The Entrepreneur visa is a 4 year visa for people who have investor funding to develop an enterprise or business in Australia.

It is one of the streams within the Subclass 188 Business Innovation and Investment visa.

Duration and Conditions

This is a 4 year temporary visa. Once you have established business operations in Australia, you can apply for permanent residence through the Business Innovation & Investment (Residence) Subclass 888 visa.

You will need to spend at least 2 years in Australia on your Entrepreneur Visa, and be sponsored by a state or territory government to qualify for a permanent subclass 888 visa.

Do I Apply in Australia or Overseas?

You can either be in Australia or overseas when you lodge your application.

If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or a Bridging A, B or C visa.

Applications can only be lodged online via the SkillSelect system.

State/Territory Nomination

This visa is only available to applicants who are nominated by an Australian State or Territory government.

Visa Criteria

All applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Nomination by a state or territory government
• Competent English
• Under 55 Years of age, unless a State or Territory Government nominates you as providing an "exceptional economic benefit" to the state or territory
• Funding agreement in place for at least $200,000 to establish a venture in Australia
• Ownership interest of at least 30% in the venture

Acceptable Business Activities

The proposed venture would need to be either:

• Commercialisation of a product or service in Australia; or
• Development of an enterprise or business in Australia

Certain activities which are not considered sufficiently innovative will be excluded. This are defined by legislative instrument and include:

• Purchase of an existing business or franchise
• Real estate activities
• Labour hire activities

Eligible funding

To apply for the Entrepreneur Visa, you will need to have an agreement for at least $200,000 in funding from one or more of the following sources:

• Commonwealth agencies
• State and territory governments
• Publicly funded research organisations

• Investors registered as Venture Capital Limited Partnerships or Early Stage Venture Capital Limited Partnerships

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The funding agreement must involve the transfer of at least 10% of the funds within 12 months of commencing the activity in Australia.

Business migration can be extremely complex, and even determining whether you have a good chance of qualifying can be difficult. In addition, you may be able to qualify in a number of different business migration categories.

If you would like us to check your likely eligibility for business migration or if you would like us to assist you with your application, you can book a consultation through our website. We will then provide you with a comprehensive preliminary assessment of your likely eligibility for business migration, and can discuss with you the best way to proceed with your application.