Business Visas

Business Innovation stream: for people with business skills who want to establish, develop and manage a new or existing business in Australia. Applicants must be nominated by a state or territory government.

Investor stream: for people who want to make a designated investment of at least AUD1.5million in an Australian state or territory and maintain business and investment activity in Australia. Applicants must be nominated by a state or territory government.

Significant Investor stream: for people who are willing to invest at least AUD5million into complying significant investments in Australia and want to maintain business and investment activity in Australia. Applicants can be nominated by a state or territory government or Austrade on behalf of the Australian government.

Premium Investor stream: for people who are willing to invest at least AUD15million into complying premium investments in Australia and want to maintain business and investment activity in Australia. Applicants must be nominated by Austrade on behalf of the Australian government.

Entrepreneur stream: for people who have a funding agreement from a third party for at least AUD200 000 to undertake a complying entrepreneur activity that is proposed to lead to either the commercialisation of a product or service in Australia or the development of a business in Australia. Applicants must be nominated by a state or territory government.

If you pay for your application by credit card, a surcharge will apply. The current surcharge rates are:

• Visa and MasterCard* – 0.98%
• American Express and JCB – 1.4%
• Diners Club International – 1.99%

* The surcharge will also apply to Debit Visa cards and Debit MasterCards

Applicant in Australia

All charges shown below are in Australian Dollars.

You must be able to show that you (or you and your partner together) have:

• had an ownership interest (and continue to have an ownership interest) and a direct and continuous management role in an actively operating main business (or main businesses) in Australia for the 2 years immediately before you apply.
• had an annual turnover of at least AUD300 000 from the main business(or businesses) in the 12 months before you apply. (A nominating state or territory might agree to waive the requirement to show an annual turnover of AUD300 000 if you live and operate business in a specified regional area of Australia)
• owned at least one of the following percentages of the main business (or main businesses) in Australia in the year immediately before you apply:
  • 51 per cent of a business with a turnover of less than AUD400 000 per year
  • 30 per cent of a business with a turnover of AUD400 000 or more per year
  • 10 per cent of a publicly listed company
• obtained an Australian Business Number for each of your main businesses
• submitted Business Activity Statements to the Australian Taxation Office for the two years immediately before you apply
• not acquired the ownership in your main business (or two main businesses) from a person who was an applicant for, or a holder of, a permanent Business Innovation and Investment visa (subclass 888) or a permanent business skills visa (in subclasses 890, 891, 892 or 893), unless you and that person had a joint interest in the main business for at least one year before you lodge your application for this visa.

You (or your partner, or you and your partner together) must also demonstrate that you have achieved at least two of the following requirements:

• a net value of business assets of at least AUD200 000 in your nominated main business (or two main businesses) in Australia throughout the year immediately before you apply
• a net value of personal and business assets of at least AUD600 000 in Australia throughout the year immediately before you apply
• employed at least the equivalent of two full-time employees in your main business (or main businesses), throughout the year immediately before you apply who are:

• • Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents, or holders of valid New Zealand passports not members of your family.