Business/Investment Visas

The Subclass 188 Visa programs are part of Australia’s “investment migration” framework, allowing individuals to secure Australian residency by making a significant economic contribution through investment or entrepreneurial activities. Specifically designed for individuals with a background in investments or business activities, this visa option is ideal for those looking to invest or establish a business in Australia. Applicants are required to meet specific asset criteria to qualify for this visa. Immediate family members can be included in the visa application.

Business Innovation and Investment Visa

188A
Business Innovation Stream
5-Year Temporary Residency Visa
  • Requires Business Experience
  • Low Asset Requirements
  • Low Investment Requirements
  • Lower English Language Proficiency Requirement
  • Requires Points-Test Assessment

This provisional visa is for people with business skills. It lets you operate a new or existing business in Australia. To apply, you need to show your business ownership and experience through statements and reports. The visa has low investment requirements, giving you flexibility in your business choices. Visa holders must run at least one business in Australia and can move to a permanent residency visa if they meet certain conditions. Requirements for age and English language proficiency are quite reasonable, and the investment criteria are the lowest among similar programs. This visa is great for small to medium-sized business owners, offering various entrepreneurial opportunities and the chance to get permanent residency in just three years.

Presence in Australia

Before applying for permanent residency, the applicant must have lived in the nominated state or region for at least 1 year out of the 3-year period.

188B
Investor Stream
5-Year Temporary Residency Visa
  • Investment and Business Experience Are Both Acceptable
  • Only Need to Meet the Investment Requirements
  • Moderate Personal Asset Requirements
  • Moderate Investment Amount
  • Lower English Language Proficiency Requirement
  • Requires Points-Test Assessment

This provisional visa requires you to invest at least AUD2.5 million in Australian investments that meet specific requirements and maintain business or investment activity in Australia. It is suitable for individuals with experience in finance, real estate, stocks, securities, funds, and foreign exchange. Business operators owning at least 10% of a company’s shares also qualifies. No business management background is necessary, and there is no specific turnover requirement. However, applicants need to demonstrate a certain level of investment experience with a minimum return. After obtaining the visa, maintaining a designated investment of at least AUD2.5 million and meeting specific conditions allows the applicants to be eligible for permanent residency.

The 188B application can be fairly straightforward and will require applicants to make a complying investment in Australia. It does not mandate applicants to start a business in Australia

Residency Requirement

Before applying for permanent residency, the applicant must have lived in the nominated state or region for at least 2 years out of the 3-year period.

Compliant Investment Portfolio

The primary applicant must maintain a compliant investment of at least AUD2.5 million for a minimum of 3 years.

Investment Details

188C
Significant Investor Visa
5-Year Temporary Residency Visa
  • A Fast-track Pathway for High-net-worth Individuals
  • No Age, English Language, or Scoring Requirements
  • No Investment or Business Requirements
  • Flexible Residency Requirements
  • High Asset Requirement
  • Largest Investment Amount

This provisional visa is for individuals who invest at least AUD5 million in Australian investments that meet specific requirements and maintain investment activity in Australia. After sustaining the investment in Australia for 4 years, applicants can apply for permanent residence through the Business Innovation & Investment (Residence) (Subclass 888) Visa.

This visa offers the most lenient eligibility criteria among the four types available. There is no age limit, no English language proficiency requirement, no need for a points assessment, and no requirement for business management experience.

Residency Requirement

Throughout the visa duration, the main applicant needs to spend an average of 40 days per year in Australia (calculated cumulatively). Alternatively, the spouse/partner can fulfil this requirement by spending an average of 180 days per year in Australia (also calculated cumulatively).

Compliant Investment Portfolio

The primary applicant must maintain the significant complying investment of AUD5 million for the whole period of their Subclass 188C Visa.

Investment Details

188E
Entrepreneur Stream
5-Year Temporary Residency Visa
  • The Only Subclass that Does Not Require the Proof of “Source of Fund”
  • No Asset Requirements – 無投資及經商經驗要求 No Investment or Business Experience Requirements
  • No Educational Requirements
  • A Business Plan Is Required
  • No Need for a Points Assessment

This is a 4-year temporary visa for startup and early-stage entrepreneurs who have been endorsed to develop their concepts and have been nominated by a State or Territory government agency. After spending 2 years in Australia, you can qualify for permanent residence through the Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) Visa (Subclass 888).

