 INVESTORS OVERVIEW
Investor (Provisional)
This visa is for people who have a successful business or investment career, and have a genuine and realistic commitment to be involved in investing or business in Australia. This visa is also the first step towards being granted a permanent Business Skills visa.
Who is this visa for?
This visa is for investors/business people from overseas who are willing to invest funds in a designated investment in Australia for four (4) years, and are less than 45 years of age.
What does this visa let me do?
With this visa you can:
- make a designated investment
- travel in and out of Australia any number of times as long as the visa is valid
- have your family accompany you to Australia. They will have access to work and study rights
- establish a pathway to permanent residence.
This visa is a temporary visa, and the first step towards being granted a permanent Business Skills visa. You must be outside Australia when this visa is granted, unless you held a student visa at the time you applied.
You may be eligible for a permanent Business Skills visa after holding this visa for a minimum of two (2) years. To be eligible for a permanent Business Skills visa you must meet all the obligations of this visa and additional requirements of the permanent Business Skills visa you apply for. Meeting these requirements may take you longer than two (2) years.
After two (2) years you may be eligible to apply for one of the following visas:
- Investor (residence)
or
- State/Territory Sponsored Investor (residence)
- State/Territory Sponsored Business Owner (residence)
- Business Owner (residence)
Visa validity period
This visa is valid for four years.
If the visa is granted while you are:
- in Australia (Student visa holders only), it is valid from the date of grant
- Outside Australia, it is valid from the entry expiry date on your visa label.
Bringing family
The following people may be included in your application:
- your partner
- your or your partner's dependent children
- other dependent relatives living with you.
Private Health Insurance is available to you, but it is not a requirement for the grant of this visa.
Main Applicant Eligibility
You must meet the following requirements to be eligible for this visa. You must provide evidence of each of the requirements with your application.
Age
You must be less than 45 years old.
State/Territory notification
You have notified the appropriate regional authority of a state or territory; and your intention to develop a business in that State or Territory.
Designated Investment
At the time of the decision you have made a government approved Designated Investment of AUD1,500,000 in a state or territory of Australia. This amount must be available for transfer to Australia within a reasonable period when requested.
English level
You must have a vocational level of English. To show this you must you have one the following:
- have evidence you are a native English speaker
- undertake the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). You need to take the general training test, and must achieve a band score of at least five from a maximum of nine, for all four components of the test; speaking, reading, listening and writing. (Your IELTS test results may not be more than 12 months old when you apply)
hold a NAATI accreditation in English.
- Business career
For at least one of the five fiscal years immediately before you apply:
- You have maintained direct involvement in either managing a qualifying business in which you (or you and your partner together) had an ownership interest of at least 10% of the total value of the business
or
- You maintained direct involvement in managing your (or you and your partner's combined) eligible investments. The total value of that investment was at least AUD1,500,000.
Business experience
You have an overall successful record of eligible investment of qualifying business activity.
You have a total of at least three years experience of direct involvement in managing one or more qualifying businesses or eligible investments.
You have demonstrated a high level of management skill in relation to an eligible investment or qualifying business activity.
Business record
You (or your partner) have never been involved in unacceptable business or investment activities.
Committed to business in Australia
You have a commitment to develop and maintain an ownership interest in a business in Australia and you must maintain direct and continuous involvement in the management of that business.
Net assets
The net value of your (or your and your partner's combined) assets was at least AUD2,250,000 for the two fiscal years immediately before you apply.
Health requirement
You must meet health requirements to enter Australia.
Character requirement
You must be of good character for you to enter Australia.
Australian Values Statement
If you are aged 18 years or over, you are required to sign an Australian values statement. The statement is included in your visa application form and all applicants aged 18 years and over will need to sign it to confirm that they will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws. Before signing this statement you are required to have read, or had explained to you, material made available by the government on life in Australia which is contained in the Life in Australia book.
Eligible family members
Your family members must meet the following requirements to be eligible for this visa. Evidence of each of the requirements with your application.
You can include the following people in the application for this visa.
- your partner
- your or your partner's dependent children
- other dependent relatives living with you.
Adding family to your application
If your child is born after you lodge your application (but before a decision has been made) the child can be added to your application, once you notify the department of the details of the newborn child.
A partner can not be added to a visa application after it has been lodged but may submit a separate application.
A child born in Australia is deemed to have the same visa as their parents.
Members of the family unit, including a baby born overseas, may submit subsequent applications to join a visa holder in Australia.
Health requirement
All family members must meet health requirements to enter Australia.
Character requirement
All family members must be of good character to enter Australia.
Australian Values Statement
All visa applicants aged 18 years or over, are required to sign an Australian values statement. The statement is included in the visa application form and all applicants aged 18 years and over will need to sign it. Before signing the statement, applicants for this visa are required to have read, or had explained to them, material made available by the government on life in Australia which is contained in the Life in Australia book.
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