An investor visa is for people who undertake business and investment activities in Australia. This visa allows you to stay in Australia for an indefinite period of time. To apply as a primary applicant, you must have a qualifying visa granted on a particular basis.
In recent times, the Australian government has given new regulations. As such, investors will find it even harder to get a visa to Australia in 2021. But there are alternatives.
Let’s what you can do with this investor visa in this overview –
With this visa, you can -
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Newly arrived residents may have to wait before they can access certain Australian Government payments and benefits.
Take a look at some of the FAQs about Australia's investor visa below:
This is a permanent visa, letting you stay in Australia indefinitely. This visa has a travel component that expires 5 years after the date of the visa grant. You become a permanent resident on the day we grant the visa. For citizenship purposes, your permanent residency starts on the day:
You can include members of the family unit in your application. You can:
A family member can include family members who hold an eligible visa that was granted on the basis that they were a member of your family unit at the time their eligible visa was granted. This provision may apply even where the person would no longer meet the definition of family unit members, for example, a child who has turned 23 years of age since their eligible visa was granted.
Members of the family unit who apply for the visa must meet our health and character. Members of the family unit not accompanying you to Australia may also need to meet our health and character requirements.
The visa costs the Australian Dollar (AUD) 2,450 for the main applicant.
There is also a charge for each family unit member who applies for the visa with you.
You might have to pay an extra charge for any applicant 18 years old or older who has less-than-functional English and who does not hold an eligible visa when they apply. This charge is called the second instalment. It is only payable if you are requested to pay it, and an invoice will be sent to you. The second instalment charge for family members is AUD 4,890.
You might also have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics. To work out what your visa will cost, you may use the Visa Pricing Estimator here. The Visa Pricing estimator does not include the second instalment or other costs.
The application cannot be processed if you do not pay the correct visa application charge. You will be notified if this is the case, and if necessary, return your application.
You must be in Australia when you submit your application. Members of your family can be in or outside Australia but not in immigration clearance. It would help if you held an eligible visa to make a valid application for this visa.
We assess applications on a case by case basis, and actual processing times can vary due to individual circumstances, including:
You and members of your family unit must obey all Australian laws.
We expect you to continue your business or investment activity in Australia or make a realistic commitment to doing so.
You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date after your visa has been granted. After 5 years, you will need a Resident Return (RRV) visa (subclass 155 and 157) to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.
Your visa will be digitally linked to your passport. You will not get a label on your passport.
There is no age barrier for this Visa Subclass, but there are some specific requirements, which are being discussed below.
You must have lived in Australia as the holder of a Subclass 162 (Investor (Provisional) visa for a total of at least 2 years in the 4 years immediately before you applied. The 2 year period does not have to be continuous.
You, or you and your partner together, must:
a designated investment of AUD1.5 million made to satisfy a requirement for the grant of a Subclass 162 - Investor (Provisional) visa.
In addition to that, the applicant must fulfil the basic requirements of health, character, Australian values, outstanding debts to the Australian government – if any and not have had any visa cancellation or previous visa refusal issue.
There are five steps involved from application to your visa approval, given below for your better understanding:
Before you apply, notify the business development agency in the state or territory you intend to continue your investment activity. To do this, you have to complete the official form and send it to the appropriate agency. You can send it to more than one agency. The agency will sign, stamp and send it back to you. Include this completed form with your visa application when lodging.
You must provide documents to prove your identity and information about your business and investment activity. You also have to provide documents about members of your family.
Apply for the visa. You must be in Australia when we receive your application. Members of your family unit can be in or outside Australia but not in immigration clearance.
After you apply – the Australian Visa authority will let you know when they have received your application.
You will receive the visa outcome. You can be in or outside Australia when we decide on your visa application, but you must be inside Australia if the visa is granted in your favour. The authority will let you know their decision in writing. If the visa is granted, they will tell you:
Keep a copy of the decision with you. If your visa is refused, they will tell you why your visa has been refused and edify you whether you have a right to review the decision. Please note that they will not refund your application charge if your visa is refused.
The Australian Parliament House in Canberra.
The Australian Government will reduce the number of visa streams under the Business Innovation and Investment Program.
It will increase the minimum amount of assets an investor needs to hold to participate in the program. The changes will take effect on 1 July 2021.
Below are the changes and the alternatives.
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In 2020, the programme department was issuing nine different visas for business people and investors. They come in indefinite and temporary versions. With any of these, an investor can enter, live and do business in Australia.
The government will reduce the number of visas flows in 2021. The minimum amount of assets and an annual turnover of a company will also change. New visa holders will be able to obtain a permanent residence permit through a single transparent procedure.
Four visa streams will remain in the programme instead of nine; visa streams are:
The visa streams differ in the conditions an investor fulfils to participate in the programme. It also depends on the stream whether the duration of the visa will be limited or not.
Applications for the Premium Investor, Significant Business History and Venture Entrepreneur streams will be accepted until 1 July 2021.
The minimum amount of assets and an annual turnover of a company will increase for applicants in the Business Innovation stream. Entrepreneur stream participants now need to obtain funding from sources in Australia. The new rules remove this requirement. Whether the conditions for the Investor and Significant Investor streams will change remains to be seen.
| Visa flow & condition | Amount until 1.07.2021 | Amount after 1.07.2021 |
| Business innovation: the value of assets |
800,000 Australian dollars, or about $600,000 |
1.25 million Australian dollars, or about $950,000 |
| Business innovation: annual company turnover |
500,000 Australian dollars, or about $380,000 |
750,000 Australian dollars, or about $570,000 |
| Entrepreneur: financing |
200,000 Australian dollars, or about $152,000 |
No |
Temporary visas will be issued for 5 years. Participants in the Business Innovation and Significant Investor streams will be able to extend their visas by 2 years if they have not met the requirements for a permanent residence permit. For example, if in 5 years the business has not reached the level of annual turnover set by the programme's conditions.
You can apply for permanent residency in Australia after 3 years if the investor has met all the program's conditions. The number of quotas for 2021 will double. The department plans to issue 13,500 visas, but even that number may not be enough for all applicants. In 2020, the investors completely dispersed the quotas within a couple of months after accepting applications.
Approval from the Australian state or territory remains a key condition. The investor receives confirmation that their business project will benefit the region. Preference is given to the manufacture of medical products and medicines, companies with high levels of investment and businesses that create new jobs.
The Australian Government has not yet finalised the changes, but they will announce all the changes in 2021 so that business people and investors have time to prepare to apply.
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