Global Talent Employer Sponsored (GTES): highly-skilled roles the standard 482 cannot cover
GTES is a labour agreement between the Australian Department of Home Affairs and an employer. The employer signs the agreement first, then nominates an overseas worker under it; the person nominated applies for a Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa. It exists for highly-skilled niche positions that cannot be filled by an Australian worker and cannot be filled through the standard skilled visa programs either.
The Department’s current name for the program is Global Talent Employer Sponsored, abbreviated GTES. The older name, Global Talent Scheme (GTS), still lives in the URL of the Department’s own page and in the program’s official email address — so you will keep seeing GTS, and it means the same thing.
GTES has two streams: Established Business, for mature companies, and Startups, for businesses operating in a technology-based or STEM field.
GTES is an employer agreement, not a visa subclass
Three things are routinely confused here. Clearing them up first makes the eligibility criteria below much easier to read.
You sign an agreement; the visa granted is a 482
Once an employer enters into a GTES agreement, the Department issues a unique code (a Permission Request ID). The employer uses that code to lodge nomination applications online, and the nominated worker then applies for a Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa, assessed under the criteria established for that agreement.
The agreement itself grants no visa. The visa is valid for up to 4 years.
The old name, GTS, is still in use — just not in the heading
The Department’s page is headed Global Talent Employer Sponsored (GTES). The older name, Global Talent Scheme, survives in three places: the page address is still …/global-talent-scheme; the program’s official email address is globaltalentscheme@homeaffairs.gov.au; and the page’s own cross-reference to the labour market testing guidance is written as Global Talent Scheme.
GTS will therefore keep turning up, but the name the Department uses for the program is GTES, and that is what this site uses.
It is not the “Global Talent visa”
What people usually mean by the Global Talent visa is now the National Innovation visa (subclass 858) — a permanent visa the individual applies for, with no employer sponsorship involved.
GTES is employer-driven and leads to a temporary 482 visa. The applicant, the sponsor and the visa subclass are all different.
The short version: without an employer who already holds a GTES agreement, an individual cannot apply under GTES at all.
How the two GTES streams differ
Both streams use the same framework. Who they are for, how many positions they carry and the earnings threshold are what change.
| Item | Established Business | Startups |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Mature businesses that are endorsed SID accredited sponsors | Businesses operating in a technology-based or STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) field |
| Positions per year | Up to 20 (applicant and position criteria must be satisfied on each occasion) | Up to 5 (applicant and position criteria must be satisfied on each occasion) |
| Business size test | Publicly listed, or an annual turnover of at least AUD 4,000,000 for each of the past 2 years | No turnover test; an investment or grant requirement applies instead |
| External endorsement | Not required | The independent GTES startup advisory panel must assess and endorse the business |
| Applicant earnings floor | At least the Fair Work High Income Threshold | The market salary rate, but not less than AUD 80,000; equity may count, but the cash component must be at least the Core Skills Income Threshold |
| Visa and permanent residence | A 482 visa for up to 4 years; a transitional pathway to permanent residence after 2 years, with age cap concessions available | Same |
The features the Department lists for both streams: the highly-skilled roles you can sponsor are not restricted to the occupations eligible for the 482 Core Skills or Specialist Skills streams; certain standard 482 requirements can be negotiated; and GTES agreements receive priority processing. If a position ceases, the visa holder has up to 180 days to find a new sponsor and a new visa, or to depart Australia.
What the employer has to satisfy
Four requirements apply to both streams, then each stream adds its own.
Required in both streams
- Demonstrate that access to GTES will support job opportunities and skills transfer for Australians
- Provide labour market testing evidence for the specific positions
- Be in good standing with relevant regulatory agencies, including compliance with immigration and workplace laws
- Show first that the position cannot be filled by an Australian worker and cannot be filled through existing skilled visa programs
Established Business adds
- Be publicly listed, or have an annual turnover of at least AUD 4,000,000 for each of the past 2 years
- Be endorsed as a SID accredited sponsor
Startups add
- Operate in a technology-based or STEM-related field (for example digital, biomedical, agtech)
- Be assessed and endorsed by the independent startup advisory panel as a viable and genuine startup
- Meet at least one of: an investment of at least AUD 50,000 from an investment fund registered as an Early Stage Venture Capital Limited Partnership; or an Accelerating Commercialisation Grant received at any time
What the applicant and the position have to satisfy
The first five requirements are identical across both streams. Only the earnings floor differs.
