).

Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT)

• Current: $73,150

• New TSMIT (from 1 July 2025): $76,515

• Applies to the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa (subclass 494 Visa).

Important Note:

For nomination applications lodged on or after 1 July 2025, employers must offer a salary that meets or exceeds the new threshold or the annual market salary rate —whichever is higher.

These changes do not apply to:

• Existing visa holders, or

• Nominations lodged before 1 July 2025.

High Income Threshold Updates

The High Income Threshold will also raise from 1 July 2025:

• Current: $175,000

• New High Income Threshold (from 1 July 2025): $183,100

The High Income Threshold is one of the factors that may be used to assess the applicant's exceptional and outstanding achievements.

The High Income Threshold may also be used if the applicant for sc-186 Visa - Temporary Residence Transition stream is over 45 years old and claiming for an age exemption.

Contact our team at Work Visa Lawyers for tailored advice and assistance.

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Sources: 

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/news-media/archive/article?itemId=1308

https://www.fwc.gov.au/about-us/news-and-media/news/increase-application-fee-2025-26

National Innovation Visa and State Nomination SA, NSW and QLD

The National Innovation Visa (NIV), previously known as the Global Talent Visa, is an Australian permanent residency visa for internationally recognised individuals with exceptional talent. 

South Australia and New South Wales have now published their criteria for NIV nominations.

Queenlsand has made industry presentations about the development of their framework.

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Why State Nomination Can Help You Secure an NIV Invitation Faster!

If one state or territory nominates you, you ​w​ill have a better chance to be invited for the National Innovation Visa. 

​Under Directon 112, those nominated by a state get the second highest priority. The highest priority is for international prize winners, such as the Nobel prize. 

For a further breakdown of the priorities see our information page on NIV.

Three Stage Process

State nominations being open mean for many NIV applicants this will involve a three-stage process:

1. Obtain State Nomination (Completed form 1000 and letter/statement of support)
2. Submit Expression of Interest to the Department of Home Affairs; and
3. If invited, submit Visa application for NIV.

Which State is Best for NIV Nomination?

The short answer, if you have a proven business track record or a collaboration lined up in a state, then that is the best state. If you don’t have an existing relationship or collaboration with a state, it’s the perfect time to begin making that connection.

Below is a quick comparative table of the frameworks of the states who have announced their criteria:

For a detailed summary of the abovementioned State’s nomination process refer to our information page on NIV.

When Can I Apply?

South Australia nominations are open now, meaning you can apply right not for their state nomination.

New South Wales nominations are anticipated for July 2025.

Interested in Applying?

Having successfully assisted hundreds of applicants for the Distinguished Talent and Global Talent visas, we are now helping clients with the latest talent-focused visa—the National Innovation Visa.

If you’re interested in applying for the National Innovation Visa, we encourage you to contact us. You can also complete our free assessment to determine your eligibility for an invitation.

Complete our free NIV assessment so our team can provide you with a free evaluation of your eligibility.

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Stay Updated!

We will share more updates on the NIV soon, including the nomination allocations for the new financial year once they are released.

Share this article if you know someone that is highly talented.

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It has been hard to know how the National Innovation Visa (NIV) has been going since it started in December 2024.

There have been a lot of questions and speculations as to how difficult it is to get an invitation considering the factors mentioned in Ministerial Direction No 112. Is it harder to get an invitation for the NIV compared to the Global Talent Visa?

When there is a lack of intormation sometimes the best thing to do is an Freedom of Infomatoin request to the Australian Government.

We thought of asking the Department of Home Affairs, how many Expressions of Interest (EOIs) have been submitted and how many have received an invitation since the introduction of the National Innovation Visa?

How Many EOI submitted for the NIV so Far?

We received a response from the Department regarding our request and the Department advised that as on 21 March 2025 they have received a total of 3510 NIV EOIs and they have issued a total of 70 NIV invitations.

Only 70 invitations for the National Innovation Visa since December last year. That seems like a low number!

Which means that only about  2% have received an invitation.

The top 3 priority sectors are:

1. Critical technologies with 834 EOIs received;
2. Health Industries with 554 EOIs received; and
3. Financial Services and FinTech with 372 EOIs received.

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Here are the Most Invited Sectors!

The top 3 sectors of those who got invited were:

1. Critical technologies – 23 invitations;
2. Health Industries – 23 invitations; and
3. Renewables and low emission technologies – 9 invitations.

We recently received an invitation to apply for the National Innovation Visa for one of our clients who worked in the Health Industries sector. Please check our Instagram video for more information about the invitation.

Check your own sector in the FOI results here:
https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/images/National-Innovation-Visa-Updates-FOI.pdf

More Details on the Most Successful NIV Sectors:

Critical Technologies

Critical technologies are those technologies that were identified by the Australian government which can impact Australia’s national interest including the country’s economic prosperity, national security and social cohesion. These include the fields of:

• advanced manufacturing and materials technologies
• artificial intelligence (AI) technologies
• advanced information and communication technologies
• quantum technologies
• autonomous systems, robotics, positioning, timing and sensing
• biotechnologies
• clean energy generation and storage technologies.

Health Industries

Health Industries is not just any person working in Health. They are looking for specialisations such as:

• antimicrobial resistance
• artificial intelligence in health
• biochemistry and cell biology
• biotechnology
• genomics
• emerging health threats and emergencies
• health economics
• implantable and wearable devices
• infectious disease prevention
• pharmaceuticals and precision medicine
• medical science manufacturing for therapeutic products.

