Blogs Category: Business Visas

Looking to take the next step and expand your business into the Asia-Pacific region? With vibrant, diverse communities and the highest standards of living, look no further than applying for a business visa in Brisbane, Australia.

Australia is a modern, English-speaking nation situated in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a recognised regional middle power, with strong connections to its Asian neighbours, such as China, Indonesia, Singapore and Japan, as well as its Western allies. These connections include direct trade links to the United States, as well as the European Union. By making the decision to expand your business into Australia, you are not only accessing the Australian market, you are accessing a portal to the rest of the world.

Furthermore, as a democracy, Australia is a peaceful and secure country. If you apply for a business visa to Australia, you can be assured that you are applying to a country that will not have its market stagnated and distorted by gross corruption and other criminal activities. Australia, as shown by Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, is one of the least corrupt countries in the world, and is.

Australia also has an established legal system that promotes equality and justice for all, regardless of who you are. By expanding into Australia, you can be sure that your legal interests will be adequately protected and that your assets will be secure. In Australia, there is a streamlined consumer law which clearly marks out your business’ obligations to consumers, as well as a well-established area of corporate law relating to companies.

Brisbane itself is a fast-growing business hub, and is parallel to the likes of Sydney and Melbourne in its capacity to propel your business forward. In addition to all the beautiful weather, by expanding your business into Brisbane, you are not only directly accessing a population of 2 million people, you are also setting up your business with less competition than Sydney or Melbourne. The choice to apply for a business visa in Brisbane is thus more risk-free.

Business aside, Brisbane is a premium location to reside in. Not only is there sunshine allyear round, Brisbane residents will attest to the quality lifestyle here. The pace of living is quick enough to keep you on your toes, yet slow enough to help you or your staff relax and develop a healthy work-life balance. With quiet suburban living available, bringing your family over will be a beneficial choice for them, too. Brisbane is home to various recognised educational facilities, ranging from primary to tertiary levels, so your kids will readily be able to participate in a quality education that promotes growing and supporting your child to reach their full potential. Not only will your children obtain native English skills, they will have access to a variety of academic and extra-curricular activities such as sport and music programs. Furthermore, the Brisbane City Council actively builds public facilities for everyone’s enjoyment. In Brisbane, libraries, parks and gardens are always available for a nice afternoon picnic or a weekend learning experience with the family.

So if you are looking for a stable, secure, modern, well-paced location in the Asia-Pacific Region to expand your business into, there are fewer places more suitable than Brisbane. As it continues to expand and grow, applying for a business visa in Brisbane is not only the next logical step for your business, but also for yourself.

For assistance applying for a business visa, please contact Hunt Migration, leading migration agents in Australia.

Australian Business Visas have gained much publicity in the past couple years in light of the significant changes introduced in November 2012.

Since the revamp of the visa class, it was great to experience increased efficiency with processing at the Department level to allow us to assist many business owners in obtaining provisional and permanent residency visas. The now streamlined Business Visas include the provisional subclass 188 Business Visa, the permanent subclass 888 visa and the Business talent subclass 132 visa.

It is important that these applicants establish that they have a successful business or investment career and a genuine commitment to engage in business activities in Australia.

Since its introduction, the Significant Investor Visa (SIV) programme on 24th November 2012, has granted 751 primary applicants a valid visa to Australia. As holders of subclass 188 Business Visa under SIV programme, applicants and their family are expected to continue their investment for at least four years to be eligible for their permanent subclass 888 visa. As of 31st March 2015, 3.755 Billion AUD has been invested in complying Investments, with a further 2.770 Billion AUD proposed to be invested.

On 15th May 2015 the Government further announced the new complying investment framework for the SIV and Premium Investor Visa (PIV) programme.

The new framework has been implemented since 1 July 2015 and will encourage investment into innovative Australian ideas and emerging companies. Austrade will become a nominator for the SIV, alongside State and Territory Governments, and the sole nominator for the PIV.