Required in both streams
- Meet health, character and security requirements
- Have no familial relationship with directors or shareholders
- Hold qualifications commensurate with the highly skilled role
- Have at least 3 years of work experience directly relevant to the position
- Have the capacity to pass on skills to, or develop, Australians
Earnings thresholds (this is where the streams part)
| Threshold | Amount | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Fair Work High Income Threshold | AUD 190,100 | The minimum annual earnings for a position under the Established Business stream (the figure that applies from 1 July 2026) |
| Minimum annual earnings (Startups) | AUD 80,000 | The floor under the Startups stream, at the market salary rate; equity may be included |
| Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) | AUD 79,423 | The floor for the cash component of a Startups-stream applicant’s earnings (nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027) |
Figures are current as at the build date. Income thresholds are indexed on 1 July each year; the figures published by the Department and the Fair Work Ombudsman on the day the nomination is lodged are the ones that count.
Not sure whether your position falls inside what GTES can cover?
From requesting the agreement to holding the visa
Five steps. The employer completes the first four; the nominated worker only appears at the last one.
Step 1 · Establish that the standard programs do not work
You must first determine that the position cannot be filled by an Australian worker, and demonstrate that you cannot fill it through existing skilled visa programs — many of which depend on the occupation appearing on the lists of eligible skilled occupations.
Step 2 · Indicate your interest in GTES
Established Business: lodge the request online through ImmiAccount, with supporting documents including labour market testing evidence.
Startups: submit the request to the Department by email, with evidence of the qualifying investment or grant.
Step 3 · The Department assesses the request
The Department decides on the information provided. Incomplete information delays processing significantly and the request might be declined.
Startups are also assessed by the Startup Advisory Panel. GTES agreements are decided in accordance with skilled visa processing priorities.
Step 4 · Sign the agreement and receive the code
If the business meets the criteria to enter into a GTES agreement, the Department sends an agreement for signature and issues a unique code — the Permission Request ID.
Step 5 · Nominate the position and apply for the visa
The employer uses that code to lodge nomination applications online. The nominated worker then applies online for a Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa, assessed under the criteria established for the GTES agreement.
Labour market testing: evidence for the specific positions is required as part of requesting a GTES agreement, and once the agreement is in place you must also provide proof of LMT at nomination where the agreement specifies it.
For the standard employer-sponsored program the Department’s rule is that, since 11 December 2023, advertising on the Government employment service Workforce Australia is no longer required and two valid advertisements are needed instead of three. Under a labour agreement the requirement is whatever that agreement sets out, and the Department states that existing agreements are not changed to reflect that shift — so the terms of your own agreement govern.
Government charges at the 482 stage
Only charges collected by the Department are listed. English tests, health checks, police certificates and biometrics cost extra.
| Charge | Paid by | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Standard business sponsorship application (covers 482 and 494) | Employer | AUD 420 |
| Nomination application (Skills in Demand 482) | Employer | AUD 330 |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy · turnover under AUD 10,000,000 | Employer | AUD 1,200 per year or part thereof |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy · turnover of AUD 10,000,000 or more | Employer | AUD 1,800 per year or part thereof |
| Visa application charge · main applicant (482 Labour agreement stream) | Applicant | AUD 4,015 |
| Visa application charge · each dependant aged 18 and over | Applicant | AUD 4,015 |
| Visa application charge · each dependant under 18 | Applicant | AUD 1,005 |
Figures are current as at the build date. Visa charges and the levy change on 1 July each year; the schedule the Department publishes on the day of lodgement is the one that applies.
The Skilling Australians Fund levy is payable in full when the nomination is lodged, and employers must not pass it on to the visa applicant. Sponsors who are party to a labour agreement must also pay it.
The permanent residence pathway after GTES
A GTES agreement can provide a transitional pathway to permanent residence after 2 years, including concessions on the age cap that applies at the permanent stage.
Permanent residence is reached through the Labour agreement stream of the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186). The Department’s statement for that stream is that you must currently work, or plan to work, for your employer under a labour agreement, and that it expects you will work for your nominating employer for at least 2 years.
