Australia is one of the world’s most popular destinations for migration, and has long attracted large numbers of business and investor migration applicants. Australia’s business and investor migration pathway is an Australian permanent residency pathway specifically open to applicants with demonstrated business ability and investment capacity. The government hopes to attract genuinely innovative and commercially capable individuals to establish businesses in Australia through this pathway — injecting capital into the economy and creating jobs. The investor migration visa is divided into four main categories:

– Subclass 188A Business Innovation visa

– Subclass 188B Investor visa

– Subclass 188C Significant Investor visa

– Subclass 188E Entrepreneur visa

All four visa types above are provisional visas,but they carry the same benefits as a PR-class visaand, once the investment requirements are met while holding any of the above visas, permanent residency can be obtained directly.

Main advantages of investor migration

– Flexible age requirements

Aside from the Subclass 188C, which has no age limit, the age limit for all other visa types is 55 years

– One application, the whole family migrates

– Flexible English language requirements

Only a basic level of English is required — equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 4.5, with no individual band below 4

– Once the visa is granted, dependent children can attend public primary and secondary schools with full or partial fee waivers

– Once the visa is granted, you can travel freely in and out of Australia

– Some categories do not require a business background or proof of source of funds

Melbourne’s state of Victoria has long been one of the most popular states for investor migration. Today we take you through Victoria’s investor migration state nomination requirements, which have been reduced for this financial year.

Victoria updated its Subclass 188A application requirements on 30/08/2022,and we’ll focus on the 188A investor migration option, which has the lowest entry threshold.The 2022–23 financial year Victoria Subclass 188A investor migration policy represents a reduction in requirements compared to the previous financial year,with the main changes including:

– Points requirement for investor migration lowered to 65 points(for a preliminary points assessment, please contact us)

– Innovation and entrepreneurial capacity requirement: STEM qualification requirement removed, English 5-point bonus removed, and MBA requirement removed

*Main business annual turnover of at least AUD 1.75 million, or

*Hold a bachelor’s degree or above in Business, Science, or Technology, or have at least 3 years of Business Ownership, or

*Meet the points requirement for business innovation qualifications (excluding the 50%+ export business bonus)

All other base requirements remain unchanged: :

– Under 55 years of age, with accompanying children under 23 years of age

– Commitment to invest AUD 500,000 or more in Victoria for business development and operations; however, investment in real estate, gift shops, convenience stores, Dollar Stores (low-cost goods retail), and franchise operations (unless the franchise brand has not yet been introduced to Australia) is not accepted

– Meet the English requirement of 4.5/4 or complete the specified course

– Successful business and investment experience (applicable to Subclass 188A and 188B only)

– Total family assets of at least AUD 1.25 million

– Annual business turnover of at least AUD 750,000

For more detailed information on Victoria’s investor migration options,

please contact the author directly

(MARN: 2217836)

Newstars has extensive successful experience across all types of investor migration programmes in every state

Recent selected success stories

[Victoria-nominated Subclass 188B — invited then granted]

[Queensland-nominated Subclass 188C — invitation received]

[New South Wales Subclass 188C state nomination — invitation received]

[Investor migration Subclass 888A — permanent residency granted]

[Queensland Subclass 188A state nomination — invitation received]

Newstars has 20+ registered migration agents and lawyers

to guide and support your investor migration application

Victoria also sent an email announcement today regarding the first round of ROI invitations. More than 1,100 ROI invitations were issued in the first round for the 2022–23 financial year. We already have clients who submitted complete materials and received formal nominations today (healthcare and nursing professionals), with a processing time of just one week.

The state government stated thatall ROIs successfully submitted to the system before 8:00 am on 23 August were considered, with over 1,100 ultimately issued.Some applicants who submitted but had not yet received an invitation also received a consolation email from the state government, stating their requirements were substantially met and they would have the opportunity to be invited in the next round. To our knowledge, applicants who received the ‘keep it up’ email had profiles very similar to those who received invitations in the first round.

More than 15,000 ROI applications had been received as at the time of reporting.

In addition, the state government’s email also specifically addressed work and income questions for Subclass 190 applicants:

The state government has lowered the submission threshold for Subclass 190 state nomination — applicants without employment can now submit an ROI, simply entering zero for the income section. For those who are employed, the state government’s newly launched tool can be used to estimate income; the address is as follows:

Q1. Can I apply for Victoria state nomination if I work in another state?

For Subclass 190 applicants claiming annual earnings, the employer must be physically located in Victoria

For Subclass 491 onshore applicants, they must be living and working in regional Victoria

Q2. Do I need work experience in my nominated occupation to apply?

For Subclass 190, whether onshore or offshore, work experience in the nominated occupation is not a mandatory requirement

For Subclass 491, onshore applicants must have a Skill Level 1, 2, or 3 job in regional Victoria

For Subclass 491, for offshore applicants, work experience in the nominated occupation is not a mandatory requirement; applicants whose nominated occupation is health-related will be given priority

Q3. How long do onshore applicants need to have been residing in Victoria?

There is no minimum length of time, but applicants must provide proof that they are currently residing in Victoria at the time of application submission

Q4. What are the work requirements for Subclass 190?

To reiterate, there are absolutely no mandatory work experience or employment requirements for Subclass 190. If annual earnings are claimed at the time of ROI submission, supporting documentation will need to be provided after receiving an invitation. (Please treat this figure carefully.)

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