Subclass 888 Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) Visa

Subclass 888 visa in Australia is popularly known as the Business Innovation and Investment visa. This visa category is structured for those eligible business owners, investors, or entrepreneurs who wish to permanently continue their activity in the Country. This is a second stage visa under business innovation and investment structure. Applicants who hold a business innovation and provisional investment visa (subclass 188) become eligible to apply for the business innovation, and investment permanent visa (subclass 888) provided they continue to fulfil the various eligibility requirements laid down under the provisional visa regime. This migration access is further categorised into-

Business Innovation Stream
Premium Investor Stream
Significant Investor Stream
Investor Stream
Entrepreneur Stream

Each of the above streams for subclass 888 visa also has its own criteria. Please consult our registered migration agents for more details.

Why apply for a Subclass 888 Visa

Subclass 888 visa is a permanent permit to the Country. This visa allows it holders to-

Stay and work in the nation for an indefinite period.
Travel to and fro from the Country for five years.
Apply for citizenship (if eligible).
Sponsor members of the family unit to come to the country.
Enrol in the medical health care scheme of the Government.

If this visa is secured under the Business Innovation Stream, it allows you to pursue owning and managing your business in Australia.

If this visa is secured under the Investor Stream or the Significant Investor Stream, it allows you to pursue your business and investment activity in Australia.

The possessor of a permanent visa has almost the same level of rights and entitlements as the citizen, with a few differences. However, the visa conditions need to be followed by the holder all the time. For specific or general queries on eligibility conditions and migration, processing contact our 888 visa consultants or immigration agents.

What are the Eligibility Requirements for Subclass 888 Visa

To be eligible to apply for a subclass 888 visa, the applicant must meet the Department’s required eligibility conditions:

The applicant must be either:
- The primary holder of business innovation and investment visa (subclass 188) and meeting all the requirements of the stream under which the application has been made; or
- The primary holder of a special category visa subclass 444; or
- The primary holder of a business (long stay) visa subclass 457IE and meet the requirements of the business innovation stream.
The applicant must have a current nomination from a State or a Territory.
The applicant, including their partner, must not have been involved in any unacceptable business or investment activity.
The applicant and dependent family members must meet all the health and character requirements of the visa category.
The applicant and their partner must have a satisfactory record of complying with Australian laws and the local laws of every State/Territory where they operate a business and engage employees for their business operations.
The applicant must be able to demonstrate commitment towards maintaining their business and/or investment activities in Australia.
You must have arranged to repay all outstanding debt owed to the Australian Government
The applicant must agree to comply with and respect Australian laws.

Apart from the common criteria listed above, the possessor of the provisional business innovation and investment visa (subclass 188), under the business innovation stream, must adhere to the additional provisions related to business turnover, business assets, and conformity with business laws and regulations.
And the possessors of the provisional business innovation and investment visa (subclass 188) under the investor stream or the significant investor stream must adhere to the additional provisions related to residence in Australia and duration of holding of the investment. Some of the prescribed requirements are enlisted below:

If the applicant holds a subclass 188 visa, he should meet the specified Australian stay requirements for all the three streams (i.e., an applicant should be in Australia on either of the visa(s) for a specified time):

Business Innovation stream
(Minimum stay of 1 out of 2 years prior to application)
Investor stream
(Minimum stay of 2 out of 4 years prior to application)
Significant Investor stream
(Held the visa for continuous four years; minimum stay of 160 days in 4 years, more conditions apply)

Each of these streams requires the applicant to have a minimum stay in Australia for a specified number of days/years; in general, an applicant must have lived in Australia as the primary holder of the subclass 188 visa in order to apply for a subclass 888 visa, although some exceptions apply. Please consult our migration agents for more details.

The applicants must have held;

An investment of AUD 1.5 million or more for at least four years in the country (for investment stream)
A complying investment of AUD 5 million or more for at least four years in the country (for significant investment stream)
A complying investment of AUD 15 million or more for the entire duration of subclass 188 visa in the country (for premium investment stream)

The applicants must prove a successful record of entrepreneurial activity while they stay under subclass 188 visa (for entrepreneur stream).
The applicants must be able to prove their ongoing business involvement in the country (for business innovation stream).
The applicant must have fulfilled all the pre-requirements of the original visa category (temporary)

The applicant must convince the Department that the visa grant is in the applicant’s best interest. Further, visa application processing in Australia is tricky and needs professional help. We suggest you book an appointment with our 888 visa consultants/ immigration agents to secure a favourable permanent migration processing.

The shared information is exclusive but not exhaustive, and the applicants are advised to take the help of qualified migration agents to go through the complete eligibility requirements before applying. For more information on visa conditions and processing, please contact our immigration consultants to assist you through the entire process.

How to Apply for a Subclass 888 Visa

Before applying for the subclass 888 visa application, the applicant must ensure that they hold a valid passport; if not, a valid passport should be acquired before applying for a visa. The next step lies in the gathering of the relevant evidence. All the documentary proofs must be collected and analysed for the Subclass 888 visa application form requirements. Further, the applicant must ensure that they have not been rejected for access to Australia before. This might lead to the refusal of their subclass 888 visa application form. The current application fee for the subclass 888 form is AUD 2590/-

Processing Time for Business Innovation and Investment Visa 888

The standard processing time for a subclass 888 visa category is not fixed and changes depending upon the application status and stream of migration category.

Communicate with a professional 888 visa immigration agent/migration consultants at E-Help for further details on the visa processing time and eligibility. Furthermore, the processing time of the subclass 888 visa application may be a little higher than usual if –

The applicant has not filled it correctly
The applicant has not included all the documents needed
Department need more information
When the Department thoroughly verify the documents

The Department generally asks for additional information both from the applicants and/ or external agencies. Generally, the verification procedure for a permanent visa is more thorough than a temporary visa category.

Contact Us

Our team of expert migration agents understands the value of your time and money and knows how to cater to your requirements with absolute professionalism and swiftness. Let E-Help provide you with a one-stop solution for all aspects of Australian immigration. Contact us or make a consultation online to speak to our immigration agents. We recommend that you fill up our information form for ready reference and reach us for any form of guidance or assistance regarding your eligibility or your application. To book an appointment with our 888 visa agents or immigration consultants, contact us. or dial us at +61 7 3172 4965.