Business & Investment Visas

Invest, Innovate, Thrive: Exploring Opportunities for Overseas Investors in Australia

The Australian Business and Investment Visa Program is designed to attract talented entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners to contribute to Australia’s economy and innovation landscape. With these visas, you can:

• Establish or develop a new or existing business in Australia.
• Invest in Australian businesses, venture capital funds, or designated investments.
• Enjoy streamlined pathways to permanent residency for you and your family.
• Gain access to world-class infrastructure, research facilities, and global markets.

Are you an overseas investor seeking business opportunities and permanent residency in Australia?

As an overseas investor, choosing to explore business opportunities in Australia through our visa programs offers a multitude of logical benefits:

1. Lucrative Opportunities: Australia’s stable economy, transparent regulatory environment, and diverse market present a wealth of business opportunities across various sectors.
2. Strategic Location: Positioned at the gateway of the Asia-Pacific region, Australia serves as an ideal hub for accessing global markets and fostering international business partnerships.
3. Stability and Security: Australia’s robust legal framework, political stability, and high quality of life provide a secure environment for business operations and personal well-being.
4. Pathway to Permanent Residency: Our visa programs offer a clear pathway to permanent residency, for you and your family to thrive in Australia’s multicultural society.
5. Access to Skilled Workforce: Benefit from access to Australia’s highly skilled workforce, renowned for its innovation, creativity, and adaptability, to drive business growth and innovation.
6. Global Reputation: Associating your business with Australia’s reputable brand enhances credibility and opens doors to international markets, investors, and opportunities.

Our Business and Investment Visa Options

• Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188): Offers pathways for business owners, investors, and entrepreneurs across various streams, including Business Innovation, Investor, Significant Investor, Premium Investor, Entrepreneur, and Business Talent.
• Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) Visa (Subclass 888): Provides permanent residency for holders of the Subclass 188 visa who meet specific criteria, allowing them to continue their business or investment activities in Australia.

Subclass 188 (Business Innovation & Investment (Provisional)) Visa

Understanding the EB 188 Visa (Business Innovation & Investment (Provisional))

The EB 188 Visa, also known as the Business Innovation & Investment (Provisional) Visa, is your key to unlocking temporary residency and exploring business prospects in Australia. This visa, granted for four years and three months, serves as a transitional measure towards obtaining the EC 888 Visa, offering a pathway to permanent residency. This visa is tailored to successful businesspersons and investors aiming to establish or conduct business activities in Australia.

Here’s why the EB 188 Visa is the top choice for savvy entrepreneurs:

• Flexible pathways: Choose from various streams including Business Innovation, Investor, Significant Investor, Premium Investor, Entrepreneur, and Business Talent.
• Business establishment: Propose and implement a business undertaking in Australia within a specified timeframe to qualify for permanent residency.
• Investment opportunities: Invest capital into Australian businesses, venture capital funds, or designated investments to contribute to the economy.
• Long-term prospects: Transition to the EC 888 Visa for permanent residency, ensuring stability and security for you and your family.

Navigating the EB 188 Visa Requirements

To qualify for the EB 188 Visa, applicants must meet specific eligibility criteria and fulfill post-visa grant obligations. Here’s a snapshot of the key requirements:

• Age: Not have turned fifty-five years of age at the time of invitation to apply for the visa;
• Points test:Satisfy the threshold requirement in what is known as the ‘Business Innovation and Investment Points Test’; currently, this is set at least sixty-five points.
• Residency requirement: The applicant must show that residency in Australia is necessary to start or manage the proposed business activity, depending on its nature.
• Business Experience: The person must have had an overall successful business career. The person must have had an ownership interest in one or more established main businesses with an annual turnover of at least AUD$ 750,000.00 per year. This must be for at least two of the four financial years immediately before the time of invitation to apply.
• Financial criteria: At the time of invitation to apply for this visa, any business or personal assets of the person that can be applied to the establishment or conduct of the business must be to the value of at least AUD$1,250,000.00. The person’s business and personal assets need to be lawfully acquired and available for transfer to Australia within two years after the grant of any EB 188 visa; and, amongst other things. The person must genuinely have a realistic commitment to establish a business in Australia and to maintain a substantial ownership interest (defined under policy as a majority or equal ownership share) in a qualifying business mentioned above.
• State sponsorship: A nominating state or territory government agency will need to be satisfied that the net value of the person’s business and personal assets, other than those as described in the previous paragraph, are sufficient to allow them to settle in Australia.

To access an EB 188 requires the support of a state or territory government in Australia, with each of the relevant states or territories having somewhat different requirements in relation to what business proposals they will support. Therefore, the most important point in making such a proposal, in terms of the establishment of a business, will be whether the state government supports it.

It is equally important to have the business established within a certain timeframe post any visa grant and meeting certain performance parameters, especially if there are plans to eventually obtain a permanent visa (the EC 888).

So, how do we ultimately achieve the goal of a permanent visa after that? Well, assuming the person makes a business proposal that is accepted and nominated by the relevant State or Territory, then they will be granted an EB 188 visa for a period of four years and three months (this may be extended in certain circumstances). After this, the person then proceeds to apply for an EC 888.

Pathway to Permanent Residency with the EC 888 Visa

The EC 888 Visa, or Business Innovation & Investment (Permanent) Visa offers permanent residency in Australia. As with all our visas, specific requirements must be met and these include state sponsorship, business operation, and asset thresholds, to secure your place in Australia’s business landscape.

To obtain a permanent visa of this nature, the requirements to obtain it are currently as follows (with further DHA fees payable at that time):

• An application of this type still requires a state or territory government agency’s support.
• The person must genuinely have a realistic commitment to maintain business or investment activities in Australia.
• The person must have a satisfactory record of compliance with the laws of the Commonwealth in any state or territory in which they operate a business here and employ employees – in relation to the business (including in matters of taxation, superannuation, and workplace relations).
• The person (in this particular stream) must have been in Australia as the holder of an EB 188 for a total cumulative period of at least one year in the two years immediately before the application was made.
• The person must have an ownership interest in at least one actively operating main business in Australia during the two years immediately before the application was made and continue to have that interest.
• An Australian Business Number must have been obtained for each business, and Business Activity Statements required by the Australian Taxation Office will need to be submitted with any application; and, most crucially,

Two of the following three requirements will need to be satisfied:

1. The assets owned by the person in the main business in Australia needs to have a net value of at least AUD$200,000.00 during the period of twelve months immediately before the application was made; and/or
2. In the period of twelve months immediately before the application was made, the main business in Australia employed at least two or more Australian employees on a full-time basis; and/or,
3. The person’s business and personal assets in Australia need to have a net value of at least AUD$600,000.00 in the period of twelve months ending immediately before the application was made and,
4. In all cases the main business in Australia needs to have an annual turnover of at least AUD$300,000.00 in the twelve months immediately before an application was made.