Alongside the wholesale revamp of skilled-visa priorities, the Department of Home Affairs quietly uploaded a companion notice confirming that the prestigious Global Talent programme has been swept into a fresh processing order—Ministerial Direction 120—which commenced on 25 July 2026 and was listed online late last night. Direction 120 applies to Class BX (subclass 858) applications—including the re-branded National Innovation visa pathway that replaced the legacy Global Talent visa in 2025. Under the new hierarchy, applicants who have secured a nomination from an Australian government agency or who have been recognised with globally significant awards will receive Priority 1 handling. Priority 2 will go to candidates in the seven target sectors (resources, ag-tech, energy, health, defence, digitech and fintech) already in Australia at time of application. Offshore talent in the same sectors is pushed to Priority 3, and all other distinguished-achievement applicants fall to Priority 4. For start-ups and R&D hubs, the message is clear: bring your superstar recruits into Australia before lodging if you want a decision inside six months. Venture-capital-backed founders currently offshore could wait more than a year unless they enter first on a visitor or temporary work visa. Universities that rely on offshore nominations for research laureates will also need to factor in longer lead times for campus start dates. Immigration lawyers say Direction 120 closes a loophole that previously allowed high-net-worth offshore applicants to leapfrog local talent. The change dovetails with Treasury’s aim to reduce net overseas migration (NOM) without constraining the supply of already-resident, high-skill workers who can integrate quickly into the labour market. Practical implications: • Nominate on-shore candidates wherever possible. • Prepare to evidence ‘national economic benefit’ more rigorously, as case officers have wider discretion under the new tiering. • Expect greater data-sharing between Home Affairs and Austrade on commercial-impact metrics.
