Overview
The Business Innovation and Investment visa (Subclass 888) is a permanent visa for eligible entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners, who already hold certain visa streams, to stay permanently in Australia and continue their business and investment activities.
Basic Eligibility
Applicants must hold one of the following visas:
- a relevant stream of the subclass 188 visa
- a relevant extension stream of the subclass 188 visa
- a subclass 444 (Special Category) visa
- a subclass 457 (Business (Long Stay)) visa granted in certain circumstances
Types of Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) Visa (888)
- Business Innovation stream
- Investor stream
- Significant Investor stream
- Premium Investor stream
- Entrepreneur stream
Investor stream (subclass 888)
This permanent visa stream lets holders of subclass 188 in the investor stream visas to apply for permanent residency and, if granted, stay in Australia and continue their investment activity. Applicants must have held a designated investment of AUD 1.5 million for 4 years and meet certain business requirements. The application fee for the main applicant is AUD 2,590.* Additional charges will apply to each family member included in the application. These fees do not include other costs such as medical tests and police certificates.
Eligibility Criteria
- You must be the holder of the Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188) Investor
- Your nominating state or territory needs to confirm that your nomination is still current.
- You must have lived in Australia for at least 2 of the 4 years immediately before you apply for this visa.
- You must have genuine commitment to continuing you investment or business activities in Australia.
- At the time of application, you and other applicants over the age of 18 must provide proof of at least Functional English (IELTS score of 4.5 or equivalent), otherwise, you will be asked to pay extra charge.
- You must not have been involved in any unacceptable business or investment activities in Australia.
- You and your family members included in your application must meet the health and character requirements.
- You must not have any outstanding debt to the Australian Government.
- You might not be eligible for this visa if you have had your visa cancelled or a previous visa application refused while you were in Australia.
As an applicant for this visa
- You can be in or outside Australia to lodge a valid application
- You must apply online
- You must have a current nomination from an Australian state or territory government agency
- You can include members of the family unit in the application when you lodge the visa application or after that but before your visa is decided on
- When lodging your application, you must provide supporting evidence for your claims
As a holder of this visa
- You can permanently stay in Australia and continue the investment and business activities you started under your Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa subclass 188.
- You are allowed to work and study anywhere in Australia.
- You can enroll in Medicare, the Australia’s public health insurance scheme.
- You can sponsor your relatives to come to Australia.
- You are allowed to travel in and out of Australia as many times as you want for 5 years.
- If you want to travel out of Australia after the 5 initial years, you will need to apply for and granted Resident Return visa to be able to re-enter Australia.
- You must inform the Department of Home Affairs any changes to your address, phone number, passport, relationship status, or the birth of a child.
- If eligible, you can apply for and become an Australian citizen.
* Fees were true at the time of compiling this document, but they are subject to change. Please contact us for the latest updates on this visa.
Note: All documents should be originally in English or officially translated into English.
Please note that the above content is for general information only and must not be taken as immigration or travel advice. The content was up-to-date at the time of the last update but being current and accurate cannot be always guaranteed due to the frequent changes in immigration law. Please contact us for advice and information on the latest immigration laws in Australia.
Source: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
Access: 16 August 2020