State / Territory Sponsored Business Owner (Provisional) Visa (163)

This visa is a temporary visa and is for people who are less than 55 years old who have a successful business career, and have a genuine and realistic commitment to be involved as an owner in a new or existing business in Australia. This visa is also the first step towards being granted a permanent Business Skills visa.   You must be outside Australia when this visa is granted, unless you held a student visa at the time you applied. 

You may be eligible for a permanent Business Skills visa after holding this visa for a minimum of two (2) years. To be eligible for a permanent Business Skills visa you must meet all the obligations of this visa and additional requirements of the permanent Business Skills visa you apply for. Meeting these requirements may take you longer than two (2) years.  After two (2) years you may be eligible to apply for either a Business Owner (residence) or State/Territory Sponsored Business Owner (residence) visa.   This visa is valid for four years.

To be successful under this category, the applicant must meet the following criteria immediately before the application is made:

• You must be less than 55 years old (except where the regional authority considers that the proposed business will be of exceptional economic benefit to the region.)
• You must be sponsored by an appropriate regional authority of a State or Territory Government.
• You must have an overall successful business career.
• You must have an ownership interest in a main business (or two main businesses combined) with an annual turnover of at least AUD$300,000 in at least two of the four fiscal years immediately before you apply or you are a senior manager.
• Your (and your spouse's combined) total assets have a net value of at least AUD$500,000 and were legally acquired and are capable of being transferred to Australia within two years of being granted this visa.
• You have sufficient assets (additional to those above) to settle in Australia.
• You have not been engaged in a business where the provision of professional, technical, or trade services took up more than half your time.
• You (or your spouse) have never been involved in unacceptable business activities.
• You must have a commitment to maintain an ownership interest in a business in Australia and have direct and continuous involvement in management of that business
• You demonstrate there is a need to live in Australia on a temporary basis for business reasons.
• You must meet health requirements to enter Australia.
• You must be of good character to enter Australia.