National Innovation Visa (NIV)
The National Innovation visa (subclass 858) (NIV) is a permanent visa for exceptionally talented migrants from across the world. These migrants will help create jobs and drive productivity growth in key sectors of the Australian economy.
Indicators of exceptional and outstanding achievements
This is an exclusive permanent visa for high-calibre migrants who have an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievements in their field.
Exceptional and outstanding achievements suitable for the NIV may include the following.
International ‘top-of-field’ level awards
Awards for exceptional and outstanding achievements that are available in all fields. These include but are not limited to:
– Nobel Prizes
– Breakthrough Prizes
– Rousseeuw Prize
– Eni Award
– Institution of Electrical Engineers Medal of Honor
– Fields Medal
– Chern Medal
– Abel Prize
– L’Oreal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science
– Turing Award
– ACM Prize in Computing
– Pulitzer Prize
– International Booker Prize
– International Tchaikovsky Competition Gold Medal
– Olympic Gold Medal
– Laureus World Sportsman or Sportswoman of the year.
Recipients of national research grants
Receipt of a national level research grant for the highest quality research in Australia or from other countries showing that the individual is at the top of their field. These include but are not limited to:
– Australian Research Council grants
– Department of Education Accelerator grants
– Equivalent level grants from other countries. This includes:
>United Kingdom Research and Innovation Grants program
>funding from the EU Commission
>funding from the US National Science Foundation
– other similar level grants.
Holders of PhDs with high-levels of academic influence or thought leadership
Holders of a PhD with high-levels of academic influence or thought leadership in their field, such as:
– recent publications in top ranked journals, for example Nature, Lancet or Acta Numerica
– a high h-index for their stage of career, for example an early career researcher with a h-index of 14
– a research-based degree from a top global university, for example, ranked in the top 100 World University Rankings by Times Higher Education.
Other measures of high-calibre talent
Other measures of high-calibre talent may include:
– recent keynote appearance at a high-profile international conference. For example:
>Web Summit; International Congress of Mathematicians
>American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting or
>International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.
earning at or above the Fair
-Work high income threshold, where:
>there is written communication from an Australian employer offering employment in Australia with an annual salary equivalent to, or higher than, the high income threshold or
>the primary applicant’s current earnings are an amount equal to, or greater than, the high income threshold.
Candidates nominated by an expert Australian Commonwealth, State or Territory government agency
Other indicators of exceptional and outstanding achievements we may consider in conjunction with nomination by an expert Australian Commonwealth, State or Territory government agency include:
– athletes and creatives who will raise Australia’s international standing in their field
– evidence of innovative investment activity with an established track record of supporting successful innovative ventures
– evidence of promising entrepreneurial activities that will lead to the commercialisation of a product or service in Australia, particularly where linked to Commonwealth, State or Territory based innovation hubs.
– recognised intellectual property attributed to them, for example holding relevant international patents.