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188A Business Innovation Stream

This provisional visa is for people with business skills.

It lets you operate a new or existing business in Australia. The 188A visa is only available to applicants who are nominated by an Australian State or Territory government and meet the points test for this visa.

REQUIREMENTS

Under 55 years of age, unless the nominating state or territory certifies that the applicant will make an exceptional economic benefit.

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Net personal and business assets of at least AUD 1,250,000.

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Ownership of a business with a turnover of at least AUD 750,000 for at least 2 of the last 4 fiscal years.

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You must own at least i) 51%, of the total value of the business if the business has a turnover of less than AUD400,000 per year, or ii) 30%, of the total value of the business if the business has a turnover of AUD400,000 or more per year, or iii) 10%, of the total value of the business if the business is operated by a publicly listed company.

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Meet the pass mark in the Business innovation and investment Points test (currently 65 points).

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A successful career in business.

BENEFITS

No specific requirement on the English level.

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It only audits the business turnover and doesn't have a strict requirement on the total investment. The form of business and investment is flexible.

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Dependent Visas for eligible family members and further permanent Visas.

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Travel to, enter, and remain in Australia for up to 5 years.

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Children can study in public schools for free during the Visa period. 

Victoria 188A Visa

Requirements

How to Apply?

To apply for Victorian Business Innovation stream (subclass 188A) visa nomination you must:

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  • Make an Expression of Interest with SkillSelect.

  • Prepare your evidence to support your application.

  • Review the Supporting Information.

  • Submit a nomination application via the Live in Melbourne portalexternal link

  • Respond to any requests for further information within 14 days.​

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After you apply: 

  • The Skilled and Business Migration Program will assess your application.

  • We will email you if we require more information to support your application. You must respond within 2 weeks.

  • We aim to finalise all applications within 20 business days. See the Program Review page for current assessment times.

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Once you are nominated:

  • You and your agent will be notified of our decision by email.

  • Submit your visa application to the Department of Home Affairs within 60 days.

  • We cannot provide renomination if your visa application is not submitted.

  • Keep your contact details up to date so we can provide you important services.

  • We have a dedicated Relationship Management team who may contact you to assist you to navigate the Victorian business environment.

  • Comply with your Victorian nomination obligations for subclass 188A.

Tasmania 188A Visa

  • To be nominated for a subclass 188 visa under the Business Innovation stream you must:

  • be able to meet the visa requirements for a subclass 188 visa under the Business Innovation stream published by the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs). Please refer to the Home Affairs website for details

  • be a successful business owner or innovator proposing a new business or partnering with an existing Australian  business partner to develop new technologies or innovations, enhance industry capabilities, or offer a product or service with a distinct point of difference, which is suited to Tasmanian conditions

  • be able to invest at least AUD 200,000 to establish a new business or purchase an existing business in Tasmania

  • have a realistic, well-researched and plausible business plan

  • demonstrate that you have or can acquire the relevant knowledge, skills, experiences, qualifications, licences etc. to undertake senior level day-to-day and strategic management of the business in Tasmania

  • have sufficient funds to settle in Tasmania

  • intend to live in Tasmania and contribute to Tasmania’s economy while you hold a subclass 188 visa associated with Tasmanian nomination, and

  • agree to the nomination undertakings.

Requirements

NSW 188A Visa

Requirements

  • You must be under 50 years of age and have:

  • a bachelor's degree recognised as equivalent to the Australian standard, or

  • In the past 10 years have at least:

  • 3 years of business experience in a NSW target sector, or

  • 5 years of business experience in a non-target sector

Queensland 188A Visa

Requirements

  • Must demonstrate a genuine commitment to Queensland.

  • Must have net business and personal assets of at least A$1.25 million ready to be transferred to Queensland after visa grant.

  • Must invest in one or two qualifying business(es) in Queensland after being granted visa:

  • business investment of at least A$400,000 if the proposed business will be established in the Greater Brisbane and Gold Coast regions; OR

  • business investment of at least A$300,000 if the proposed business will be established in regional Queensland.

How to Apply?

Step 1

Review your eligibility criteria, visa conditions, and document checklist on the Department of Home Affairs website and the Migration Queensland website.

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Ensure that you meet both the Home Affairs criteria and Migration Queensland criteria and that you have all your documentation ready before you apply.

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Step 2

For Queensland state nomination, submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) with SkillSelect. Ensure that all information, such as employment experience, is included in your EOI.

 

Preference will be given to applicants who select “Queensland” as their nominating state of choice over applicants who select “Any” state.

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Step 3

Migration Queensland assesses all EOIs that meet the above Home Affairs and Migration Queensland criteria. If you are successful, you will receive an email invitation to lodge an application and be requested to provide the following documents:

  • Queensland State Nomination Application form

  • Business Proposal Form

  • Home Affairs Form 1139A

  • Passport Bio-page

  • Note: You must upload these documents digitally through the Document Portal link in your invitation email. Migration Queensland no longer accepts documents sent by email or post. You can only upload one document per file. If you have multiple documents, please merge and save them as one file.

