What You Need to Know Before Submitting Your National Innovation Visa Expression of Interest

The National Innovation visa (subclass 858) Expression of Interest (EOI) is your first step toward living and working permanently in Australia. However, it comes with several important requirements that you must get right from the start.

1. It's NOT a visa application. 

Submitting an EOI simply registers your interest. It does not guarantee an invitation to apply, nor does receiving an invitation guarantee that a visa will be granted. If you need to be in Australia while waiting for an outcome, you will need to arrange a separate visa in the meantime.

2. You only get one shot. 

Once submitted, your EOI is final. This means that no documents or information can be added afterwards. Everything must be complete, accurate, and in English before you hit “submit”. Do not refer assessors to your attachments within your written answers, and each field must be answered in full on its own.

3. Only submit one EOI at a time. 

If you have a pending EOI, do not submit another unless your circumstances have changed significantly since your previous submission.

4. Your claims must be genuine and consistent. 

If you are later invited to apply for the visa, the information in your visa application must align exactly with what you stated in your EOI. Any inconsistencies can negatively affect your application.

5. Supporting documents matter, as does their format.

Files must be uploaded directly to the form in PDF, JPG or PNG format. Documents stored on cloud platforms such as OneDrive or Google Drive cannot be accessed by the Department of Home Affairs and will not be considered. Keep file names simple, using only standard letters (“A-Z”, and/or “a-z”), numbers (0-9), and basic punctuation (only hyphen “-” , underscore “_”, full stop “.” and space “ ” are allowed).

6. Your achievements summary is critical. 

The form asks for a written summary of your exceptional achievements in your nominated field. This is one of the most important parts of the form and should be crafted carefully to reflect your achievements in your own words, within the 2,000 character limit. You should include all the achievements in writing and not refer assessors to “see attachments”.

The achievements may include, but are not limited to:

· International media articles about your achievements

· Recent keynote appearances at an international conference

· Professional/academic publications, research and citations

· Prestigious industry awards/prizes, membership at industry advisory boards/committees

· Experience in leading key international projects

· Entrepreneurial/investment achievements such as expertise in raising successful start-up businesses

· Patents and innovations in cutting edge products/technological advancements

· Results in international sporting competitions or events

· Honours, accolades and major commissioned works in the arts.

7. Choose your sector carefully. 

When nominating your area of exceptional achievement, you will be asked to select the sector that best represents your work. The available sectors are: Agri-food and AgTech, Critical Technologies, Defence Capabilities and Space, Education, Financial Services and FinTech, Health Industries, Infrastructure and Transport, Renewables and Low Emission Technologies, Resources, Sport, The Arts, and Other. It is important to note that your nominator must also hold a national reputation in relation to your chosen area, therefore alignment between your sector and your nominator's status is essential.

Unsure how to gather all the documents for the EOI submission? Worried about making mistakes on the submission? We are here to help. To enquire, please contact us at (02) 8908 5788 or email us at info@aoye.com.au