The Australian Government has a Business Skills Migration program, which allows applicants to enter, remain and work in Australia. Generally, all applicants must first enter Australia and work under a temporary business visa. After working in Australia for a minimum of 2 years, applicants who meet the specified criteria may be eligible to apply for a permanent business skilled visa.

As with all other skilled visas, applicants must meet:

 All Public Interest Criteria’s subject to their application; and
 Health and character requirements.

Some visas that fall under this category are:

 Business Owner (Provisional) – For applicants who have had a overall successful business career and would like to become the owner of a business (new or existing) in Australia. Applicants must provide DIAC with evidence that:
o Of at least 2 of the 4 fiscal years immediately preceding the application the applicant (and his spouse) have net assets in a qualifying business or businesses of at least $200,000.00;
o Of at least 2 of the 4 fiscal years immediately preceding the application, the applicant’s main business or main businesses together had an annual turnover of at least $500,000.00; and
o The applicant (or the applicant and the spouse’s combined) business and personal assets have a net value of at least $500,000.00 and can be transferred to Australia within two years of the grant of their visa;

 Senior Executive (Provisional) – For applicants who have had an overall had a successful business career, and have been employed by a major overseas company in a Senior Executive position. Applicants must provide DIAC with evidence that:

o For a total of at least 2 years in the 4 years immediately preceding the application, the applicant was employed “in the 3 highest levels of the management structure of a major business and was responsible for strategic policy development affecting a major component or a wide range of operations of that major business”;
o The applicant (and spouse’s combined) business and personal assets have a net value of at least $500.000.00. The assets must be available for the management and/or establishment of a business in Australia and must be available for transfer to Australia within two years of the grant of the visa; and

 Investor (Provisional) – For applicants who have had an overall successful business or investment career and would like to make a business investment of at least $1,500,000.00 in Australia. Applicants must provide DIAC with evidence that:
o They have at least a total of three years experience of direct involvement in managing a qualifying business or eligible investments;
o Of at lease 1 of the 5 fiscal years immediately before making the application the applicant had:
* Maintained direct involvement in managing a qualifying business in which the applicant (and if applicable, the applicant’s spouse) had an ownership interest of at least 10% of the total value of the business; or
* Maintained direct involvement in managing the applicant’s (and if applicable, the applicant’s spouse combined) eligible investments, the total value of which was at least $1,500,000.00
o Of the 2 fiscal years immediately before making the application, the new value of the applicant’s (and spouse’s combined) business and personal assets was at least $2,250,000.00;
o Demonstrate a high level of management skill in relation to an eligible investment or a qualifying business activity.
o The applicant must further show that the funds are legally owned, unencumbered and accumulated from the qualifying business or eligible investment activities of the applicant (and the applicant’s spouse).

In addition to the above mentioned criteria, the applicants must:

 Have vocational English;
 Not have a history of operating the business or investment that is generally not acceptable in Australia; and
 Demonstrate that there is a need to be temporarily in Australia to conduct or establish the proposed business.