Australia provides a stable investment environment that focuses on continuously decreasing the risk for investors as evidenced by its resilient economy and global key industries such as the circular economy; advanced manufacturing and space; digital technologies; AgTech, MedTech and infrastructure. Australia offers investors a unique combination of solid economic performance, highly skilled labour force, and close ties to fast-growing international markets. If you are interested in exploring investment opportunities this side of the globe, you may be eligible for one of the investment visas for Australia listed below.
The provisional Business Investment Visa for Australia (often referred to as SC188B) is for successful business investors. Applicants are eligible to be awarded points if they have a demonstrated history of business or investment experience for various specified periods of time.. This provisional visa requires you to invest at least AUD2.5 million in an Australian State or Territory and maintain business or investment activity in Australia. You can lodge this visa whilst in Australia and/or outside Australia. This is a temporary or provisional visa and is points tested. Higher Points may be allocated if you can provide substantial business & investment supporting evidence to demonstrate higher turnover, asset value and years of investment management. Audited financials by an external and reputable auditor may be required to support your points claims if you are using a qualifying business as evidence of an eligible investment. Applicants who have operated their businesses or investments in Hong Kong or Mainland China will need special purpose audit reports for their application. Additional factors which can enhance or affect your points threshold at the time of invitation include your age, english language levels, educational qualifications, innovation patents or trademarks registered, and financial venture capital funding received for your current business operations.
This visa allows you to do the following:
KEY CRITERIA – [All of the following must apply]
This visa is provisional, and points tested. Main applicants must meet minimum threshold of 65 points to be considered for an Invitation for Expression of Interest. Meeting the key criteria above only provides you with base points. Your points may increase if your investment supporting evidence can demonstrate higher turnover, asset value and years of investment experience. Other contributing factors to being attributed more points include your age at time of Invitation, your English language ability, Educational Qualifications, Innovation patents or trademarks registered, and financial venture capital funding received for your current business operations
SC188B BUSINESS INVESTMENT VISA APPLICATION PROCESSING FEES | |
State Government Nomination Fees (TBC) | $500.00 – $850.00 |
Immigration Application Fees Main Applicant [Investor] | $5,375.00 |
Immigration Application Fees Partner or Spouse | $2,685.00 |
Immigration Application Fees Child over 18 years under 23 years | $2,025.00 |
Immigration Application Fees Child under 18 years under 23 years | $1,345.00 |
ADDITIONAL ESTIMATED COSTS | |
Business Legal & Advisory Fees [Set Up or Acquisition] | n/a |
Mygration Professional Service Fees [excl.gst] | See more |
Medical Exams for Migration (per person) | TBC –up to $400.00 |
Police Clearance Certificates must be obtained from all countries resided in for longer than 12 months in the last 10 years (over 16yrs) | TBC –up to $50.00 p/p |
Key Identity Document Translations & Certification | TBC –up to $50.00 p/doc |
WHAT WE DO FOR YOU
Additional Matters will be considered in our discussions such as:
POST VISA GRANT CRITERIA
Once the SC188B Investment visa is granted – Applicants who have maintained their Australian Investment and other criteria may be eligible to apply for SC888B Designated Investment Permanent visa after 4 years of holding the SC188B and meeting other main requirements such as:
Maintaining the business Investment
For the 4 years immediately before you apply for the permanent visa, you or your spouse/de facto partner together must have held the designated investment continuously in your names
Residence Requirement
Applicants who were invited, applied for and granted their SC188B Investment visa for Australia after 1st July 2021 , must have been residing in Australia for at least 2 years in the 3 years immediately before you apply for the permanent stage of the Subclass 888 B Investment stream visa.
Applicants who were invited, applied for and granted their SC188B Investment visa before 1st July 2021 , must have been residing in Australia for at least 2 years in the 4 years immediately before you apply for the permanent stage of the Subclass 888 B Investment stream visa.
POST 1 JULY 2021 – THE COMPLYING SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT
The source of funds used to make the investment must be unencumbered and lawfully acquired and must not form the basis for a security or collateral for a loan and must meet complying significant investment criteria found in the legislative instrument. Investors must make the investment by either the main applicant or together with the main applicants de facto partner or spouse. If the investment will be made by a company, that company must be wholely owned by the investors. The ownership structures of the company will be accepted if the company is the trustee of a discretionary trust as long as the investors are either sole trustees of the trust or full beneficiaries of the trust.
