Subclass 858 — National Innovation visa

Eligibility snapshot

General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. The National Innovation visa (subclass 858) is a permanent visa aimed, in general terms, at a small number of individuals who hold an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in a field the Australian Government considers a priority. It replaced the earlier Global Talent pathway and is structured as a selective, invitation-only program rather than a visa anyone can lodge at will. At a process level, eligibility typically turns on a few broad ideas. First, a person registers their interest and is identified or assessed against the program's criteria; in many cases a nominator with standing in the same field is involved, depending on the priority category that applies. Second, the achievement claimed is expected to be genuinely high-level and recognised beyond a single employer or country. Third, an invitation must be received before any visa application can be made — being identified or expressing interest does not by itself create a right to apply or any expectation of a grant. Standard considerations that apply to most Australian permanent visas — such as meeting health and character requirements, and providing identity evidence — generally apply here as well, and family members can usually be included. The precise criteria, priority categories, eligible fields, and any nomination rules change over time and are set out on the official page. Because whether a particular background meets the threshold is highly fact-specific, a registered practitioner can advise on individual circumstances. Always check the official page for current requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Health examinations and character checks

The subclass 858 is a permanent visa, and applicants for permanent visas are generally asked to meet Australia's health requirement. This usually involves health examinations whose results are assessed by a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth against standards concerned with public health and with the cost and availability of health and community services. Family members included in an application may also need to be examined, and in some circumstances family members who are not migrating. Examinations are generally arranged after applying, once the Department requests them. Inside Australia they are booked through Bupa Medical Visa Services; outside Australia they are done by a departmental panel physician at an approved clinic. Applicants who had health examinations in the last 12 months might not need to repeat all of them. Applicants must also satisfy the character requirement, which is set out in the Migration Act 1958. As part of this, applicants are commonly asked to provide a police (penal clearance) certificate for each country, including Australia, in which they have lived for a total of 12 months or more over the past 10 years; this usually applies to applicants over 17, and each certificate generally needs to cover the period from age 16. Australian certificates are obtained through an Australian Federal Police National Police Check, and relevant criminal conduct generally needs to be declared. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Health insurance and Medicare

The subclass 858 is a permanent visa. The private-health-insurance conditions that attach to many temporary visas — such as visa condition 8501 and Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) — apply to temporary visa holders and students, not to permanent residents. Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) and OSHC are private products designed for temporary visitors and international students who do not have access to Australia's public Medicare system. Australia also has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with a number of countries, which can give visitors from those countries limited access to Medicare, though those arrangements have limits. Because these temporary-visa insurance conditions do not form part of the subclass 858 criteria, applicants are generally not required to hold OSHC or OVHC as a condition of this visa. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Visa Application Charge and other costs

Applicants for the subclass 858 pay a Visa Application Charge (VAC) to the Australian Government. As with other visas, the VAC is structured in instalments — a first instalment payable when the application is made, and, where it applies, a second instalment payable before the visa is granted. Either instalment can be nil for some visas. Where an application includes family members as additional applicants, an additional applicant charge is generally payable for each additional applicant. If a visa requires a sponsor or nominator, the sponsor or nominator may also be required to pay certain fees. The Visa Application Charge is separate from other costs an applicant may meet directly, such as health examinations and police certificates, and it is separate from any fee charged by a migration agent or an independent service. The exact current amounts are published on the Department of Home Affairs visa pricing table and are updated from time to time. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Timing, validity and processing

The subclass 858 is invitation-only. Applicants first submit an expression of interest (EOI), which generally stays in the system for two years, during which the Department may issue an invitation to apply. An EOI is not a visa application and does not by itself provide a bridging visa. After an invitation is issued, applicants generally have 60 days to complete and lodge the visa application. The Department has indicated this period cannot be extended, and that applications lodged without an invitation, or outside the specified timeframe, are not accepted. The subclass 858 is a permanent visa. Processing is prioritised under the skilled-visa processing arrangements set by Ministerial Direction, and indicative timeframes are published in the Department's global visa processing times guide; applications with lower priority may take longer than the published guide. Because health examination results are generally valid for about 12 months, their timing can also affect an application. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Visa conditions that generally apply

The National Innovation visa (subclass 858) is a permanent visa. As a permanent visa, it generally does not carry the ongoing Schedule 8 visa conditions that attach to many temporary visas. Holders can confirm the conditions recorded against their own visa at any time using the Department of Home Affairs' visa conditions tool or VEVO. Because it is a permanent visa, holders are generally not subject to the kinds of conditions that attach to visitor, student and many temporary work visas. For example, condition 8501 (holding adequate health insurance), condition 8503 ("no further stay"), condition 8558 (limits on time spent in Australia), and work or study limitation conditions are not generally imposed on this visa. Permanent residents can generally work and study without a condition restricting them. What the visa carries instead is a travel facility rather than a condition: holders can generally travel to and from Australia for 5 years from the date of grant. To re-enter as a permanent resident after that period, a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) is generally needed. Holders can confirm their current visa details and travel validity at any time using VEVO. General obligations still apply. Holders and their family members are expected to obey all Australian laws, and newly arrived residents may need to wait before they can access certain Australian Government payments and benefits. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Eligibility in detail

