Point Test for 188 Business Innovation and Investment Visas
What are Australian 188 visas for?
Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) in Australia is designed to welcome international business owners and high-net-worth people to migrate to Australia through business entrepreneur and investment activities. 188A and 188B visas in the BIIP program are relevant to point test. The primary applicant must satisfy the minimum requirement set by the nominating State Government to secure a state nomination and satisfy the minimum requirement of Federal Government for the visa approval.
In this article, we will explain how the point system works for 188 visas, and how we can assist you in managing your 188 visa application.
How many points are required to apply for 188 Visas?
Federal Government has set the minimum number of points for both the Business innovation stream and the Investor stream of the Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa under the business innovation and investment points test is 65 points, which is legislated in POINTS FOR BUSINESS INNOVATION STREAM AND INVESTOR STREAM OF BUSINESS INNOVATION AND INVESTMENT (PROVISIONAL) VISA
The State Governments in Australia however can set their own requirement on the points for the State Nomination applications, which can be higher than the minimum requirement of the Federal Government. Generally if you can secure not less than 65 points, you may be eligible to apply for a State Nomination.
Age Requirement
| Item | At the time of invitation to apply for the visa, the applicant was … | Number of points | ||
| 7A21 | not less than 18 and under 25 | 20 | ||
| 7A22 | not less than 25 and under 33 | 30 | ||
| 7A23 | not less than 33 and under 40 | 25 | ||
| 7A24 | not less than 40 and under 45 | 20 | ||
| 7A25 | not less than 45 and under 55 | 15 | ||
English language qualifications
| Item | At the time of invitation to apply for the visa, the applicant had … | Number of points | ||
| 7A31 | vocational English | 5 | ||
| 7A32 | proficient English | 10 | ||
Note: Points are accumulated under item 7A31 or 7A32, not both.
Educational qualifications
| Item | At the time of invitation to apply for the visa, the applicant had … | Number of points |
| 7A41 | met the requirements for:
(a) the award of a trade qualification, diploma or bachelor degree by an Australian educational institution; or (b) the award of a bachelor qualification by an educational institution that is of a recognised standard |
5 |
| 7A42 | met the requirements for:
(a) the award of a bachelor degree in business, science or technology by an Australian educational institution; or (b) the award of a bachelor qualification in business, science or technology by an educational institution that is of a recognised standard |
10 |
Note: Points are accumulated under item 7A41 or 7A42, not both.
Business experience qualifications—Business Innovation stream only
| Item | The applicant has held one or more main businesses for … | Number of points |
| 7A51 | not less than 4 years in the 5 years immediately before the time of invitation to apply for the visa | 10 |
| 7A52 | not less than 7 years in the 8 years immediately before the time of invitation to apply for the visa | 15 |
Investor experience qualifications—Investor stream only
| Item | The applicant … | Number of points |
| 7A61 | (a) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa before 1 July 2021—held eligible investments which had a value of not less than AUD100,000 for not less than 4 years immediately before the time of invitation; or
(b) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa on or after 1 July 2021—held eligible investments which had a value of not less than AUD250,000 for not less than 4 years immediately before the time of invitation |
10 |
| 7A62 | (a) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa before 1 July 2021—held eligible investments which had a value of not less than AUD100,000 for not less than 7 years immediately before the time of invitation; or
(b) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa on or after 1 July 2021—held eligible investments which had a value of not less than AUD250,000 for not less than 7 years immediately before the time of invitation |
15 |
Note: Points are accumulated under item 7A61 or 7A62, not both.
Financial asset qualifications
| Item | The net value of the business and personal assets of the applicant, the applicant’s spouse or de facto partner, or the applicant and the applicant’s spouse or de facto partner together, was … | Number of points |
| 7A71 | (a) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa before 1 July 2021— not less than AUD800,000 in each of the 2 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation; or
(b) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa on or after 1 July 2021—not less than AUD1,250,000 in each of the 2 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation |
5 |
| 7A72 | (a) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa before 1 July 2021— not less than AUD1,300,000 in each of the 2 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation; or
(b) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa on or after 1 July 2021—not less than AUD1,750,000 in each of the 2 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation |
15 |
| 7A73 | (a) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa before 1 July 2021— not less than AUD1,800,000 in each of the 2 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation; or
(b) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa on or after 1 July 2021—not less than AUD2,250,000 in each of the 2 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation |
25 |
| 7A74 | (a) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa before 1 July 2021— not less than AUD2,250,000 in each of the 2 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation; or
(b) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa on or after 1 July 2021—not less than AUD2,750,000 in each of the 2 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation |
35 |
Note: Points are accumulated under one item in Part 7A.7, not more than one.