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Step 4

When you have received your invitation from Migration Queensland:

  1. upload the required documents, and

  2. pay the non-refundable application fee to finalise your application. Do not pay the fee until you have been invited to apply and all your documents have been uploaded.

Migration Queensland will then review your application and may contact you if further information is required.

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Step 5

Once Migration Queensland has received and approved your completed application, you will receive a confirmation of Queensland nomination and an invitation from the Department of Home Affairs to lodge your visa application. You will be given 60 days to lodge your visa application.

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Note: If you realise that you have made a mistake on your submitted EOI after receiving a nomination, or if you miss the visa application lodgement date, you may have to wait 6 months before applying for Queensland nomination again.

South Australia 188A Visa

Requirements

  • Meet the Department of Home Affairs subclass 188 Business Innovation stream visa criteria.

  • Intend to live in South Australia.

  • Propose an investment and/or business activity in South Australia that will meet the South Australian state nomination 'benefit to state requirements' for the subclass 888 Business Innovation stream.

  • Applicants aged 55 years or over at the time of invitation must demonstrate that the proposal will be of exceptional economic benefit to South Australia by meeting a higher investment threshold.

  • Provide detailed information on the viability and economic impact of the proposal to South Australia. Further details are listed in the How to Apply section.

How to Apply?

Once you have ensured you meet all visa and nomination criteria, and prepared all documentation required for your application:

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  1. Lodge an EOI through Department of Home Affairs SkillSelect website. Choose South Australia as your preferred state and select the visa stream you want nomination for. Keep note of the reference number as you will need it for your state nomination application.

  2. Create an account and submit an online application for state nomination via the Skilled & Business Migration portal.

  3. You will receive email notification once your state nomination application has been processed by the Skilled & Business Migration team.

  4. If you are approved for state nomination, you will receive an invitation from the Department of Home Affairs asking you to lodge your visa application within 60 days of nomination.

  5. You must lodge your application within this timeframe as re-nomination is not permitted within the same program year unless a new state nomination application is submitted. This will incur a new application fee and approval is subject to the availability of nomination places in the stream selected.

Important Update: Candidates seeking a Subclass 188A nomination are required to submit an ‘Intention to apply’ (ITA) for consideration.  

ITA applications from high quality applicants, who can create genuine and sustainable business opportunities in South Australia, may be invited to apply for state nomination.  

 

In 2022-23, Skilled & Business Migration will be prioritising applications from candidates who have proven experience in their proposed business and can demonstrate their proposal will exceed the minimum investment criteria.  

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To meet the South Australian nomination requirements you must:

  • Meet the Department of Home Affairs subclass 188 Business Innovation stream visa criteria.

  • Intend to live in South Australia.

  • Score at least 80 points in the Department of Home Affairs’ points test. 

  • Provide a business plan detailing the viability and economic impact of your proposal to South Australia. Further details are listed in the How to Apply section. 

  • If proposing an export business in South Australia, you must demonstrate proven export experience and relevant expertise in the products being exported. 

  • Propose an investment and/or business activity in South Australia that will meet the South Australian state nomination 'benefit to state requirements' for the subclass 888 Business Innovation stream. 

  • Applicants aged 55 years or over at the time of invitation must demonstrate that the proposal will be of exceptional economic benefit to South Australia by meeting a higher investment threshold. 

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Additional Information

  • The choice of investment and/or business activity is based on the client's own preference; however, a business which is solely selling imports (including bringing product into South Australia from other States or Territories of Australia) will require substantial justification to demonstrate the benefit to state. 

  • Support for an application to the Department of Home Affairs to extend subclass 188 visa is at the discretion of Skilled & Business Migration. 

  • Approval for a proposed business undertaking property development is still at the discretion of Skilled & Business Migration for Subclasses 188 and 888. If you are a business owner who wishes to undertake property development as a business to meet state nomination requirements, please see the Property Development Pathways fact sheet for further information. 

  • South Australia will strictly manage the demand levels for certain business investments including - but not limited to - cafes, restaurants, convenience stores, beauty salons, service stations and retail stores. 

  • It is strongly recommended that applicants obtain professional legal and financial advice before undertaking any business or investment activity. 

  • Nomination is entirely at the discretion of the Government of South Australia. Meeting the minimum published requirements does not guarantee nomination by South Australia.  

  • Any duplicated applications will be automatically refused.  

  • Skilled & Business Migration will consider each application on its merits and the broader benefit to South Australia.  

  • Approval must be sought from Skilled & Business Migration in writing to change the business proposal of an approved State nomination application. Failure to gain approval will result in an application for the subclass 888 endorsement being refused. 

Western Australia 188A Visa

Requirements

  • submit a business proposal with their visa subclass 188 application which includes a detailed budget with costings to substantiate the net assets in business, any employment and total net assets in Western Australia for inclusion in their State nomination agreement for their visa subclass 888 application;

  • the business proposal must clearly demonstrate how the business will contribute positively to the Western Australian economy; and 

  • applicants and any family members (dependents) residing in Australia are required to live, work and/or study in Western Australia.

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