State/Territory Sponsored Business-Part 1

Migration to Australia under the Australian State/Territory Sponsored Business Owner (provisional) visa category is for applicants who have had a successful history of business or investment activity and wish to emigrate to Australia to use these skills. There are several qualifying criteria for this visa subclass and these are outlined below.

Duration

The initial four year provisional State/Territory Business Owner visa subclass can lead to Australian permanent residence.

Eligibility Criteria

Age

The main Australian business visa applicant must be under the age of 55 at the time of lodging an Australian visa application. An exception to this is where the business is endorsed by the sponsoring Government as being of exceptional economic benefit to the state/territory.

Business Experience

To qualify for the Australian State/Territory Sponsored Business Owner visa the following requirements must be satisfied. An applicant:

  • Must have had an overall successful business career
  • Personal and business net assets of at least A$250,000, which are capable of being transferred to Australia within 2 years
  • For at least 2 out of the last 4 fiscal years before applying, the applicant must have had an ownership interest of at least 10% in a main business or businesses outside Australia with an annual turnover of at least A$300,000; OR The applicant must have a sound employment record as a senior manager and meet the following criteria.

A Senior Manager is defined as a person who:

  • Has appropriate formal qualifications, acquired after at least 3 years full time study (or part time equivalent) or;
  • Has a least 5 years appropratae experience and has been employed for at least 3 years (not counting experience mentioned in the point above) in the kind of employment to which the qualifications or experience mentioned above relate to and;
  • Has a sound and continuous employment record, for at least 3 of the 5 years immediately before the application is made, in a position or positions in a qualifiying business or businesses requiring the occupant to:
  1. Make decisions about how the whole or a substantial part of the activities of the business is to be managed.
  2. Take responsibility for the day to day running of the business or part of the business.
  3. If appropriate to the structure of the business, have management responsibilities over other functional managers.
  • If required under Australian law to be registered or licensed - is so registered or licensed.
  • Must have maintained direct and continuous involvement in the management of the business on a daily basis, and in making decisions affecting the overall direction and performance of the business
  • Must have sufficient net assets to settle in Australia
  • Must have sponsorship by an Australian State or Territory Government
  • Must be aged under 55, unless the business is endorsed by the sponsoring Government as being of exceptional economic benefit
  • Must demonstrate the need to be in Australia to conduct or establish the business
  • Must establish or participate in the active management of a qualifying business in Australia, and maintain a substantial ownership interest