Residency Requirement

You must have been in Australia for at least 2 years as the holder of the Subclass 188E visa.

*The above are the basic requirements for all visas. Different State Governments may have additional requirements at different times. For more details, please inquire with us.

Business Innovation and Investment Visa – Subclasses

188A 188B 188C 188E
Age Limit Below 55 No Limitation Below 55
Personal and Business Net Assets AUD 1.25 million or above AUD 2.5 million or above AUD 5 million or above Have sufficient assets to settle in Australia
Business Experience Business Business / Investment Not required Not required
Turnover or Revenue AUD 750,000
Investment Amount Varies with State Governments AUD 2.5 million AUD 5 million Varies with State Governments
Type of Investment Establish a new or invest in an existing business Complying Investment Complying Significant Investment Complying Business
Points Requirement 65 or above Not applicable
English Requirement IELTS overall 4.5 or above/pay a second instalment of the visa application charge IELTS all band 6 or above
Secondary Applicant Spouse/partner and dependent children under the age of 23
Visa Conditions Multiple entries to Australia within 5 years and the ability to live, study, and work within the nominated state or region
Residency Requirements Reside in the nominated Australian State or Territory for at least 1 out of the 3 years immediately before applying for a permanent resident visa Reside in the nominated Australian State or Territory for at least 2 out of the 3 years immediately before applying for a permanent resident visa Have a genuine commitment to live in Australia for at least 40 days per year (calculated cumulatively) for the duration of your provisional visa, or your spouse/partner to live for at least 180 days per year (calculated cumulatively) for the duration of your provisional visa Reside in the Australian State or Territory for at least 2 out of the 3 years immediately before applying for a permanent resident visa
Age Limit Personal and Business Net Assets Business Experience Turnover or Revenue Investment Amount Type of Investment Points Requirement English Requirement Secondary Applicant Visa Conditions Residency Requirements
188A Below 55 AUD 1.25 million or above Business AUD 750,000 Varies with State Governments Establish a new or invest in an existing business 65 or above IELTS overall 4.5 or above/pay a second instalment of the visa application charge Spouse/partner and dependent children under the age of 23 Multiple entries to Australia within 5 years and the ability to live, study, and work within the nominated state or region Reside in the nominated Australian State or Territory for at least 1 out of the 3 years immediately before applying for a permanent resident visa
188B AUD 2.5 million or above Business / Investment AUD 2.5 million Complying Investment Reside in the nominated Australian State or Territory for at least 2 out of the 3 years immediately before applying for a permanent resident visa
188C No Limitation AUD 5 million or above Not required AUD 5 million Complying Significant Investment Not applicable Have a genuine commitment to live in Australia for at least 40 days per year (calculated cumulatively) for the duration of your provisional visa, or your spouse/partner to live for at least 180 days per year (calculated cumulatively) for the duration of your provisional visa
188E Below 55 Have sufficient assets to settle in Australia Not required Varies with State Governments Complying Business IELTS all band 6 or above Reside in the Australian State or Territory for at least 2 out of the 3 years immediately before applying for a permanent resident visa

Application Process

1

Subclass 188A/B/C Business and Investment Visa – Document Preparation
Subclass 188E Entrepreneur Visa – Prepare Business Plan

2

Submit Expression of Interest (EOI)

3

Wait for Invitation from State Government

4

Obtain State Government Nomination

5

Lodge Visa Application (Within 60 Days of Receiving State Government Nomination)

6

Receive Application Reference Number

7

Health and Police Clearance

8

Notice of Approval-In-Principle

  • 188B – Make Investment within 70 Days of Receiving Investment Invitation
  • 188C – Make Investment within 70 Days of Receiving Investment Invitation

9

Visa Approval

Video

FAQ

Q1

澳洲移民局如何定義「淨資產」?

「淨資產」的範圍包括申請人及其配偶合併計算的淨資產;而且不限地區,任何地方的淨資產都可計算在內。

Q2

澳洲移民部如何定義「主要業務」?

申請人所持有的企業股份需佔以下百分比,才可被視作「主要業務」:





• 若企業每年營業額低於40萬澳元,申請人需持有最少51%股份





• 若企業每年營業額達到40萬澳元或以上,申請人需持有最少30%股份





• 若企業為上市公司,申請人需持有最少10%股份

Q3

申請者可否選擇澳洲政府債券的類型嗎?