Renewables and low emission technologies

They are looking for the following specialisations:

• bio-methane production
• circular economy innovations
• clean energy technology
• emission reduction and carbon storage
• green metals
• low-carbon liquid fuels
• processing and refining of critical minerals
• renewable energy generation
• transmission, distribution or storage
• renewable hydrogen
• Waste to Energy (WtE) technology.

It is not surprising that the top sectors are Critical technologies, Health Industries and FinTech as in addition to EOI candidates who work in these sectors there are also a number of Digitech talents who have specialisations in these sectors who can submit an EOI under these sectors now that pure Digitech has been removed as a priority sector.

Why are the Invitations So Low for the NIV?

However, despite having the third highest EOIs received, there are no invitations extended in the Financial Services and FinTech sector. This could be because this sector is a Priority four Tier 2 sector.

It is also interesting to note that there are less than 5 invitations extended to those in the arts and less than 5 invitations for those in the sports. As Arts and Sports are not included in any priority sectors those that got the invitation would have been ‘recipients of international ‘top of field’ level awards.’

The Global Talent Visa and the National Innovation Visa are allocated 4,000 places for the 2024-2025 Financial Year. 

As there are less than 3 months left before the end of the current financial year and some of the places are already used up by the Global Talent Visa applicants, there are not a lot of places left and most of the EOI candidates can expect to wait longer to see if they will get an invitation.

Next Big Opportunity for the NIV New Allocations from 1 July 2025:

The next allocation for the NIV will be from the 1 July 2025.  This will be a big opportunity because the Global Talent Visa is now shut.  So all the allocations from the 1 July 2025 will need to go to the NIV.

So there is a strong incentive to get your EOI for when the new allocations open from the 1 July 2025, to give you the best chance of getting an invite.

Try Our Free Assessment for the National Innovation Visa Here:

If you want to check  your eligibility for the NIV, we have a free assessment tool on our website - https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/services/national-innovation-visa/free-niv-assessment.html

Getting the information from the Department is useful. It provided us with some insight regarding the popular sectors and it is good to know that invitations are still being issued even if there are just a few at the moment.

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Learn more about the National Innovation Visa: 

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/national-innovation-visa-858

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/visas-for-innovation/national-innovation-visa

Since the Department of Home Affairs released the new National Innovation Visa (NIV), replacing the Global Talent Visa in December 2024, we have been receiving many inquiries about this new visa.

The National Innovation Visa is a permanent residency visa designed for exceptionally talented individuals from around the world, including global researchers, entrepreneurs, innovative investors, athletes, and creatives.

We have a service page and a YouTube video explaining more about the National Innovation Visa and also offer a free assessment on our website, where our team can provide you with an evaluation of your eligibility.

In this blog we will discuss some of the main questions we are receiving about the National Innovation Visa. 

Who is eligible to apply for the National Innovation Visa?

Applicants must demonstrate exceptional and outstanding achievements in one of the targeted sectors, such as critical technologies, education, health, energy, infrastructure and transport, or research or has exceptional and outstanding achievements in sports or the arts.

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How is the process to apply for the National Innovation Visa?

High-talent individuals must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the Department of Home Affairs and obtain a nomination from an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or organization. If the applicant receives an invitation, they can apply for the National Innovation Visa.

Is there an age limit for applicants to apply for the National Innovation Visa?

There is no age limit to apply for the National Innovation Visa. However, applicants under 18 or over 55 may need to demonstrate how their work will provide exceptional benefit to Australia.

Do I need a job offer to apply for the NIV?

A job offer is not necessarily required. The focus is on the applicant's achievements and potential contributions to Australia. However, having a job offer in Australia for a job that has a salary equal to or more than the Fair Work High Income Threshold will help.

Do I need a nominator? 

Yes. You need a nominator to attest to your achievements and expertise. The nominator can be a state or territory government, an Australian company, or an Australian citizen or permanent resident who is also an expert in your field. 

Check out our blog for tips on how to find a nominator for the National Innovation Visa.

What are the visa costs for the National Innovation Visa?

The visa application fee for the main applicant of the National Innovation Visa in the 2024-2025 financial year is AUD 4,840. For dependents over 18 years old, the visa fee is AUD 2,425, and for dependents under 18 years old, the visa fee is AUD 1,210.

The fees increase every new financial year. 

Additional costs, including translation for documents, police clearances, medical exams, and immigration lawyers or agents’ fees, may apply as extra expenses.

What are the English language requirements?

Applicants aged 18 years or older must demonstrate at least 'Functional' English, which is 4.5 in IELTS and 30 in PTE. If this requirement is not met, a second visa application charge applies.

Can I bring my family with me?

Yes, the visa allows applicants to include immediate family members, such as spouses and dependent children, in their application.

What is the processing time for the visa?

Processing times vary based on the complexity of the application and the applicant's specific circumstances. If it follows the same processing time as the Global Talent Visa, the visa will likely take between 6 to 12 months to receive a decision.

How can we assist you in applying for the National Innovation Visa?

If you have any questions about the new National Innovation Visa, please complete our free assessment available on our website so we can assess your eligibility. 

You can also book an appointment with one of our lawyers or registered migration agents to discuss your situation. 

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