Overview
The Distinguished Talent visa (Subclasses 124 and 858) is a permanent visa for those who are internationally recognized and have outstanding and exceptional achievements in an eligible field. Applicants must also be nominated by an eligible nominator. The application fee for the main applicant is AUD 4,110.* Additional charges will apply to each family member included in the application. These fees do not include other costs such as medical tests and police certificates.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be internationally recognized and have outstanding and exceptional achievements in one of the following four areas:
- a profession
- a sport
- the arts
- academia and research
- Being outstanding and exceptional means that applicants must be currently prominent, be better than others in their field, be acclaimed in any country that the field in practiced, and have achievements that sustain in the future. Also, the field should be recognized in Australia and internationally.
- Applicants must show that they will be capable of contributing to the Australia’s economic, social, cultural, academic, artistic, or sports standing
- Applicants must show they will have no difficulty in finding work, or becoming independently established in their field in Australia.
- Applicants must be nominated by an Australian citizen or permanent resident, an eligible New Zealand citizen, or an Australian organization with a national reputation in their area of talent.
- Applicants can be of any age, but if they are under 18 or 55 and above they must be of outstanding benefit to the Australian community.
- At the time of application, you and other applicants over the age of 18 must provide proof of at least Functional English (IELTS score of 4.5 or equivalent), otherwise, you will be asked to pay extra charge.
- You and your family members included in your application must meet the health and character requirements.
- You must not have any outstanding debt to the Australian Government.
- You might not be eligible for this visa if you have had your visa cancelled or a previous visa application refused while you were in Australia.
- Applicants applying for subclass 858 will not be granted this visa if they hold one of the following visas when they apply:
- Business (Short Stay) visa (subclass 456)
- Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601)
- eVisitor (subclass 651)
- Maritime Crew Visa (subclass 988)
- Special purpose visa
- Superyacht Crew visa (subclass 488)
- Temporary Work visa (subclass 400)
- Tourist visa (subclass 676)
- Visitor visa (subclass 600)
As an applicant for this visa
- If applying for subclass 124, you can be in or outside Australia when applying for the visa, but you must be outside Australia for the visa to be granted.
- If applying for subclass 858, you must be in Australia when you apply for the visa and when it is decided.
- You can include members of the family unit in the application when you lodge the visa application or after that but before your visa is decided on.
- When lodging your application, you must provide supporting evidence for your claims.
As a holder of this visa
- You can stay permanently in Australia and live, work, and study anywhere in the country.
- You can benefit from Medicare, the Australia’s public health insurance scheme.
- You can sponsor your eligible relatives to apply for permanent residency.
- You can sponsor your relatives to come to Australia.
- You are allowed to travel in and out of Australia as many times as you want for 5 years.
- Newly arrived residents may need to wait to be eligible for certain Australian Government payments and benefits.
- If eligible, you can apply for and become an Australian citizen.
* Fees were true at the time of compiling this document, but they are subject to change. Please contact us for the latest updates on this visa.
Note: All documents should be originally in English or officially translated into English.
Please note that the above content is for general information only and must not be taken as immigration or travel advice. The content was up-to-date at the time of the last update but being current and accurate cannot be always guaranteed due to the frequent changes in immigration law. Please contact us for advice and information on the latest immigration laws in Australia.
Source: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
Access: 18 September 2020