不可以。每個州或地區都有一種指定投資,申請者需要滿足該地區的投資要求。

Q4

可以延長188類別的逗留期限嗎?

可以。申請人可以延長188類別的逗留期限,以達到永久居民簽證(888類別)的要求。

Q5

如果申請人不參加英語考試,還有資格申請投資類別的簽證嗎?

澳洲政府鼓勵申請人於雅思每個類別取得最少4.5分。但是,對於申請時年滿18歲且被評定為沒有功能性英語的申請人,則可選擇向澳洲政府繳款以繼續申請,金額為:





• 主申請人:$9,795澳元*





• 副申請人:$4,890澳元*





*金額或會於7月1日更改





Q6

先移民,後留學有甚麼優勢?

如果您打算安排子女於公立小學或中學就讀,持某些類別的臨時居民簽證可以享受當地的學費優惠;持永久居民簽證的人士則可享受與澳洲公民相同的教育福利。

Q7

移居澳洲可以享受和當地人同等的福利嗎?

永久居民享有很多與公民同等的權利,包括在教育、醫療及社會援助等方面取得減免或補貼。

Q8

為了取得澳洲國籍,永久居民的居住要求是什麼?

在4年期間,您需要在澳洲居住至少3年,並且在這3年中,最少持永久居民身份一年。要注意一點,於最近一年內,您在海外度過的時間不超過90天。

Q9

申請簽證成功後,申請人是否必需馬上到澳洲居住?

不是。申請人只需在指定的期限前入境澳洲「簽到」,使簽證正式生效。生效後,申請人可以根據自己的時間表,滿足該簽證的居住要求。

Q10

透過Ray White Hong Kong協助申請移民澳洲的最大優勢是甚麼?

我們的移民團隊以成功移民為目標,以您的利益作為最大考慮。我們的移民團隊由澳洲前移民官帶領,再配合Ray White於澳洲擁有逾百年的網絡,能夠清楚了解澳洲當地的移民條件和細則,為每位顧客度身定制最合適的移民方案。

Q11

申請澳洲移民有沒有年齡限制?

有。技術移民申請人的年齡需要低於45歲;而投資移民申請人的年齡需要低於55歲(188C簽證類別除外)。

Q12

EOI(Expression of Interest)是什麼?

EOI是移民意向書,表明申請人的移民意向。已遞交的EOI會被列在「申請池」內,移民局每個月會根據需要,從池內挑選滿足條件的申請人,並發出邀請。申請人收到邀請後才可以遞交簽證材料,申請簽證。

Q13

申請人遞交EOI時,要注意甚麼事項?

遞交EOI時,要注意以下三個事項:











1. 申請人的評分已達到65分





2. 每人有2次被邀請的機會





3. 申請人在收到邀請的60天內必須遞交簽證申請,否則邀請將被作廢

Testimonials from our clients

Thanks for the professional service by Raywhite team (including David Ma, David Bao, Yolanda Chan…) who helped me successfully get my GTI visa. Appreciated much for the professional effort and advices by the team, I have obtained a lot of guidance on the pre-application consultation, documents preparation, application submission & even post application reminders. The whole process was smooth which addressed each of the questions I raised.

The Raywhite team is very experienced and knowledgeable on the Australia immigration process. I was very impressed by their pre-consultation advice who gauged the suitability of my profile before I decided to engage them for the service, this delivered good comfort for applicant to choose and decide for application effectively. During the documentation preparation stage, the migration specialist team was very professional in digesting all my over-flooded materials and turning into well-organized information for application submission. The patient and efficiency during the process by their team were all highly appreciated. It was with pleasant experience too at the last mile of the process where rounds of RFI were required after EOI, their servicing team prompted me timely for further information required which let me feel hassle-free even during the application journey.

All-in-all, thanks for the professional service by Raywhite team, I would like to express my thankfulness again to the team for the impressive service throughout the journey!

