Australia Business Visas
Australian Business visas, with the exception of the temporary business visit visa, are designed as permanent immigration services and may be issued with or without state or territory sponsorship. The three types of business visas generally grouped together under the collective term ‘Australian Business Visas’ are the Australian Business Owner Visa, the Australian Business Investor Visa and the Australian Business Senior Executive Visa.
Australian business visas are granted for four years during which time the applicant must continue to fulfil the requirements of their visa category. Beyond this applicants may apply for permanent residency in Australia. In all cases the requirements of a business visa application are reduced where state or territory sponsorship is obtained.
Take the first step towards your Australian business visa today by visiting the Global Visas online assessment area.
Business Owner Visa
Australian business owner visas are based upon a candidate having had an ‘overall successful business career’ and focus upon their skills in previous business ownership. Candidates must have owned or part owned a business with a turnover of at least AUS $500,000 for two of the four years prior to application and must have business assets of at least AUS $200,000. A candidate’s combined personal and business assets must be worth at least AUS $500,000 and the candidate must not have been involved in an enterprise in which the provision of services whether professional, technical or trade accounted for half of their time.
All the figures above may be submitted as joint assets where an applicant is applying with his or her spouse and it must be demonstrated that the applicant has both the desire and the intention to set up or invest in a business in Australia. Candidates must be proficient in the English language and must be aged 45 or under.
State Sponsored Business Owner Visa
The State sponsored business owner visa requires candidates to secure sponsorship from a State or Territory government and although the key principles remain the same, some alterations are made to the eligibility criteria. Business ownership experience is still required, however the turnover is reduced from AUS $500,000 to AUS $300,000. An experience based alternative is also provided through which a candidate may qualify by having at least 4 years of experience as a senior manager in a business with a turnover of at least AUS $1,000,000.
The combined personal and business assets of the candidate are reduced from AUS $500,000 to AUS $250,000 and the upper age limit is increased to 55 although applications from older candidates may be permitted if the candidate is considered to be of exceptional economic value to the sponsoring state or territory.
Business Senior Executive Visa
The Senior Executive visa involves many of the same criteria as the business ownership visa. However, where the business ownership visa requires experience in owning a business, senior executive applicants must demonstrate that they have held a position with responsibility for policy development within a major company and that the position they held was within the top three tiers of management.
Where an Australian Business Senior Executive visa is state sponsored, like the state sponsored business owner visa it reduces the combined personal and businesses assets requirement by half and raises the upper age limit to 55.
Australian Business Investor Visa
The Australian Business Investor Visa requires a candidate to have directly managed either a qualifying business, or eligible investments for no less than three years. Your Global Visas immigration consultant will be able to discuss the specific requirements for qualifying businesses and eligible investments with you.
For at least 12 months of the five year period directly prior to submitting an application, a candidate must have managed a business with a 10% stake (held by the applicant or their spouse) or managed investments worth at least AUS $1,000,000 or where a candidate is state sponsored AUS $750,000.
Finally, a candidate's net assets must be worth at least AUS $2.5 million and the candidate must make a designated investment of AUS $1.5 million. For the state sponsored investor visa these figures are AUS $1.125 million and AUS $750,000 respectively. As with all the business visas, the figures apply to a single candidate or to the combined assets of a candidate and their spouse where applicable. Applicants must be proficient in the English language and the upper age limit is 45 years, raised to 55 years for state sponsored applications.
Permanent Residence Business Visas
Australian Business visas are regarded as provisional visas, granted for four years. However, they are intended as routes to permanent residency and beyond the four year period, subject to meeting the requirements for their category, candidates may be issued with a permanent business visa. Transferring to a permanent business visa will depend upon the candidate having met the specific targets for their business visa. A Global Visas immigration consultant will be able to advise you of the criteria for a permanent business visa in your category.
Australian Retirement Visas
Australian retirement visas are not classed as business visas and are not issued as a route to permanent residency. However, they depend upon an applicant being able to invest in Australia and although they are issued as a temporary Australian immigration service, they may be renewed without limitation as required. Applicants must be aged 55 or over and may bring their spouse with them, although all other dependents must qualify for an Australian visa in their own right. Although working in Australia is generally not a feature of this category, based as it is upon investment capability, applicants may work for up to 20 hours per week if they choose.
All applicants will require sponsorship from a state or territory and whether they intend to settle in a regional or low growth area, or a non-regional area will dictate the funds required. Applicants settling in a regional area will need to have access to at least AUS $500,000 and must have an income of at least AUS £50,000. Where candidates plan to settle in a non-regional area, they will require AUS $750,000 with an income of at least AUS $65,000.
A minimum investment in State or Territory government bonds will also be necessary of at least AUS $500,000 in regional areas and AUS $750,000 in non regional areas.
Health & Character Requirements
As long-term to permanent visa and immigration services, Australian business visa applications and retirement visa applications will require candidates to undergo Australia’s health and character checks. Applicants must provide police check for all the countries in which they have lived for more than 12 months in the decade before applying and will need to undergo a chest x-ray carried out by an approved Australian doctor.
Every year, Global Visas help thousands of people to realise their dream of settling in Australia. To find out whether you qualify for a business visa and to begin your application take a moment to complete one of our online assessment forms.
