Australia National Innovation Visa (NIV 858): eligibility and requirements

Australia's National Innovation visa replaced the Global Talent visa in December 2024. It kept the same subclass number, 858, and the same core idea: permanent residency for people whose work is recognised at an international level. What changed is how Home Affairs decides who to invite and in what order.

What the visa gives you

It's a permanent visa from the day it is granted. You can live, work and study in Australia, include eligible family members in the application, and later apply for citizenship if you meet the residence rules. There's no employer sponsor and no points test.

The core eligibility criteria

The central test is that you have an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in a profession, a sport, the arts, or academia and research. Around that, applicants generally need to show that they:

• are still prominent in that field today, not only in the past
• would be an asset to the Australian community
• would have no difficulty finding work or becoming established in Australia in that field
• have a nominator who can attest to their record

The nominator

You need a completed Form 1000. The nominator must be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, an eligible New Zealand citizen, or an Australian organisation, and must have a national reputation in the same field as you. They are attesting to your record, so choose someone who actually knows your work.

A nomination by an Australian Government agency, or a State or Territory Government agency, carries extra weight. These applications sit second in the processing priority order.

How the process runs

1. Expression of Interest. You submit an EOI online. It is not a visa application, and it expires if you're not invited within two years.
2. Invitation. Home Affairs reviews EOIs against indicators of exceptional achievement and its published priorities, then invites candidates.
3. Visa application. You have 60 days from the invitation to lodge the full application with your evidence and Form 1000.
4. Decision. Applications are considered in the priority order set out in Ministerial Direction 120.

The priority order

Direction 120 tells decision makers which applications to consider first:

1. Global experts who have received top-of-field international awards
2. People nominated by an Australian Government, State or Territory agency
3. People with exceptional achievements in the tier 1 sectors: critical technologies, renewables and low emission technologies, and health industries
4. People with exceptional achievements in the tier 2 sectors: agri-food and ag-tech, defence capabilities and space, education, financial services and fintech, infrastructure and transport, and resources
5. Everyone else

Being outside the priority sectors doesn't make you ineligible. It usually means a longer wait and a higher bar for an invitation. We go through this in the priority sectors and EOI guide.

What counts as exceptional

Direction 120 lists factors that suggest top-of-field talent: a national research grant, a PhD with real academic influence, recent keynotes at major international conferences, international patents, and earnings at or above Australia's high income threshold, which is AUD 190,100 from 1 July 2026. It also says decision makers should not treat these as a checklist. Our evidence guide covers each one.

Cost

The visa application charge is set by Home Affairs and changes from time to time. Use the official visa pricing estimator for the current figure for you and your family. Budget separately for health checks, police certificates and translations.

Is it a fit for you?

It suits people with a clear international profile: researchers with strong publication records, founders who have raised serious capital or built companies with global reach, senior engineers in the priority sectors with patents or a public body of work, and people earning well above the high income threshold. If your recognition is mostly inside one employer, the UK Global Talent visa or the US O-1A may be a better starting point. Our Australia NIV page explains how we assess fit.

Official sources

Checked on 29 September 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm the current position on these pages before you pay or apply.

• Home Affairs: Subclass 858 National Innovation visa
• Home Affairs: Ministerial Direction 120 (priorities and assessment factors)
• Home Affairs: National Innovation visa Expression of Interest
• Home Affairs: Form 1000, nomination for a National Innovation visa
• Home Affairs: Visa pricing estimator
• Fair Work Ombudsman: High income threshold

Common questions

This guide is general information based on the official rules as they stood on 29 September 2026. It is not legal advice for your situation. Immigration rules and fees change, so check the official sources above or speak to us before you apply.