Eddie Mak

6 month(s) ago

We are a retired couple. Our son works in Australia. He wants us to go to Australia for retirement. Due to the epidemic, we cannot go to Australia in person to choose a property. Thanks to Ray White, we have a one-stop service in Hong Kong. Whether buying a property or renting it, we can do it as an agent, especially Jason. Cheung’s considerate service not only allowed us to buy our favorite property in Melbourne, but also introduced us to the local climate, transportation, customs and customs, making us feel at home. We are very grateful for his enthusiastic service. He is the best person we have ever encountered. A good agent. I will also introduce my friends to Ray White to buy property. This is the most ideal place to buy cattle across the mountain. Save yourself the hassle of traveling and traveling, why not?

Sam Ho

8 month(s) ago

Ray white not just a real estate company. They have various professional services which is convenient for us non Australian to own property in Australia and any other advices. Recently l was lucky to meet Jason Cheung who is very professional and approachable. No hard sale but cater for the need of customers. Very patient in listening to customers and provide professional advice and recommendation. He even arranged me to meet the sales team in Australia and visit various properties in short notice. Really thankful and appreciate. He also able to advice me on various legal and taxation issues. Highly recommend Ray white HK and Jason Cheung for their professional services and advice.

CB Tan

8 month(s) ago

Appreciate great help for my visa application from Mei and her team

Chating Mak

10 month(s) ago

David Ma and David Bao have done an excellent job in helping us on the 858 visa. They are reliable and fast.

Michelle Ho

10 month(s) ago

Ray White immigration consultants has done a marvellous job in assisting my family application as well as giving out invaluable advices during the process! We are much appreciated of their professionalism!

Wong Wsquare

10 month(s) ago

Many thanks to Jolie and Julia for their help.
During the entire Visa application process, from the selection of nominees to writing letters of recommendation to filling out the forms, in addition to seeing their professionalism and carefulness, I also saw their familiarity with the application process and the Immigration Bureau’s requirements for applicants, and they were approved in one go. The application was successful. Not only does it not have to go back and forth to provide information documents, it also saves a lot of time.

Bennet Yu

10 month(s) ago

A big thanks to Mei, Louisa and their team. They not only prepared the paperwork, but also gave advice on my situation, helping me obtain the 820 partner visa in 4.5 months time. Strongly recommended.

hunter 1120

10 month(s) ago

Thank you for providing professional service and efficient work!

ho wan leung

11 month(s) ago

Thanks to the advice and assistance of Mei and her team, we are able to obtain our PR in 15 months’ time.

Aidan Law

12 month(s) ago

I loved the professional service & advice from Mei Lai (migration agent), Jolie (associated Director) and their team. Without Raywhite, it would be a disaster to organise the complicated procedures and required supportive documents by myself.

The whole process was smooth and successful. Hightly recommend Raywhite to anyone who is interested in moving to Australia.

Ken Cheung

1 year(s) ago

Thanks Jolie, Mei and Ray White team. They are very professional with the VISA application. The team addressed to all my enquiries clearly and never tired to help my application. Highly recommended. Much appreciated

Chi Hang Ma

1 year(s) ago

I express my sincere gratitude 🙏 for Raywhite’s professionalism, assistance, courtesy throughout the entire procedure!

Especially Jason, with his help, I finally got my first apartment though raywhite! Appreciated so much for the team to make my 🇦🇺 dream come true!

Tsz Yeung “Adonis” Li

1 year(s) ago

I want to take this chance to appreicate Mei, Ken and the rest of team members effort for my wife & myself’s visa application. Without your help the whole Australia journey will not be easy. Strongly recommend to seek for professional advice and assistance.

Mikey Boy

1 year(s) ago

The entire visa application process went smoothly
Migration Consultant Ken is also very attentive, answers all questions, and is very helpful.

Genie Ma

1 year(s) ago

Thanks Mei, David and the team assisting us to get out 188 visa successfully last year. They provided us valuable and professional advice along the application process. Their guidance and seamless support gave us confidence in getting our visa approval.

Great work for the team! We will definitely refer our friends to Ray White (and actually we did☺️).

So Susanna

1 year(s) ago

Thanks Ray White for their professional assistance in my student visa application as well as the dependent visa for my partner. Besides handling all the tedious and complicated paper work, they offered guidance based on my situation to facilitate the application process. I highly recommend this amazing team with great experience.

