Australian Investment Immigration - 188B Investor Visa

• 188B澳洲投資移民最新消息 (2021年7月更新)：
  • Asset requirement increased to A$2.5 million
  • Investment requirement increased to A$2.5 million
  • Investment products shifted from state policy bonds to designated compliance investment portfolios, with188CKeep up with

About Australia

Australian immigration is not uncommon for Hong Kong people. Stable diplomatic relations, mature economic development, diverse backgrounds and a mild climate environment have made Australia's immigration, investment, further education, and tourism popular options. According to reports, Australian immigrants have ranked among the top three ideal immigration options for Hong Kong people. In addition, the recent Australian immigration policy that favors Hong Kong people has led to a surge in the number of Australian immigrants. Among Australian immigration applications, 70% apply for the Australian Investment Immigration Program.

Australia's immigration pathways can be divided into two categories: Australian investment immigration and skilled immigration, with different immigration plans under them. Taking Australian investment immigration as an example, starting from July 1, 2021, the Australian Immigration Department announced that it will reduce the business innovation and Australian investment immigration visas to 4 categories, and cancel the 188D visa including business talent visa (category 132). Since then, Australia’s investment immigration program has mainly included188A (Investor Innovation Visa), 188B (investor visa) and188C (Significant Investor Visa). However, to successfully immigrate to Australia, applicants must match the Australian immigration conditions of different plans according to their own circumstances to choose the most suitable Australian immigration method. The following are the details of the Australian Investment Immigration 188B program. As for188Aand188CYou can click to browse the relevant pages, or sign up directly for the nearestAustralian Immigration Lecture, to learn more. At the same time, you are also welcome to contact our Australian immigration consultants at any time to obtain Australian immigration consulting services tailored for you.

The Australian government announced the cancellation of business innovation and investment visas on May 14, 2024, and would stop accepting new applications from July 2024. This visa program is no longer accepting applications for the Business Innovation, Investor, Significant Investor, Senior Investor and Entrepreneur categories. If a visa application has been submitted, the Ministry of Home Affairs will continue to process it according to the fiscal year quota.

188B - Australia Investor Immigration Programs

188B - Introduction to Investor Visa

• The 188B investor visa is specially designed for investors engaged in investment activities.
• 188B is a 5-year temporary residence visa
• Before submitting an application for permanent residence in Australia, 188B applicants must have lived in Australia for a total of 2 years within 3 years.
• The 188B application fee is AUD 6,085, and each subsequent family member must pay an additional AUD 1,520 (under 18 years old) or AUD 3,045 (over 18 years old).

188B - Investor Visa Advantages

• There are no language (including English) and academic thresholds
• Can be accompanied by parents, spouse and common-law partners
• Children under 18 years old or full-time students between 18 and 23 years old are allowed
• The investment amount and risk are low, and there are stable returns
• Able to obtain Australian permanent resident status
• The time difference with Hong Kong is only 3 hours, making it easier to adapt.
• Australian passport has visa-free access to 184 countries
• There is no double taxation and you can continue your business and investment in Hong Kong with confidence
• The 12th largest economy in the world with a very high livability index

Permanent visa 888:

If the applicant meets all the investment requirements listed in 188B and can abide by the following basic rules, he or she will have the opportunity to obtain the 888 permanent residence green card:

• Must have lived in Australia for at least 2 years before application
• Must hold a complying significant investment of 2.5 million continuously for the life of the provisional visa.
• Applicants should have a satisfactory compliance with applicable Australian Commonwealth, State and Territory laws.

Qualifications:

1. The principal applicant must be under the age of 55.
2. The principle applicant must have at least 3 years investment experiences.
3. Score at least 65 points on the Immigration Points Test
4. The principle applicant needs to make a designed investment of at least $2,500,000 AUD in an Australian state or territory and maintain business and investment activity in Australia.
5. The principle applicant (or his/her spouse) must have at least $2,500,000 AUD net assets in thepast 2 fiscal years.
6. The principle applicant (or his/her spouse) must satisfy one of the below requirement within thepast 5 fiscal years:
   • Direct participation in Management of the qualified business (own at least 10% of the company).
   • Direct participation in Management of the qualified investment project. The total value of the investment project must be at least $1,500,000 AUD.

