Why has the Government reduced the quota for the Global Talent visa? What does that mean for GTI candidates?
We speculate that the Department of Home Affairs has reviewed the number of global talent visa grants and the number of grantees who have migrated to Australia under the program and are onshore now. They won’t be able to tell whether those who are onshore are actually working / contributing to the target sectors post visa grant, but at least they would be able to see how many are actually working and living in Australia. Perhaps the number of onshore 858 visa holders is disappointing.
Whatever the rationale is behind it, the government has reduced the quota substantially in the October migration planning levels. Nevertheless, the quota for 2022/23 is on par with the pre-COVID quota for the global talent programme (2019/2020).
This means only the more / most exceptional and truly outstanding candidates will be invited to apply for the global talent visa. We can expect that the GTI programme will only become more and more competitive and the level of evidence required to substantiate claims of international achievement will increase.
We also note that Ministerial Direction 100 provides that the global talent visa will no longer be processed on a priority basis, with the government giving priority to general skilled migration (particularly with those occupations in education and healthcare sectors); as well as employer nominated visa programmes (particularly for accredited sponsors and those who are in designated regional areas).
However, our interpretation is that although the global talent visa application processing won’t be fast-tracked, as long as the candidate had received an invitation, there is still a very strong chance they will be granted the global talent visa, provided they are able to demonstrate their achievements will be prominent and current at the time of the visa processing (despite of the passage of time).
If you are concerned about how the reduction in GTI quota will impact you, whether you’re a prospective candidate, have been invited, or have already applied for the visa but awaiting an outcome, please get in contact with us for further assistance.