Under the, Global Talent Independent Program launching this year, Home Affairs staff will
be located on the ground in Germany, US, Singapore, China, Chile and Dubai. This initiative
has been well received by these countries.
The government is deploying recruitment officers overseas to bring thousands of the best
and brightest workers to Australia. Their task is to recruit 5,000 professionals at the top of
their fields in target industries, particularly the tech sector. The government has set aside
5,000 of the 160,000 places in the permanent migration stream for the newprogram.
According to the Home Affairs website, the global talent officers will work with
local industries to identify talented people and “attend key industry events and expos, and
promote life in Australia”.
Highly-skilled workers identified by Home Affairs will be encouraged to apply for existing
permanent visas including the distinguished talent and skilled independent visa.
The announcement follows the government’s decision to entrench a pilot visa scheme
designed to make it easier for the tech industry to recruit highly-skilled workers despite a
low take up.
Of the 23 businesses that have signed up, just five are startups, with the majority being
established businesses including Coles Supermarkets and Rio Tinto.