Business turnover qualifications
| Item | The applicant had an ownership interest in one or more main businesses that had an annual turnover of… | Number of points | ||
| 7A81 | (a) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa before 1 July 2021— not less than AUD500,000 in at least 2 of the 4 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation; or
(b) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa on or after 1 July 2021—not less than AUD750,000 in at least 2 of the 4 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation |
5 | ||
| 7A82 | (a) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa before 1 July 2021— not less than AUD1,000,000 in at least 2 of the 4 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation; or
(b) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa on or after 1 July 2021—not less than AUD 1,250,000 in at least 2 of the 4 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation |
15 | ||
| 7A83 | (a) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa before 1 July 2021— not less than AUD1,500,000 in at least 2 of the 4 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation; or
(b) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa on or after 1 July 2021—not less than AUD1,750,0000 in at least 2 of the 4 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation |
25 | ||
| 7A84 | (a) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa before 1 July 2021— not less than AUD2,000,000 in at least 2 of the 4 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation; or
(b) if the applicant was invited to apply for the visa on or after 1 July 2021—not less than AUD2,250,000 in at least 2 of the 4 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation |
35 | ||
Note: Points are accumulated under one item in Part 7A.8, not more than one.
Business innovation qualifications
| Item | At the time of invitation to apply for the visa … | Number of points |
| 7A91 | the applicant, or a main business of the applicant, had either or both of the following:
(a) one or more patents that: (i) were registered not less than 1 year before that time; and (ii) were used in the day to day activities of the main business; (b) one or more registered designs that: (i) were registered not less than 1 year before that time; and (ii) were used in the day to day activities of the main business |
15 |
| 7A92 | the applicant, or a main business of the applicant, had one or more registered trade marks that:
(a) were registered not less than 1 year before that time; and (b) were used in the day to day activities of the main business |
10 |
| 7A93 | each of the following applied:
(a) at least one main business in which the applicant held an ownership interest operated in accordance with a formal joint venture agreement entered into with another business or businesses; (b) the joint venture agreement had been entered into not less than 1 year before the time of invitation to apply for the visa; (c) the applicant utilised his or her skills in actively participating at a senior level in the day to day management of the business |
5 |
| 7A94 | at least one main business held by the applicant derived not less than 50% of its annual turnover from export trade in at least 2 of the 4 fiscal years immediately before that time | 15 |
| 7A95 | the applicant had an ownership interest in at least one main business that:
(a) was established not more than 5 years before that time; and (b) had an average annualised growth in turnover that was greater than 20% per annum over 3 continuous fiscal years; and (c) in at least one of the 3 fiscal years mentioned in paragraph (b) employed 10 or more employees for a total number of hours that was at least the total number of hours that would have been worked by 10 full-time employees |
10 |
| 7A96 | the applicant, or at least one main business in which the applicant held an ownership interest:
(a) had received a grant that: (i) was awarded for the purposes of early phase start up of a business, product commercialisation, business development or business expansion; and (ii) was at least AUD10 000; and (iii) was awarded by a government body in the applicant’s home country; and (iv) had been received not more than 4 years immediately before that time; or (b) had received venture capital funding of at least AUD100 000 not more than 4 years before the time of the invitation for the purposes of early phase start up of a business, product commercialisation, business development or business expansion |
10 |
Note: Points may be accumulated under more than one item in Part 7A.9, but points may not be accumulated more than once for each item in the Part.
Special endorsement qualifications
| Item | At the time of the invitation to apply for the visa … | Number of points |
| 7A101 | the nominating State or Territory government agency had determined that the business proposed by the applicant was of unique and important benefit to the State or Territory where the nominating government agency is located | 10 |
Ausdirect Migration for 188 Visas
Our team at Ausdirect Migration is extremely experienced in managing migration programs in relation to 188 Business Innovation and Investment Visas. We have successfully managed the 188A, 188B and 188C visas for large number of clients globally, especially in Asia which according to the statistics at Department of Home Affairs contributed to the majority of the 188 visa approvals.
We look forward to hearing from you and the opportunity to work with you along your immigration journey to Australia. We are confident to say our team has the best understanding and experience in the business and investment visa programs in Australia, and you can rest assured that we will set you on the right path. Our professional team will also assist you after your visa grant on your future business endeavours and investment activities.
Contact Ausdirect Migration today to tailor the best suitable option(s) for your migration, and we will assist you in navigating every step of the process during the journey.
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