If you are over 45 years old and no longer satisfy the General Skilled Migration or Permanent Employer Nominated visa criteria you may wish to consider an Investor Stream visa!
The provisional Business Innovation & Investment visa provides a pathway to permanent residency for business people who want to own and manage a business in Australia, or make an investment here. If you wish to apply for this visa, which is valid for up to four years and three months, you must first lodge an Expression of Interest. If this is successful, and you are nominated by a State or Territory, you will be invited to lodge an application for this visa.
The minimum requirements for the Investor stream of this visa are set out below:
INVESTOR STREAM
For applicants who have experience in managing a business or investments, and wish to make a designated investment in Australia for at least 4 years.
Applicant
At the time that you are invited to apply for this visa, you must:
· be under 55 years of age
· score at least 65 on the innovation points test (which takes into account your age, English competency, qualifications, experience, turnover and assets, amongst other factors)
· be nominated by an Australian State or Territory government agency, and genuinely intend to live for at least two years in that State or Territory
Designated Investment
You must make a designated investment of at least AUD1.5 million in a government security in the State or Territory that nominates your application, using unencumbered funds accumulated from your qualifying businesses or eligible investments. You must be prepared to hold this investment for at least four years.
Business/Investment Experience
At the time that you are invited to apply for this visa:
· you must have a high level of skill (and a successful record) in managing eligible investments and/or qualifying businesses, with no involvement in unacceptable business activities
· you must have a minimum of three years of direct involvement in the management of at least one qualifying business or eligible investment
· in at least one out of the last five financial years, you (or you and your spouse or de facto partner, if applicable) must have been directly involved in the management of:
eligible investments totalling at least AUD1.5 million OR
a qualifying business, where you (or you and your spouse/de facto partner combined) owned at least 10% of the total value of that business)
NOTE: An investment is eligible if you own it for the purpose of producing a return in the form of income or capital gain, and not for personal use. Acceptable investments include ownership of a business, cash on deposit, stocks or bonds, real estate, or gold or silver bullion.
A qualifying business is operated for the purpose of making profit by providing goods and/or services to the public. It is not operated for the purpose of speculative or passive investment.
Net Assets
During the two financial years immediately before you are invited to apply, you (or you and your spouse/de facto partner, if applicable) must have net personal, business and investment assets with a net value of at least AUD2.25 million. These assets must have been legally acquired, and must be available for legal transfer to Australia within two years of the date that your visa is granted.
Eligibility for Permanent Residence
To qualify for a permanent Business Innovation & Investment (Residence) Subclass 888 visa, you would need to meet the following criteria:
You have been in Australia on your subclass 188B visa for at least 2 years, within the 4 years prior to lodgement
Maintained your investment in Australian State or Territory bonds for the last 4 years.
Note that business migration can be extremely complex, and even determining whether you have a good chance of qualifying can be difficult. In addition, you may be able to qualify in a number of different business migration categories.
If you would like us to check your likely eligibility for business migration or if you would like us to assist you with your application, you can complete an assessment (Select "Own a Business" in dropdown). We will then provide you with a preliminary assessment of your likely eligibility for business migration, and can discuss with you the best way to proceed with your application.
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