ACTIVITIES SUITABLE TO MEETING GENUINE INTENSION OF INVESTMENT CONTINUANCE
After your visa is lodged and before a positive decision is made on your application, you will be requested to transfer the designated investment into the State or Territory Treasury Bonds account by the Department of Home Affairs. Detailed instructions will be provided to you in writing. The funds you prepare to transfer must be from the exact source you confirmed in your application of funds already provided to the DHA at the time of application.
Applicants who are in Australia at the time of lodgement, will receive a bridging visa A after lodging their visa applications. This bridging visa will come into effect after the visa you have arrived with expires. Once the bridging visa takes effect (and as long as it has not conditions or restrictions) you can commence your business and/or investment activities.
After your investment has been made to the State Territory bond and your visa is granted, you are able to conduct other business and investment activities which can be sustained beyond the designated investment term of 4 years. At the time of application for the permanent visa, the criterion of:
The applicant genuinely has demonstrated a realistic commitment to maintain business or investment activities in Australia can be evidenced by:
The Australian Government introduced the SIV to provide a boost the economy and drive innovation through competing effectively for high net worth individuals seeking investment migration to Australia. The SIV requires investment of at least $5million AUD into complying significant investments for the duration of the provisional visa to be eligible for the permanent visa. The Significant Investor Visa (SIV) is a stream within the Australian Government’s Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) (Subclass 188) visa and the Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) (Subclass 888) visa. This visa is Intended for applicants who can invest at least $5million AUD in a Complying Significant Investment Fund in Australia for at least the full duration of your visa. This visa subclass carries age and English exemptions and is not points tested. Residence requirements are also reduced for maintaining permanent residency and acquiring citizenship. You can lodge this visa whilst in Australia and/or outside Australia.
This visa allows you to do the following:
KEY CRITERIA – [All of the following must apply]
At the time that you are invited to apply for this visa:
COMPLYING SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT REQUIREMENTS AFTER 1 JULY 2021
COMPLYING SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT REQUIREMENTS BEFORE 1 JULY 2021
You may hold investments in each of these options, and you may also change between complying significant investments, provided you meet the reinvestment requirements.
All funds used to make an investment must be unencumbered and lawfully acquired. The investment must be lawful and CANNOT form the security or collateral for a loan
SC188C SIGNIFICANT INVESTOR VISA APPLICATION PROCESSING FEES | |
State Government Nomination Fees (TBC) | $1,000.00 – $1,200.00 |
Immigration Application Fees Main Investor Applicant | $7,880.00 |
Immigration Application Fees Partner or Spouse | $ 3,940.00 |
Immigration Application Fees Child over 18 years under 23 years | $ 3,940.00 |
Immigration Application Fees Child under 18 years under 23 years | $ 1,975.00 |
ADDITIONAL ESTIMATED COSTS | |
Business Legal & Advisory Fees [Set Up or Acquisition] | n/a |
Mygration Professional Service Fees [excl.gst] | See more |
Medical Exams for Migration (per person) | TBC –up to $400.00 |
Police Clearance Certificates must be obtained from all countries resided in for longer than 12 months in the last 10 years (over 16yrs) | TBC –up to $50.00 p/p |
Key Identity Document Translations & Certification | TBC –up to $50.00 p/doc |
WHAT WE DO FOR YOU
Additional areas of discussions will involve the complying investment and requirements
POST VISA GRANT CRITERIA
Once the SC188C Significant Investment visa for Australia is granted – Applicants who have maintained their Australian Investment and other criteria are eligible to apply for SC888C Significant Investment Permanent visa after 4 years or the full duration of their visa post 1 July 2021 of holding the SC188C and meeting other main requirements such as:
Maintaining the business Investment
For the full period immediately before you apply for the permanent visa, you or your spouse/de facto partner together must have held the complying investment continuously
Residence Requirement
The main applicant must have resided in Australia for (before 1/7/2021) at least a total of 40 days per year within the 4 years or (after 1/7/2021) at least a total of 40 days per year you held the provisional subclass 188C SIV or 188C SIV extension visa before you apply as the holder of an SC888C Significant Investment visa. The required number of days do not have to be divided equally over each visa year period. They can be accumulated over the full period of which you held those respective provisional visas.
