How the Business Investor Visa (188b) works in Australia

Immigration News

The Business Investor Visa (188b) is a provisional visa that requires you to invest at least AUD2.5 million in Australian investments that meet certain requirements and maintain business or investment activity in Australia.

The advantages of a Business Investor Visa (188b)

This visa allows you to stay for up to five years, carry out business and investment activity in Australia, and will enable you to bring eligible members of your family with you. In addition, having this provisional visa means you can apply for permanent residency if certain requirements are met. Plus, because the visa is granted with multiple entry, you can leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you want while the visa is valid.

How to get a Business Investor Visa (188b)

In order to obtain a Business Investor Visa (188b), you must be nominated by a State or Territory government agency to invest at least AUD2.5 million that meets certain requirements (if you were invited to apply on or after 1 July 2021). If you were invited to apply before 1 July 2021, you must invest at least AUD1.5 million in an Australian State or Territory. Regardless of the date you were invited to apply, you must also hold complying significant investments continuously for the life of your provisional visa.

For the two fiscal years immediately before you are invited to apply for the visa, you, your partner, or you and your partner together must have business and personal assets with a net value of at least:

5 million if you were invited to apply on or after 1 July 2021

These assets must have been lawfully acquired and be available for transfer to Australia within two years of the visa being granted.

You also must have a genuine intention to live for at least two years, during the period your provisional visa is valid, in the State or Territory in which you have made the investment application. Doing so will mean you will be eligible for the grant of a Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa (subclass 888) in the Investor stream.

To obtain the Business Investor Visa (188b), you must also have had at least three years of experience managing one or more qualifying businesses or eligible investments, have had a successful record of eligible investment or qualifying business activity, and have demonstrated a high level of management skill in relation to the eligible investment or qualifying business activity.

Scoring at least sixty-five on the points test, being under the age of 55, not having a history of involvement in unacceptable activities, having functional English, and meeting the Australian government's health and character requirements are just some additional requirements.

Don't forget your application might take longer than necessary to process if you don't fill it in correctly, if you don't include all the documents the government needs, or if it takes the government time to verify your information. So, why not make the process easier for yourself and get in touch with us?