Highlights
- The Global Talent visa is one of the quickest pathways to permanent residency in Australia
- There are 15,000 spots this calendar year for highly skilled migrants from 10 future-focused sectors, however, the pandemic and travel restrictions have significantly reduced demand for most visas
- The government has been giving processing priority to Hong Kong SAR passport-holders
She told SBS Chinese that to her surprise, her application via this pathway was processed and approved within four months.
The prospect of having an Australian permanent residency application placed ahead of the long queue of visa hopefuls seemed too good to be true for Hori Leung, an IT project manager from Hong Kong.
In fact, when the Global Talent Visa Program – one of the quickest pathways to Australian permanent residency - was first launched two years ago, she glanced over the details without giving them a second thought.
“These things seemed out of reach to me. It seemed like they were pitching for experts with experience giving presentations at international forums or published research papers.
“It felt like you needed to have made scientific achievements, or the equivalent of it, in order to apply.”
One advantage of the Global Talent Visa Program is the applicant’s immediate family are also able to travel as a unit to Australia. Source: Hori Leung
But after failed attempts after going down the traditional skilled migration and company-sponsored visa routes, Ms Leung discovered she was not far off the mark under the Global Talent scheme - otherwise known as the Global Talent Independent visa (GTI).
“I used ICT [internet and communication technology] to apply. This was one of the 10 target sectors at the time. Afterwards, I think this sector was taken off the list.”
Ms Leung first heard about the pathway in June last year when 15,000 places were made available in the 2020/21 financial year.
The same number of spots are available in the 2021-2022 year.
In August, she submitted her expression of interest (EOI) letter to the Department of Home Affairs.
“I received a reply from authorities three to four days later, asking me to start the next stage – finding a referee. In short, I submitted the EOI letter in August and my visa was approved in December.
Global Talent Visa Program, grants by sector as at 31 March 2021. Source: Department of Home Affairs
All up, it was a process that took four months. If I had applied via the traditional method, the skilled visa route, it may have taken nine months to get a reply. So, the GTI is much quicker than other visas.
Ms Leung says her application was processed “particularly fast”.
“The government had launched the GTI program in 2019 and I had applied for it in 2020 when perhaps there weren’t that many applications.
“My case was particularly helped by the government’s announcement that it would give processing priority to applicants from Hong Kong.”
The scheme has been touted as a pathway for Hongkongers fleeing China’s crackdown on dissent while luring the best and brightest from the island looking for a new place to call home.
The strict criteria of the pathway requires applicants to have the ability to attract an annual salary of more than $153,600.
For the 2020-21 Migration Program as of March 31, the Department of Home Affairs had provided 6886 Global Talent visas.
A spokesperson from the department told SBS Chinese: “Australia’s Migration Program is set annually as part of the Federal Budget process and takes into account Australia’s changing economic, labour, and social cohesion needs.”
Global Talent Visa Program outcomes as at 31 March 2021. Source: Department of Home Affairs
“The Skill stream will continue to focus on visa categories that will help Australia’s economy rebound from COVID-19, with priority given to visa cohorts that drive economic growth, job creation and investment into Australia, including: The Business Innovation and Investment Program; Global Talent Program; and Employer-Sponsored Program,” the spokesperson added.
“There will be continued flexibility within the Skill stream to respond to uncertain health, border and economic conditions arising from COVID-19.”
Prior to applying for the GTI, the path to visa approval for Ms Leung was a frustrating one.
Hori and her family now live in Sydney. Source: Hori Leung
At first, she applied using the most common method – the skilled migration visa - and submitted an EOI letter to immigration four years ago.
“But I didn’t hear back [from authorities] because maybe I didn’t have enough points.”
She also tried getting her employer to sponsor her visa, but the process was stalled due to the pandemic.
I became pretty disheartened by this stage.
That is when Ms Leung’s immigration lawyer suggested she apply for the Global Talent visa.
A Home Affairs representative said the Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce has been established to “help transform Australia into a more powerful magnet for exceptional talent and marquee enterprises”.
“The Taskforce is focused on future-facing industries that can inject the greatest value into the Australian economy and the broader community, including advanced manufacturing, health and life sciences, financial services (including fintech), energy, renewables and resources, the circular economy, agrifood, cybersecurity, defence, space and infrastructure.”
Growth in online lodgements for the permanent visa program: 2014-15 to 31 March 2021. Source: Department of Home Affairs
Ms Leung initially believed the threshold for the GTI visa was very high.
However, she had accumulated experience in ICT project management and business analysis.
She says she was considered a network and communication technology professional.
The application process was not as difficult as she first imagined.
Ms Leung believes the pandemic has been a “blessing in disguise” for her migration pathway.
Had she been successful with the skill migration visa and the pandemic been worse, her job could have been unstable.
“I would have had to go back [to Hong Kong] in an instant.
“Or had I successfully worked in Australia for several years, I would have still [eventually] needed to ask the company to sponsor my permanent residency.”
Option two would have been gaining an employer-sponsored visa.
Ms Leung had been working in the Hong Kong office of a Brisbane-based business consultancy firm who was willing to sponsor her Australian work visa.
“The company were very interested in me and were hoping I could get to Australia as soon as possible.”
Hori Leung applied for a Global Talent visa as a ICT project manager. Source: Hori Leung
But the pandemic changed everything.
“Everyone started feeling a little uncertain. Jobs weren’t stable and the company felt there were too many unknowns.”
Now settled in Sydney with her family since June, Ms Leung accepts that her fate could have been very different.
Under the traditional visa routes, she would have arrived in Australia alone – potentially separating her from her family when borders closed due to the pandemic.
The advantages of the GTI scheme are members of the applicant’s immediate family are also able to travel as a unit to Australia.
The applicant is also not tied to a certain location or employer.
“This visa has given me the greatest freedom.”