The National Innovation visa is a single permanent visa rather than one divided into formal streams. Applicants generally qualify through one of four broad areas of talent: a profession, a sport, the arts, or academia and research. This visa replaced the former Global Talent visa, which closed to new applications on 6 December 2024. It is invitation-only. Applicants generally first submit an Expression of Interest, and the Department decides whom to invite; applications are assessed and prioritised in line with Ministerial Direction 112. An invited applicant is generally asked to lodge within 60 days of the invitation, and an invitation is not itself a guarantee of grant. At the core, applicants are generally asked to show an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in their area, meaning superior abilities, international acclaim and a record of sustained achievement, and to still be prominent by remaining recently active with recent achievements. They are also generally asked to be nominated on a completed Form 1000 by a nominator with a national reputation in the same area, who is an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, an eligible New Zealand citizen, or an Australian organisation. Decision-makers also generally consider whether the applicant would be an asset to the Australian community, through economic, social or cultural contribution or by raising Australia's international standing, and whether the applicant could establish themselves by finding work or becoming independently established in their field in Australia without difficulty. Applicants can be any age, but those under 18 or aged 55 or over at the time of application are generally expected to show exceptional benefit to the Australian community. Applicants aged 18 and over are generally asked to have at least functional English, or to pay a second instalment charge instead. This visa has no points test, no skills assessment against an occupation list, and no employer sponsorship requirement. As with other permanent visas, applicants and relevant family members are generally assessed against health and character requirements, must have repaid any Australian Government debt, and (if aged 18 or over) sign the Australian Values Statement; immigration history such as a previous visa refusal or cancellation may also be taken into account. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Family members and life after grant

Applicants can generally include members of their family unit in the application, and can add family members at any time before a decision is made. If the applicant is under 18, they can generally only include their parents and members of that parent's family unit. Family members who apply generally need to meet the health and character requirements, whether or not they intend to come to Australia. Because subclass 858 is a permanent visa, a person generally becomes a permanent resident on the day of grant (or on entering Australia, if the visa is granted while offshore). Holders can generally live in Australia permanently and work and study without a condition restricting them. After grant, holders can generally enrol in Australia's public health scheme, Medicare, attend free English classes through the Adult Migrant English Program if eligible, and later sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia. Newly arrived residents may need to wait before accessing certain government payments and benefits. The visa allows travel to and from Australia for 5 years from the date of grant. After that period, re-entry as a permanent resident generally requires a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157). Holders can check their travel validity using VEVO. Holders who meet the requirements may later be eligible to apply for Australian citizenship; for citizenship purposes, permanent residence generally starts on the grant date (if the holder is in Australia) or the date of entry (if the visa was granted offshore). Holders and their families are expected to obey all Australian laws and to contribute in their area of expertise. New Zealand passport holders are generally advised to tell the border officer that they hold a subclass 858, so they are not instead granted a Special Category (subclass 444) visa, which is not permanent. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Refusals and merits review at the ART

Applications of this type are generally refused when the core criteria are not met. For example, refusals commonly follow where the evidence does not establish an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement, where an applicant is not shown to still be prominent in their area, or where the material does not show the applicant could establish themselves in their field in Australia. Procedural and integrity reasons also feature. The Department generally will not process an application that is lodged without a completed Form 1000 nomination attached, without a valid invitation, or outside the 60-day window after an invitation. Refusals can also arise from not meeting the health or character requirement, unpaid debt owed to the Australian Government, or concerns about the accuracy of information provided. If a decision is unfavourable, merits review may be available at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), which from 14 October 2024 replaced the former Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Migration decisions made under Part 5 of the Migration Act 1958 are generally reviewable, and the Department's decision letter states whether the particular decision can be reviewed and who is eligible to apply. Strict time limits apply to lodging a review and generally cannot be extended, so the deadline set out in the decision letter is important. An application fee applies: the ART lists AUD 3,727 for migration decisions made under Part 5, with a 50% reduction available in cases of financial hardship, and a partial refund may apply in some circumstances, such as where the review is successful. This information is factual and general and is not a prediction about any individual case. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Costs and charges in detail

The figures below are Australian Government charges, together known as the Visa Application Charge (VAC). They are separate from any fee that a migration agent, lawyer or service platform may charge. The base application charge for the main applicant is AUD 6,235.00. Each family member who applies attracts an additional applicant charge: AUD 3,120.00 for an applicant aged 18 or over, and AUD 1,560.00 for an applicant under 18. The Department lists no non-internet application charge and no subsequent temporary application charge for this visa. A second instalment of the VAC, AUD 4,890.00, may apply for any applicant aged 18 or over who has less than functional English. It is requested only when the Department is going to grant the visa, and an applicant may choose to pay it instead of providing evidence of functional English. VAC amounts are generally non-refundable and are subject to change, as charges are typically reviewed each July. From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens and their family members. The Visa Pricing Estimator gives an indicative total but does not include the second instalment or other costs. Beyond the VAC, applicants generally also meet other departmental and third-party costs, such as health examinations, police certificates and biometrics. These are paid to the relevant providers and are separate from the VAC and from any service or platform fee. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.