Vincent Chiu

1 year(s) ago

Thanks Infinity for helping me apply for my 188B visa. I am especially delighted to express my sincere gratitude to Mei. Mei’s snd Jolie’s patient guidance & advice play a crucial role when I have got some queries during the complicated application process. Mei definitely serves as a bridge to maintain communication with Home Affairs so that I can figure out an efficient way and justify my strategies in various aspects. Thanks again! Now, my family and I have eventually got our visas granted! Hooray!

miss lau

1 year(s) ago

A few years ago, when my daughter decided to study in Australia, I checked the local rental information in Melbourne online. I felt that the rents were not affordable, so I asked a friend and recommended Ray White to inquire about some property prices. Hello Patrick. Professional, he explained to me the planning and development, transportation facilities and investment returns near the city center.
He helped me find a well-priced property near the center of Melbourne. Although the repossession was delayed due to the epidemic, Patrick has always followed up with me. The entire repossession process was well arranged, and my daughter arrived. I can live in peace and contentment without having to look around for rent. The floor has been upgraded. Thank you Patrick!

Nicole Choi

1 year(s) ago

Patrick Shea is a good helper and often provides the latest market trends.

Teresa To

1 year(s) ago

Good service provided by Adam So to assist on property sourcing and purchase in Australia

Yi Sum Li

1 year(s) ago

Ray White’s team is very professional. From the consultation to the follow-up of the successful GTI application, they performed very well, answered all questions and were very patient.

Ray White successfully applied for GTI in one go, with full marks for professionalism💯

Angie Au

1 year(s) ago

Decided to choose Raywhite for assisting out visa application was because their prompt and responsive via email or phone as well as able to keep their attitude all the way until the visa grant.

From zero to visa successful grant, this is not an easy process at all. However, the advice and opinion from them especially Mei & Jolie are always pertinent and not flashy, this made the overall process without any error or hassles.

Thank you for helping us accomplish our goal and recommended to their professional service for the NEXT you.

Stephanie Luk

1 year(s) ago

Thank you to Mei, Alan and colleagues in the team. Kuaishou and Tongmian have been following up on the matter, and Azai’s student visa was issued very quickly.

Mei Fung Chiu

2 year(s) ago

RayWhite provides professional service and advice to their clients and my assigned agent is very helpful and responsive to all my enquiries.
Definitely will recommend to family and friends!

cheuk him ng

2 year(s) ago

The Ray White team has successfully helped me to get an invitation of my GTI application. I want to say a big thank you to the team especially Kenneth, Elrica, and Mei for their professionalism, integrity and knowledge. The whole team has given me lots of guidance on the whole process especially Kenneth has provided tons of background information, clear procedures and addressed all my questions from the beginning till now.
Elrica has also done an amazing job during my whole application process. She has provided suitable suggestions and solutions based on my background and profile on my application. She really did a great job !
Overall, the whole Ray White team has great capability and experience in the Australian immigration process. They are able to help me in every step and provide professional suggestions to me. They made good recommendations and professional advice that can best fit for my application.
Once again, I would like to give a sincere thanks and heartfelt gratitude to the Ray White team for the hard work and assistance.
Hope Ray White can achieve more successful cases to bring in more talented people into Australia.

Betty Ku

2 year(s) ago

David and the Ray White Team are really helpful and professional immigration service provider. They help me a lot on handling my GTI submission and the whole process is very efficient. Good job and thanks Ray White.

KW T

2 year(s) ago

Ray White helped me get an invitation of GTI, and they are really
professional immigration organization. They provide me detail background, knowledge and relevant guidance during the process.

Ray White Team has great capability and experience to analyze every step and recommend strategy which is best fit for you. Hope Ray White can help more talent people who need help to become Aussie.

Kwok Man Yu

2 year(s) ago

Thank you Mei, Jolie and the Ray White team for successfully obtaining the RRV for us. Thank you for your efforts and professional assistance. It is definitely not an easy task to reapply after a visa has expired for 11 years. You are the right choice.

Vincent Kan

2 year(s) ago

Thanks Mei, Jolie and the Ray White team for your good job in our successful 188 VISA application today… especially your wonderful effort, skills, quality of work and timely responses as always. Our smart choice of your team.

Wishing you a beautiful holiday season filled with joy and laughter. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

kin liu

2 year(s) ago

The team of Raywhite has been very helpful in the immigration application. They have been very responsive to our needs. They are also very thorough in their follow up. Thanks for the professionalism!

