top of page
Australian investor visa customer

Investor Stream - 188B Visa

Eligibility Criteria

  • Age: Under 55

  • Business ownership: Yes

  • Either: 10% Ownership of Business or managed $2.5m Investments

  • Assets ownership: AUD 2.5m

  • Point test: 65 Required

Benefits

  • Stay for 5 years

  • Bring your family

  • Apply for Permanent Resident (888 Visa) after 2 years

  • Carry out business and investment activity in Australia

Investor Stream (Provisional) visa

This provisional visa allows you to carry out business and investment activity in Australia.

It requires you to invest at least AUD2.5 million in Australian investments that meet certain requirements and maintain business or investment activity in Australia for the life of your provisional visa.

Stay

Up to 5 years

Cost

From AUD6,270

Processing time

26-39 months

Process

Submit expression of interest (EOI) in SkillSelect

Be nominated by a State or Territory government agency

Be invited to apply for the visa

Eligibility

Score at least 65 on the points test

Provide proof of your business success (annual turnover, ownership interest)

You, your partner, or you and your partner together, have total net business and personal assets of at least:

  • AUD2.5 million if you were invited to apply for this visa on or after 1 July 2021

  • AUD2.25 million if you were invited to apply for this visa before 1 July 2021

Obligations

Investment of at least AUD2.5 million.

You must live in the State or Territory in which you made the designated investment for at least 2 years during the period your provisional visa is valid.

With this visa, you can

How long can you stay?

This is a provisional visa. You can stay in Australia for up to 5 years if you were invited to apply on or after 1 July 2021.

​

If you applied after 1 July 2015, and were invited to apply for this visa before 1 July 2021, you can stay in Australia for up to 4 years and 3 months.

 

If you applied before 1 July 2015, you can stay up to 4 years.

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.

 

The visa is valid from the date we grant it.

Stay longer

This is a provisional visa. You must apply for a new visa if you want to stay longer. Once you have this visa, you can apply for permanent residence through the Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa (subclass 888) Investor stream if certain requirements are met.

​

Your business obligations

You must make a complying significant investment of at least AUD2.5 million. You must hold complying significant investments continuously for the life of your provisional visa.

​

To be eligible for the grant of a Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa (subclass 888) Investor stream, you must live in the State or Territory in which you made the designated investment for at least 2 years during the period your provisional visa is valid.

​

Income that you earn from your complying significant investment in Australia may be subject to tax under Australian taxation law.

Include family

You can include members of the family unit in your application when you apply. You can also add dependent children to your application at any time before a decision is made on your application. Family members who apply for the visa must meet health and character requirements. In order for the primary applicant to be granted the visa, family members who are not coming to Australia must meet character requirements, and might have to also meet health requirements.

Cost

This visa costs from AUD6,270 for the main applicant. 

There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa with the main applicant:

  • Additional applicant over 18 years old: AUD3,135

  • Additional applicant under 18 years old: AUD1,565

 

Any applicant 18 years old or older who has less than functional English must also pay an extra charge. This charge is the second instalment charge. Pay it only when the department ask you to. They will refund the charge if the visa is not granted.

​

The second instalment charges are:

  • Main applicant: AUD9,795

  • Family members: AUD4,890

​

To work out what your visa will cost use the Visa Pricing Estimator. The estimator does not take into account the second instalment or other costs. You might also have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

Apply from

You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa and when the department decides on your application, but not in immigration clearance.

  • Do I need a visa to arrive to Australia?
    Yes. Unless you are an Australian passport holder, everyone else must hold a valid visa in order to arrive to Australia no matter if it is for travel, work or study.
  • Will my passport be labeled when receiving an Australian visa?
    There are no more labels on your passport, you don't need to visit the Australian embassy in your country and get your passport stamped. Once you received your visa grant letter, your visa is updated at the Department of Home Affair’s systems. To be on the safe side - you can always carry a copy of the grant letter with you when travelling to Australia.
  • How soon can I arrive to Australia?
    Once your application is submitted to the Department of Home Affairs, either online or by post, you'll have to wait for the application to be processed. Each visa type has different processing time. Here are the guidelines for the visa processing time.
  • Do I need to be qualified to get a work visa?
    Not always, but for most work visa types you will be required you to hold a tertiary qualification. In some cases extended relevant experience can replace lack of official qualification. It is best to check with your Registered Migration Agent to be sure.
  • Can I work in Australia?
    Some visa types allow you to have full work rights while you are in Australia while others would restrict your working hours. Some visa types don’t allow you to work at all (like visitor visa for example). Therefore, it is very important to apply for the correct visa if you are planning to work. It is best to check with your Registered Migration Agentto be sure. Give us a call and we'll be happy to advise based on your current visa type.
  • Can I study in Australia?
    Here in Australia, you can find a great variety of courses that are suitable for everyone regardless of their English level or age. If you are interested in exploring your study options and applying to become a student in Australia, please contact us. We partnered with an Australian study agent who can provide you with information about the study options, enrollment requirements, scholarships, campus ratings, fees, courses and much more.
  • Does my age impact my Australian visa application?
    Age is relevant for some of the visa types (for example Working Holiday visa, Permanent Resident visa, and other work type visas) for most visa types it doesn’t have any meaning.
  • Can I add my family members to my visa application?
    As the primary applicant, you are eligible to add family members like your spouse, de facto partner or children to most of the visas. Your children will be eligible to be added to your visa as long as they did not reach age 18, they are still living with you and are financially dependent on you. If the child is older than 18, but is dependent on the parent and cannot work due to physical disability or mental disability s/he can still be added to your visa. For other visa types, like visitor visa or working holiday visa, there is no option to add a secondary applicant.
  • Do I need to take medical examinations for my visa application?
    Every person applying for a permanent resident visa must take a medical examination. In some cases, the medical examination would be required for a temporary visa depending on the applicant’s medical health status and location. For more information about medical examinations, please click here.
  • What do I need to know about the new Skilling Australians Fund (SAF)?
    As from 12 August 2018, employers won’t need to pay for training their Australian employees as part of their sponsorship obligation. Instead, they are required to pay the SAF levy for each nomination of a new employee. For more information about the new SAF levy click here.
bottom of page