188B - Point test

188B Australian investment immigration applicants can obtain points in the following 7 main areas:

• 年齡
  • 18 to 24 (20 minutes)
  • 25 to 32 (30 minutes)
  • 33 to 39 (25 points)
  • 40 to 44 (20 points)
  • 45 to 54 (15 points)
  • 55 or above (must be exempted by state government)
  *Age is subject to invitation
• 語言
  • Minimum score of 5 points in each IELTS test (5 points)
  • Minimum score of 7 points (10 points) in each IELTS test
  *Must have IELTS scores when submitting intended application, valid within 2 years
• 教育程度
  • Overseas bachelor's degree (5 points)
  • Australian Bachelor (10 points)
  • Recognized degree qualifications in business, science and technology (10 points)
• 投資經驗
  • Invested A$250,000 in the past 4 years (10 points)
  • Invested A$250,000 in the past 7 years (15 points)
• 公司營業額(過去4年)
  • More than A$750,000/year for 2 years (5 points)
  • More than A$1.25 million/year for 2 years (15 points)
  • More than A$1.75 million/year for 2 years (25 points)
  • Have exceeded AUD 2.25 million/year for 2 years (35 points)
• 生意及個人資產總額
  • More than AUD 1.25 million in the past 2 years (5 points)
  • More than AUD 1.75 million in the past 2 years (15 points)
  • More than AUD 2.25 million in the past 2 years (25 points)
  • More than AUD 2.75 million in the past 2 years (35 points)
  *Includes total assets in the name of the applicant and spouse, excluding children
• 額外加分
  • Registered patent or design more than 1 year ago (15 points)
  • Registered trademark more than 1 year ago (10 points)
  • Formal associate company for more than 1 year (5 points)
  • Mainly engaged in import and export trade, and exports accounted for 50% of sales in 2 of the past 4 years (15 points)
  • State government recognizes special contribution (10 points)
  • Rapid growth performance (10 points)
  • Have been awarded 10,000 Australian dollars by the government or attracted more than 100,000 Australian dollars in venture capital in the past 4 years (10 points)
  *The patent/trademark must be closely related to daily business and can be in the name of the company or the main applicant

188B - Investor Visa Investment Option

188B Australian investment immigration applicants must invest at least 2.5 million Australian dollars in the following projects:

• At least A$500,000 to a venture capital fund or private equity fund that specializes in investing in emerging and small private companies in Australia
• At least A$750,000 to a compliance-managed fund or listed investment company that specializes in investing in emerging companies listed on the ASX
• At least A$1.25 million is invested in a balanced portfolio of managed funds or listed investment companies, which includes other ASX-listed companies, qualifying corporate bonds or notes, annuities and real estate (note: the proportion of investment in residential real estate is strictly regulated)

The above-mentioned investment must be maintained in the respective state or territory until permanent residence status is obtained. It can be changed during the period, but it cannot be withdrawn. Otherwise, the 188B Australian visa may be cancelled.

188B - Investor visa application process (self-initiated)

If you are interested in taking the 188B Australian investment immigration route, you generally need to go through the following 7 necessary procedures:

1. Applicants undergo scoring test
2. Submit Expression of Interest (EOI) and State Sponsorship
3. Get a state sponsorship nomination
4. Submit visa application
5. Pass the immigration interview (if any)
6. Invest in financial products designated by the state government
7. Visa approved

according toAustralian immigrationAccording to the latest data from the authorities, it only takes 23 months at the fastest for an applicant to apply for the first time and be approved, and 90% of 188B Australian investment immigration applications will be processed within 38 months.

188B - Investor visa application process (handled by immigration consultant)

If you want your application to be approved as soon as possible, it is recommended to seek the assistance of a professional immigration consultant to ensure that the waiting time will not be extended due to missing documents:

• Free consultation(1 day)
• Collect and process client documents
  Sign service agreement and letter of attorney. Pay advanced deposit (70%)
• Submit Expression of Interest (VISA 188)/Prepare business plan and apply state or territory government nomination
• Compile financial statement by Australian accountant
  Pay accountant fee
• Submit application
• Interview
• Body check
• Visa application
  30% payment

188B - Documents Required

(A) Personal Information:

• Identity card
• Passport (information page and all the dates of visas, entries and departures from Australia)
• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• No criminal record (Applicants above the age of sixteen)
• Applicant’s address for the past decade
• Names of parents and siblings, their date of birth, marital status and the country they are living in
• The jobs and educational background of applicant and applicant’s spouse
• 4 passport photos of each applicant
• Certification of dependent children age of 18 years or above.
• For each applicant aged 18 years or older claiming functional English, please refer to the following website for information on how to prove the applicant has functional English.

(B) Personal Property:

• Bank statement
• Net assets of the company
• Stocks and bonds: share or bond registers, share/fixed interest securities, debentures or transfer certificates
• Real estate: valuation certificates by an accredited property value

(C) Company Information:

• Certificate of business registration
• Certification of incorporation
• Photos of business premises and business activities (about 10 photos)
• Company organizational chart
• Promotion materials
• Memorandum and articles of association
• A full set of financial statements for past 2 years
• Company audit reports for the past 4 financial years
• Samples of daily management documents in the past three years to prove that the applicant has participated in the company's daily management and decision-making in 2 of the 4 fiscal years before being invited to apply (for example: business contracts, meeting minutes, authorization documents signed by the applicant, etc.)

If you want to have a more comprehensive understanding of the latest Australian immigration and Australian investment immigration information, please sign up.Australian Immigration Lecture, or contact our Australian immigration consultants.