A temporary visa for applicants who want to own or manage a new or existing business in Australia. It also serves as a first step towards being eligible for a permanent Business Skills visa.

To be eligible for 188 visa, you must:

✅ Be under 55 years of age

✅ Be nominated by Australian state or territory government

✅ Submit an Expression of Interest and be invited to apply from Department of Home Affairs

✅ Have health examinations done within 12 months of applying for the visa

✅ Have police certificate from each country lived in for 12 months or more of past 10 years to demonstrate character history

✅ Sign an Australian Values Statement (if the age is 18 or older)

✅ Be free from any outstanding debts to the Australian government

The Business Innovation and Investment (subclass 888) is a permanent residency visa for those who hold a four-year provisional subclass 188 visa and looking to continue to own and manage a business or an investment activity in Australia and Australian state or territory respectively.

To be eligible for 888 visa, you must:

✅ Held a provisional Business Innovation and Investment visa (subclass 188) and met all the requirements of the stream you first applied OR

✅ Be the spouse or de facto partner of 188 visa in the investor or business innovation stream and be able to meet the primary requirements of permanent business innovation and investment visa in the relevant strea

OR

✅ Held a Special Category visa (subclass 444) and met the requirements of business innovation stream

✅ Not have been involved or associated with any unacceptable business or investment activity

Additional Requirements:

✅ Hold a fine record of abiding by the laws of Commonwealth along with state or territory in which you operated a business or entrepreneurial activity

✅ Nomination by the Australian state or territory or by Austrade on behalf of the Australian government

✅ Evidence of meeting the health and character requirements for 188 visa

✅ Genuine commitment to maintain business or investment activity in Australia

✅ Met all the requirements of the stream in which you held your 188 visa

✅ Must be free from any outstanding debts to the Australian government (this also applies to all the members of family unit)

✅ You must enter in Australia by a specified date once you are granted this visa

✅ Any family member included as dependent in the application must not marry or be in a de facto relationship before entering in Australia