A P

2 year(s) ago

Ray White help me get VISA of 188, it is very amazing experience that during the whole process. They have qualified people to do each steps as well as their explanations i detail to clients. Hope Ray White can help more and more people who need help to become Aussie.

CR Wong

2 year(s) ago

At the end of 2020, through online research, we learned that Ray White is a professional consultant for Australian immigration, and attended the immigration seminars held by him, where he clarified some common issues and obtained information on the latest immigration policies, such as changes in quotas. What’s more important is the news that the government will raise investment thresholds. After comparing other reputable consulting companies, we finally chose to hire RayWhite for two reasons in addition to their professional qualifications and attitude. First of all, RayWhite only focuses on Australia, and the quality will not be affected by serving immigration services from other countries, which is more conducive to strengthening the depth of services. Secondly, RayWhite provides suitable solutions and suggestions based on the customer’s personal situation. Unlike some consulting companies, which insist on customers striving for higher scores in order to enhance their market reputation, resulting in avoidable additional costs. Throughout the entire process, the RayWhite team deployed for us step by step, and we were nominated by the state government to apply for a visa before the end of May 2021. As mentioned above, the Australian government raised the investment threshold in July. We are fortunate that at this critical moment, professional consultants took the time to help us stay away from the risk of policy changes. Since then, the COVID-19 epidemic has raged in Hong Kong and Australia at different times, but it has not affected the professional support they provided. Finally, our visa was approved in November 2022. Special thanks to Jolie, Eric, Mei and the RayWhite team for their full assistance in solving various problems we faced in applying for immigration, allowing us to enjoy the fruit of success and open a new page in our lives.

Ji Jeor

2 year(s) ago

Thank you so much with Raywhite’s help on my family migration plan via the GTI visa. Mei and the team are providing professional advise all the way during the application process. Very helpful indeed.

Hope Raywhite team all the best!

Jordan Cheung

2 year(s) ago

A quick note to share my experience about the GTI application and would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to the Raywhite Affinity team for their professional services.

I have been working in the IT industry for more than 20 years and learn about the Global Talent VISA Program last year. Having studied the materials on the Home Affairs website of Australian Gov, I considered myself met the requirements of the programme. I have compared the services of a couple of migration agents, and appointed Raywhite finally to assist in my submission. The reason for my decision was not the dollar sign, but the experience, professionalism, transparency and integrity of their work. Say for example, when I asked about the arrangement of the nominator, the team shared with me the experiences of their client’s cases and also gave fruitful advises (e.g. going for ACS or other institution nominator), instead of selling the “fake” nominator sourcing service as other agents.

After I engaged Raywhite for the service, an experienced consultant was assigned to handle my case. He recommended going for “Digiech” (with pros and cons of others sectors for my consideration) after studying my profile and expertise. He also did a lot of preparations, and included lots of research and local facts to strengthen my case. Due to my work nature, I prepared and reviewed a lot of business papers every week. Frankly, the submission drafted by Raywhite was very solid and of professional standard.

Another point I would like to highlight is the resilience of the team. When my first submission was rejected, the team discussed with me immediately about their proposed ways forward (instead of giving my the excuses). They also supplement my cases swiftly with load of materials (without asking me for additional payment).

I finally got my GTI invitation earlier this month, but the work of the team did stop there. They are now assisting me on the VISA application, and gave lots of useful advices for my future settlement in Australia.

All in all, the services of Raywhite exceed my expectations and I have recommended their services to my friends. I’m sure their cases will be well handled in the team’s capable hands.

Warm regards.

QuantLinker Global

2 year(s) ago

Appreciated I was lucky to engaged Ray White Migration service with high quality strategic approach and superb experience in effective communication to achieve great outcome for our visa successfully granted in very short period of time

Sammy Hui

2 year(s) ago

I reached RayWhite HK through one of my friend last year for Aussie immigration visa application. Overall their service is very professional and follow up is in timely manner.

Simon Chen

2 year(s) ago

Information overload?
Speak with our professionals!

Contact us
Subscribe Newsletter
Sign up to get the latest events, market news & exclusive projects.
Contact Us
=
Request an Appraisal
Simply fill in your details in the form below and one of our experts will be in contact with you.
=
Contact Us
=
Contact Us
=