Business Innovation and Investment (Subclass 188) Visa

Business Innovation and Investment Visa is a 5 year provisional visa that enables business owners or investors to own and manage a business or conduct business and investment activities or undertake entrepreneurial activities in Australia. This visa is only available to applicants who are nominated by an Australian State or Territory Government.

This visa can be extended 2 years by applying for a new Business Innovation and Investment Visa in the Business Innovation extension stream, giving you 7 years in total.

This visa has 5 streams:

Business and Innovation Stream 188A
  1. Business and Innovation Stream 188A is for people with business skills who interested in owning and managing a new or existing business in Australia. Applicants must be nominated by a state or territory government, before being invited to apply for this visa. Amount for investment various depending on the state.

Requirements:

  • Score at least 65 on the points test
  • Ownership of a business with turnover of at least AUD 750,000 for at least 2 of the last 4 fiscal years immediately before you receive an invitation to apply
  • Own at least one of the following percentages of your nominated main business:  51%, if the business has a turnover of less than AUD400,000 per year; or 30 %, if the business has a turnover of AUD$400,000 or more per year; or 10%, if the business is a publicly listed company
  • At the time of invitation, you, your partner, or you and your partner combined must have total net business and personal assets of at least AUD$1.25 million that are lawfully acquired and available for legal transfer to Australia within two years of the visa being granted
  • Have an overall successful business career
  • Be under 55 years of age
  • Have Functional English
  • Must not have had a visa cancellation or a previous refusal
Business Investor Visa 188B
  1. Business Investor Visa 188B is for those who have managed investments or owned a business and wish to make a designated investment of at least AUD $2.5 million in an Australian State or Territory. Applicants must be nominated by a state or territory government.

Requirements:

  • Score at least 65 on the points test
  • Have a high level of management skills in relation to the eligible investment or qualifying business activity
  • Have at least 3 years’ experience of direct involvement in managing one or more qualifying businesses or eligible investments
  • Have an overall successful record of eligible investment or qualifying business activity
  • Have a genuine intention to live for at least 2 years in the state or territory in which you have made a designated investment.
  • Have Functional English
  • Must not have had a visa cancellation or a previous refusal
  • For at least 1 of the 5 fiscal years immediately before you are invited to apply have directly managed one of the following:
  1. a qualifying business in which you, your partner or you and your partner combined had at least 10% ownership interest, or
  2. eligible investments owned by you, your partner or you and your partner combined of at least AUD$2.5million
  • During the two fiscal years immediately before you are invited to apply, have legally acquired net business, investment and personal assets of at least AUD$2.5 million that are available for legal transfer to Australia within two years of the visa being granted
  • Make a designated investment of at least AUD$2.5 million. You must hold complying significant investments continuously for the life of your provisional visa.

                It must be invested in the following proportions:

  • at least AUD500,000 in venture capital and growth private equity funds which invest in start-ups and small private companies
  • at least AUD750,000 in approved managed funds. The managed funds must invest in emerging companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange
  • a ‘balancing investment’ of at least AUD1.25 million in managed funds
Significant Investor Visa 188C

Significant Investor Visa 188C is for those interested in making a significant complying investment of at least AUD 5 million in Australia. Applicants can be nominated by a state or territory government or Austrade on behalf of the Australian government.

There is no upper age limit or point test required. A 2-year extension is possible, and you can extend your Significant Investor Visa two times.

Requirements:

  • You must have a genuine and realistic commitment to reside in the state or territory whose government agency nominated you
  • Live in Australia for at least 40 days per year (calculated cumulatively) for the duration of your provisional visa, or your spouse to live for at least 180 days per year (calculated cumulatively) for the duration of your provisional visa
  • Have Functional English
  • Must not have had a visa cancellation or a previous refusal
  • At the time of invitation, you, your partner, or you and your partner combined must have total net business and personal assets of at least AUD 5 million that are lawfully acquired and available to be used to make the complying investment in Australia
  • You must make a complying significant investment of at least AUD$5 million and it must be invested in the following:
  • at least AUD1 million in venture capital and growth private equity funds which invest in start-ups and small private companies
  • at least AUD1.5 million in approved managed funds. The managed funds must invest in emerging companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange
  • a ‘balancing investment’ of at least AUD2.5 million in managed funds
Premium Investor Visa (188)

Premium Investor Visa (188) This stream is closed to new applications

Entrepreneur visa (188)

Entrepreneur visa (188) is for those who have an innovative business idea and have financial endorsement from a third party and been nominated by a State or Territory Government.

Requirements:

  • Must submit for Expression Of Interest and receive an invitation from a State or Territory Government to apply
  • Be under 55 years of age, although a state or territory can waive this requirement if your proposed complying entrepreneur activity will be of exceptional economic benefit to the nominating state or territory
  • Have competent English and be able to provide evidence of this at the time you are invited to apply for the visa
  • Must be undertaking or proposing to undertake a complying entrepreneur activity in Australia and have a genuine intention to continue this activity
  • Must be endorsed by your nominating State or Territory government agency to develop your entrepreneurial concepts
  • Must not have had a visa cancellation or a previous refusal