If the main applicant/significant investor is unable to meet the required day residence period but was able to maintain the investment for the visa duration period, then the applicant’s spouse or de-facto partner may also be eligible to meet the residence requirement by demonstrating they have resided in Australia (before 1/7/2021) at least a total of 180 days per year within the 4 years or ( after 1/7/2021) at least a total of 180 days per year you held the provisional subclass 188C SIV or 188C SIV extension visa before you apply as the holder of an SC888C Significant Investment visa. The required number of days do not have to be divided equally over each visa year period. They can be accumulated over the full period of which you held those respective provisional visas.
INVESTOR AND COMPLYING INVESTMENTS
The investor must be an individual and the complying significant investments must be made personally by the primary applicant OR with their spouse or de facto partner together OR through a company for which all issued shares are owned either by the primary applicant (or the primary applicant and their spouse or de facto partner together) OR through a valid trust for which the trustee is the primary applicant (or the primary applicant and their spouse or de facto partner together) and the beneficiary is the primary applicant (or the primary applicant and their spouse or de facto partner together).
If the investor is the sole trustee of the trust, the investor and the investor’s spouse or de facto partner must be the sole beneficiaries. If the investor is the sole beneficiary, the investor and the investor’s spouse or de facto partner must be the sole trustees.
The minimum investment amounts may include investment management fees (if any). The investment must be made on or after the SC188 SIV Visa application is made because no investments that existed before that date would be accepted as complying significant investments. An organisation issuing the interests in the venture capital fund or the managed investment fund (the issuer) central management and control must be an authorised Australian Financial Services Licensed Fund Manager and operating in Australia. The SIV applicant, the SIV applicant’s spouse or de facto partner, and any associate of the SIV applicant or of the SIV applicant’s spouse or de facto partner must not be involved whatsoever or associated in the management or control of, or in partnership with the SIV Complying Fund Manager.After your visa is lodged and before a positive decision is made on your application, you will be requested to transfer the $5million AUD Funds to the Complying SIV Investment Fund you have engaged with. The funds you prepare to transfer must be from the exact source you confirmed in your application of funds already provided to the DHA at the time of application.
Applicants who are in Australia at the time of lodgement, will receive a bridging visa A after lodging their visa applications. This bridging visa will come into effect after the visa you have arrived with expires. Once the bridging visa takes effect (and as long as it has not conditions or restrictions) you can commence your business and/or investment activities.
After your investment has been made to SIV Fund and your visa is granted, you are able to conduct other business and investment activities which can be sustained beyond the designated investment term of 4 years.
During the 4 years of investment and holding the SC188 SIV Provisional visa, investor applicants may request to switch their investment (or a portion thereof) to a different complying significant investment, provided the switch complies with maximum switching period of 30 calendar days, being the time from which the funds are withdrawn or cancelled from the first investment until the time the funds are invested into the second investment. If funds reinvested into a complying significant investment or transferred between complying significant investments have occurred within 30 days, then the criteria of investments held continuously from the original investment date will still apply.
At the time of application for the permanent visa, the criterion of:
The applicant genuinely has demonstrated a realistic commitment to maintain business or investment activities in Australia can be evidenced by:
POST 1 JULY 2021 – THE COMPLYING SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT
The source of funds used to make the investment must be unencumbered and lawfully acquired and must not form the basis for a security or collateral for a loan and must meet complying significant investment criteria found in the legislative instrument. Investors must make the investment by either the main applicant or together with the main applicants de facto partner or spouse. If the investment will be made by a company, that company must be wholely owned by the investors. The ownership structures of the company will be accepted if the company is the trustee of a discretionary trust as long as the investors are either sole trustees of the trust or full beneficiaries of the trust.
Any legally established and operating business can apply to be a sponsor. Employer sponsored visas for Australia allows employers to source and sponsor foreign workers to address shortages in a narrower range of occupations in short term, medium and long-term needs, where a suitably skilled Australian worker cannot be sourced. Australian employers who are seeking to sponsor a skilled worker to fill a shortage in their workplace are provided with several types of employer sponsorship visa options in line with their business requirements. The visa subclasses below cover sponsoring workers for temporary visas and permanent visas for Australia.
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