Business Skills Entry

This information is about migrating to Australia as a business person.

 

 

Summary of migration requirements

The Business Skills visa class of Australia's migration program encourages successful business people to settle permanently in Australia and develop new or existing businesses.

Business owners, senior executives and investors can apply for a visa under the Business Skills category at one of the three Business Skills Processing Centres
See: Lodging an application.

Under the two-stage arrangements introduced on 1 March 2003, business migrants are granted a Business Skills (Provisional) visa for four years and, after establishing the requisite level of business or maintaining their eligible investment, are eligible to make an application for a Business Skills (Residence) visa.

A direct permanent residence category will still be available for high-calibre business migrants sponsored by State/Territory governments. This is known as the Business Talent visa (see below).

The Business Skills program is divided into four categories:

 

• Business Owner category: for owners or part-owners of a business;
• Senior Executive category: for senior executive employees of major businesses;
• Investor category: for investors/business people willing to invest in Australia;
• Business Talent category: for high-calibre business people who have sponsorship from a State/Territory government.

In addition, the Business Skills program also has two categories for persons who are in Australia on temporary visas, other than the Business Skills (Provisional) visas:

• Established Business in Australia category - for people temporarily in Australia who are owners or part owners of a business; and
• Regional Established Business in Australia category - for people temporarily in Australia who are owners or part owners of a business in a designated area of Australia.

If you are the holder of a Temporary Business Long Stay (Independent Executive) subclass 457 visa and wish to apply for a further a Temporary Business Long Stay (Independent Executive) subclass 457 visa in Australia -
See: Independent Executive.

Please note:
 

On 1 March 2003, there were major changes to the Business Skills category.

On this date, a number of Business Skills visa subclasses ceased.

An application in any of these subclasses lodged before 1 March 2003 but not decided before that date will continue to be processed and assessed in accordance with the criteria that were in force at the time of application.

Australia -Background:  
Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990's, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980's. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef.