Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188A) – Business Innovation stream
Important information about seeking migration advice
The Office of Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) regulates registered migration agents (RMAs) and publishes a list of agents that have been disciplined.
The OMARA has a register of RMAs that you can visit at www.mara.gov.au.
Investment NSW advises that all applicants considering engaging migration advisory services check whether the person handling your application has been disciplined at https://portal.mara.gov.au/disciplinary-decisions/.
It is important that all applicant’s check their own eligibility for NSW’s migration nomination programs.
If you’re a consumer, stay up-to-date with the latest information on Australia’s Migration Programs at https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/.
Eligibility criteria
Visa criteria
You must meet the Home Affairs requirements for the Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188A) – Business Innovation stream.
Personal background
You must be under 50 years of age and have:
- a bachelor's degree recognised as equivalent to the Australian standard, or
- In the past 10 years have at least:
- 3 years of business experience in a NSW target sector, or
- 5 years of business experience in a non-target sector
Personal and business assets
You must have combined net personal and business assets of:
- A$1,750,000 – Sydney
- A$1,250,000 – Regional NSW
Business turnover
You must have a qualifying ownership stake in up to two businesses that have a combined annual turnover of the below amount in two of the four most recent fiscal years:
- A$1,250,000 – Sydney
- A$750,000 – Regional NSW
Points test
Your SkillSelect EOI must show a minimum score of 65 points.
Applications showing the following will be prioritised:
- 15 points for business experience, or
- Points for business innovation qualifications
NSW target sectors
Sydney target sectors include:
- Advanced manufacturing
- Food and beverage manufacturing
- Agricultural technology
- Aerospace and defence
- Renewable energy and sustainability
- Emerging digital technology
- Cyber security
- Medtech
Regional NSW target sectors include those for Sydney in addition to:
- Technology-enabled primary industries
- Critical minerals
- Recycling and waste management
Business requirements
Your business plan
You must provide a business proposal that clearly describes how your business will contribute to the NSW economy and create new jobs.
Creating new jobs in NSW
You must create a minimum of two new full time equivalent jobs.
If you are purchasing an existing business
You must show growth in the business since taking over through either an:
- increase in annual turnover of at least 10%, or
- increase in business assets of at least 25%
Exemption
You may be exempt from the job creation and business growth requirement if your eligible business:
- has implemented innovative practices that did not previously exist in the marketplace, or
- is located in Regional NSW and trades primarily in a Regional NSW target sector
Business investment
NSW will refuse your nomination application for a permanent visa (subclass 888) if during your provisional visa you have not a made a business investment of:
- $A500,000 – Sydney
- $A300,000 – Regional NSW
How to apply
You must apply for NSW nomination before you can apply to Home Affairs for this visa.
To apply for NSW nomination you must:
Submit an EOI in SkillSelect
Submit an EOI in SkillSelect selecting NSW as your preferred state.
Apply for NSW nomination
Apply to NSW for nomination using our online form.
See our Guide to supporting documents for information about what supporting evidence you need to supply at the time you apply to NSW.
Pay application fee
A payment link is sent to the email address provided in your application immediately after you submit the form. This payment link is valid for 30 minutes only.
To ensure the timely assessment of your application, you must complete payment within the 30 minute timeframe.
Application fees for NSW nomination are:
- A$902 if applying from within Australia (includes GST)
- A$820 if applying from outside Australia
Applications that remain unpaid will be closed by our office after 14 days.
Application fees are non-refundable.
Application processing
You will receive an application outcome (or request for further information) within four weeks of your application payment.
Please do not ask for an update on your application during this time.
Important information
Incomplete applications
You must submit a complete application, including all relevant evidence to support your eligibility claims when you apply to NSW.
Respond to requests for further information
If we require further information to assess your application:
- You will have two weeks to provide the requested information
- If you do not respond within two weeks, we may refuse your application
Do not ask for an update on your application
Please do not ask for an update on your application.
Our application assessment team is also responsible for responding to enquiries. Unnecessary enquiries significantly slows down our application processing times.
Apply using our online form
You must apply and submit all documents through our online form. We will not accept any applications by email or post.
Withdrawing your application
You can withdraw your application at any stage. Please Contact us to withdraw your application.
Providing false or misleading information
If you provide false or misleading information when you apply to NSW, you will be refused. NSW may also report you to Home Affairs to conduct their own investigation.
NSW conducts verification checks on many of the documents you provide.
Renomination
NSW will not renominate applicants where:
- You do not apply to Home Affairs for the visa within 60 days, or
- Your EOI was incorrect when NSW nominated you