Offshore Distinguished Talent Visa (Subclass 124)

Visa Eligibility

• You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa but not in immigration clearance. You must be outside Australia for your visa to be granted. If you are currently in Australia and hold an eligible visa you may need to consider your eligibility for the Distinguished Talent visa (subclass 858).
• You must be of benefit to the Australian community: Your contribution may be economic AND/OR social AND/OR cultural, AND/or to raise Australia’s academic, artistic or sports standing internationally. You must contribute to the nation as a whole.
• You must be able to find work in your field in Australia or become independently established in your field in Australia. You can’t include income from work outside your field even if this is only part of your overall income.
• You must be internationally recognised with a record of achievement in:
  • a profession
  • a sport
  • the arts, or
  • academia and research
• Your achievements must be exceptional and outstanding. This means you:
  • are currently prominent in your field
  • have superior abilities to others in your field
  • are acclaimed as exceptional in any country where your field is practised
  • have a record of sustained achievement that is unlikely to diminish in the future
• You must also participate in a field that:
  • is recognised and accepted in Australia
  • has international standing
  • You must have been prominent in this field in the past two years.
• You must have been prominent in this field in the past two years.
• You must be nominated to apply for this visa. Your nominator must also meet DoHA criteria. Your nominator must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, eligible New Zealand citizen or an Australian organisation with a national reputation in the same field as you. Where appropriate, the nomination should come from the peak Australian body.
• You can be any age to apply for this visa. If you are under 18 years old or you are aged 55 years or older when you apply, you must be of exceptional benefit to the Australian community.
• Applicants aged 18 or over must have functional English, or you will need to pay an extra charge, called the second instalment to be granted this visa.
• You must meet all the health and character requirements.
• You must not have any debt to pay to the Australian government.
• If you are 18 years of age or older, you must: have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia booklet AND confirm you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws when you sign an Australian Values Statement.

Note: If you have had a visa cancelled or previous application refused, you may not be granted a visa.

Visa Benefits

• stay in Australia permanently
• work and study in Australia
• enroll in Australia’s public health care scheme, Medicare
• sponsor your relatives to come to Australia
• travel to and from Australia for five years
• if eligible, apply for an Australian citizen

General Notes

• You can include members of the family unit when you apply. You can also add family to your application at any time before DoHA decides on your application. If you are under 18 years old, you can include a parent OR members of the family unit of that parent.
• You might have to pay an extra fee for any applicant 18 years old or older who has less than functional English. This charge is called the second instalment. The second instalment charge is AU$4,890.