Eligibility Quiz
Requirements
Core Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for the National Innovation Visa, you must meet all of the following:
1. Internationally Recognised Record of Exceptional and Outstanding Achievement
You must demonstrate exceptional and outstanding achievement in one of four eligible areas:
- A profession
- A sport
- The arts
- Academia and research
The Department defines this as having superior abilities and achievements to others in your area, being acclaimed as exceptional in any country where your area is practised, and having a record of sustained achievement unlikely to diminish in the near future.
Evidence of exceptional achievement may include:
- Prestigious international awards (Nobel Prize, Breakthrough Prizes, L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science, Turing Award, ACM Prize in Computing)
- Top-tier sports or arts awards (Olympic Gold medal, Pulitzer Prize, Booker Prize, Laureus World Sportsman/Sportswoman of the year)
- National-level research grants in Australia or equivalent from other countries
- Research-based PhD from a top global university
- Recent publications in top-ranked journals
- High h-index relative to your career stage
- Keynote appearances at high-profile international conferences
- Connections with Commonwealth, State or Territory-based innovation hubs
- International patents for cutting-edge products or technological advancements
- Demonstrated track record of supporting successful innovative ventures
- Leading internationally reputed companies to Initial Public Offering (IPO)
- Current earnings or employment offer at or above the Fair Work High Income Threshold (approximately AUD 183,100 per year for 2025-26)
- Professional designations such as Academic Level D or E professors or lead research fellows
- International media coverage of your achievements
You must provide compelling evidence that places you among leaders in your field, not simply as a qualified professional.
2. Nomination Requirement
You must be nominated by a person or organisation with a national reputation in your same area of talent. Eligible nominators are:
- An Australian citizen
- An Australian permanent resident
- An eligible New Zealand citizen
- An Australian organisation
Important: For the Expression of Interest stage, nominators are not required for Priority Group 1 and Priority Group 3/4 applicants. They are mandatory only for Priority Group 2 (government-nominated candidates) at the EOI stage and for all applicants at the formal visa application stage.
3. Continued Prominence
You must remain active and prominent in your field, demonstrating recent exceptional achievements. Your accomplishments cannot be historical—you must show ongoing excellence.
4. Asset to the Australian Community
You must demonstrate you would be an asset to the Australian community. Contributions may be:
- Economic (creating jobs, driving innovation, attracting investment)
- Social or cultural
- Raising Australia's academic, artistic, or sports standing internationally
5. Ability to Establish in Australia
You must demonstrate you would be able to find work or become independently established in your area of expertise in Australia without difficulty. Evidence may include:
- Letters from Australian organisations showing future employment or business opportunities
- Qualifications or experience gained during previous residence in Australia
- Employment or business background demonstrating capacity to establish
6. Fair Work High Income Threshold
While not a strict requirement, you are expected to demonstrate current earnings or the ability to attract salary at or above the Fair Work High Income Threshold (approximately AUD 183,100 per year for 2025-26).
7. English Language Requirement
If you are 18 years or older, you must provide evidence of at least functional English. Functional English is defined as:
- IELTS: Overall 4.5 (average of all bands)
- OET: Pass
- TOEFL, PTE Academic, or Cambridge: Equivalent scores
If you do not meet functional English, you can still apply but must pay a second instalment of the visa application charge (approximately AUD 4,890).
8. Age Considerations
There is no strict age limit. However, if you are under 18 or 55 years or older, you must demonstrate exceptional benefit to the Australian community, such as:
- Making exceptional contributions to the Australian economy
- Creating employment opportunities for a large number of Australian residents
- Driving research development and innovation in sectors of national importance
- Enhancing Australia's global standard in an important area
9. Health and Character Requirements
You and family members aged 16 years and over must meet health and character requirements, including:
- Health examination from an approved panel physician
- Police clearance certificates from every country where you spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16
10. Australian Values Statement
If you are 18 years or older, you must read the Life in Australia booklet and sign an Australian Values Statement.
11. No Prior Visa Cancellation or Refusal
You must not have a history of visa cancellation or application refusal, though in some circumstances you may still be eligible.
Priority Sector System
The National Innovation Visa operates under Ministerial Direction 112, which establishes a four-tier priority system. Your sector affects your processing speed:
Priority 1 – Global Award Winners and Top Experts Recipients of top international awards (e.g., Nobel Prize, Olympic gold medals) or global experts in any sector. These applicants are invited immediately once identified.
Priority 2 – Government-Nominated Candidates Candidates nominated by expert Australian Commonwealth, State or Territory Government agencies. These applicants are invited immediately once identified.
Priority 3 – Tier 1 Sector Achievers Exceptional achievers in critical priority sectors:
- Renewables and Low Emission Technologies
- Health Industries
- Critical Technologies
These applicants are reviewed and invited monthly.
Priority 4 – Tier 2 Sector Achievers Outstanding talent in secondary priority sectors:
- Resources
- Infrastructure and Transport
- Financial Services and FinTech
- Education
- Defence Capabilities and Space
- Agri-food and AgTech
These applicants are reviewed and invited monthly.
Applicants in Tier 1 sectors have a significant advantage over those in Tier 2 sectors in terms of processing speed and invitation likelihood.
Conditions & Warnings
Highly competitive: as of December 2025, only 3.4% of EOIs received invitations and 0.9% resulted in visa grants. The vast majority of applicants will not be invited.
EOIs cannot be edited or withdrawn once submitted. If circumstances change, you must lodge a new EOI.
You must lodge your visa application within 60 days of receiving an invitation, or it will be rejected.
Applicants under 18 or 55+ must demonstrate exceptional benefit to Australia (e.g., creating employment, driving innovation in critical sectors) to be eligible.
Processing times vary significantly by priority tier and sector. Priority 1 and 2 applicants are invited immediately; Priority 3 (Tier 1 sectors) are reviewed monthly; Priority 4 (Tier 2 sectors) face longer waits of 13-22 months.
Nominator selection is critical. Your nominator must have demonstrable national reputation in your field; weak nominations significantly weaken applications.
Police clearance certificates from certain countries can cause substantial delays. Obtain these proactively before submitting your visa application.
Qualifications
IELTS 4.5 overall (or equivalent: OET Pass, TOEFL, PTE Academic, Cambridge); applicants without functional English can still apply but must pay second instalment fee
Fees
Primary applicant AUD 4,985; additional applicant 18+ AUD 2,495; additional applicant under 18 AUD 1,250; second instalment for applicants without functional English AUD 4,890. Non-refundable if application refused.