Under the new arrangements, SIV applicants will be required to invest at least $5 million over four years in complying investments, which must now include:

• At least $500,000 in eligible Australian venture capital or growth private equity fund(s) investing in start-up and small private companies. The Government expects to increase this to $1 million for new applications within two years as the market responds;
• At least $1.5 million in an eligible managed fund(s) or Listed Investment Companies (LICs) that invest in emerging companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX); and;
• A ‘balancing investment’ of up to $3 million in managed fund(s) or LICs that invest in a combination of eligible assets that include other ASX listed companies, eligible corporate bonds or notes, annuities and real property (subject to the 10 per cent limit on residential real estate)

Previously, investment through the SIV programme was largely going into passive investments like government bonds and residential real estate funds – areas that already attract large capital flows.

Direct investment in real estate has never been a complying investment for SIV and this will not change under the new arrangements. Indirect investment in residential real estate through managed funds will also now be limited. Importantly, a SIV holder can still independently invest in residential real estate so long as it complies with foreign investment rules, but this would not count as a complying investment to qualify for a visa.

Furthermore, the Australian Government introduced a new Premium Investor stream under the 188 visa since 1 July 2015, targeting talented entrepreneurs and innovators. The PIV will offer a more expeditious, 12 month pathway to permanent residency than the SIV 188 Visa, for those meeting a $15 million threshold. The PIV will be available at the invitation of the Australian Government only, with potential recipients to be nominated by Austrade. This programme will be rolled out over the next year, focussing on attracting a small number of highly talented and entrepreneurial individuals. States and Territories will play an important role in helping to identify potential applicants.

To better service high net worth clients under these visas, we have worked with a synergised network of professionals including financial advisors, accountants, business and commercial lawyers to provide them with migration, business and settlement assistance. In light of the recent changes to the 188 visa, we endeavour to ensure that prospective clients considering this visa pathway are given the best advise possible.

A new pilot programme has recently been launched with the purpose to facilitate the process of obtaining an Australian visa for Indians who are entering the continent for work or travel purposes. The online programme covers a subclass of 600 visas for Indian business applicants or those who seek to come as tourists. Australia’s Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb said that the programme was instituted considering that, “India is one of the world’s fastest growing outbound markets.”

Analysis under the Australian government’s national tourism strategy, Tourism 2020, predicted that India has the potential to contribute between $1.9 to $2.3 billion annually to Australia’s tourism industry by the year 2020. This estimate is incontrovertible proof that India is one market that the Aussie tourism industry would be wise to capitalise upon, hence the introduction of the new pilot programme.

Robb continued to explain the reasoning and logistics of the programme, noting that due to this revelation about potential income from the world’s second most populous country. He was put in charge of largest trade mission in Australian history. During Australia Business Week, Robb was the leader of 450 delegates on a trip to India that lasted from 9 January – 16.

Under the Australian-Indian Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism, the two countries will collaborate in order to promote cooperation and information distribution on tourism policies. They also seek to encourage cooperation from Australian and Indian shareholders.

Robb also explained that Australia holds a deep appeal for Indian tourists, and the facts stand to support his claim. For the year that concluded in September 2014, the percentage of Indian visitors to Australia increased by 14.5% from the previous year for a total number of 189,866 tourists. In that fiscal year, the tourists from India also contributed a hefty $800 million dollars to the Australian economy, a profound contribution that is only more likely to increase given the new ease of obtaining travel visas as a result of the programme. According to Tourism Research Australia, the number of Indian arrivals in Australia is expected to reach 300,000 by 2022/2023.

Although the programme has been initiated on a trial basis, it’s doubtful that it won’t be officiated within the next few years. Australia’s choice of India shows that they are seeking to invest in one of the most progressive and active tourism countries in the world. India pulls in millions of dollars from tourists each year, but its population also contributes to a great deal to countries around the world. U.S. President Barack Obama recently visited New Delhi and subsequently stated that he hopes to see the amount of Indian tourists in America reach over a million in 2015. Although the United States lost its title as the world’s most visited country in 2013 to France, it has begun to instate new tourism policies and targeted countries with the most potential to bring in revenue. Unsurprisingly, India was at the the list. Hopefully with the new programme in Australia, more and more people will be able to leave their home country and not only help stimulate the economy overseas, but also expose them to new and unique cultures and experiences.