Two neighbouring pages go into more detail: Subclass 186 employer-sponsored permanent residence and the 482 to 186 permanent residence pathway.
| Charge | Paid by | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Nomination application (186 Labour agreement stream, non-regional) | Employer | AUD 540 |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy · turnover under AUD 10,000,000 | Employer | AUD 3,000 one-off |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy · turnover of AUD 10,000,000 or more | Employer | AUD 5,000 one-off |
| Visa application charge · main applicant (186) | Applicant | AUD 6,140 |
| Visa application charge · each dependant aged 18 and over | Applicant | AUD 3,070 |
| Visa application charge · each dependant under 18 | Applicant | AUD 1,535 |
Figures are current as at the build date; charges change on 1 July each year.
Permanent residence does not follow automatically. The employer lodges a fresh nomination, the applicant lodges a separate visa application, and every health, character and agreement requirement has to be met on the day it is lodged.
GTES, the standard 482 and other labour agreements
All three are employer-sponsored. The entry point, the occupation restriction and the earnings floor are what separate them.
| Pathway | Who moves first | Occupation list required? | Earnings floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| GTES — Global Talent Employer Sponsored | The employer enters into a GTES agreement with the Department | No — not restricted to the 482 Core Skills or Specialist Skills occupation lists | Established Business: the Fair Work High Income Threshold. Startups: not less than AUD 80,000 |
| Standard 482 (Core Skills / Specialist Skills) | The employer becomes an approved sponsor, then nominates | Yes — the occupation must appear on the relevant skilled occupation list | Core Skills AUD 79,423; Specialist Skills AUD 146,576 |
| Other labour agreements (industry, designated area, company-specific) | The employer, an industry body or a regional authority negotiates with the Department | Set by the agreement | Set by the agreement |
Where Newstars can help on a GTES matter
Working out whether GTES is the right route
Checking the position, the person and the employer against the Department’s current criteria, item by item, and setting out the trade-offs between GTES, the standard 482 and other labour agreements.
The document list, in the right order
Setting out what has to be lodged at each of the three stages — agreement request, nomination, visa application — and which rule each item comes from.
What labour market testing evidence has to look like
Explaining the current requirements for the number of advertisements, how long they must run and what they must contain, and which channels are not accepted.
The timeline of the permanent residence pathway
Explaining what has to be satisfied between the visa being granted and a subclass 186 nomination becoming possible, and which concessions in the agreement affect that step.
Frequently asked questions about GTES
Are GTES and GTS the same thing?
They are two names for the same program. The Department currently uses Global Talent Employer Sponsored (GTES); the older name, Global Talent Scheme (GTS), still appears in the URL of the Department’s page, in the program’s official email address globaltalentscheme@homeaffairs.gov.au, and in one cross-reference on that page. Seeing GTS written somewhere does not mean you are looking at a different program.
Can an individual apply for GTES directly?
No. GTES is an agreement between an employer and the Department. The employer must hold the agreement and lodge the nomination first; only then can the nominated worker lodge a Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa application.
Is GTES the same as the “Global Talent visa”?
No. What is usually meant by the Global Talent visa is now the National Innovation visa (subclass 858), a permanent visa the individual applies for without employer sponsorship. GTES is employer-driven and leads to a temporary 482 visa.
Does the occupation have to be on a skilled occupation list?
No. The Department states that under GTES you are not restricted to occupations eligible for the 482 Core Skills or Specialist Skills streams. That is one of the main differences between GTES and the standard 482.
What happens if the position ceases after the 482 visa is granted?
The Department states, for both GTES streams, that if the position ceases the visa holder will have up to 180 days to find a new sponsor and a new visa, or to depart Australia.
Does GTES guarantee permanent residence?
No. A GTES agreement can provide a transitional pathway to permanent residence after 2 years and can include age cap concessions, but permanent residence still runs through the Labour agreement stream of the subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme: a fresh nomination from the employer, a separate visa application, and every requirement met on the day it is lodged.
How long does it take?
The Department states only that GTES agreements, nominations and visa applications are decided in accordance with skilled visa processing priorities; it publishes no fixed duration, and incomplete applications cause significant delay. We do not promise a processing time.
Where every figure on this page comes from
This page is built from the following Australian Government pages, captured on 19 August 2026: Global Talent Employer Sponsored (GTES) · Salary requirements to nominate a worker · Cost of sponsoring · Labour market testing · National Innovation visa · Fair Work high income threshold. Official requirements can change at any time; the page published on the day you lodge is the one that governs.
Is your position a fit for GTES? Start with a free assessment
A registered migration agent will check the position, the person and the employer against the Department’s current criteria, item by item, and set out the trade-offs against the standard 482 and other labour agreements.
