188 A & B Points test (Business Innovation)

188 A & B Points test (Business Innovation)

The Australian Government’s decision to close the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) on 31 July 2024 has disrupted the migration plans of many business owners and entrepreneurs. This change has compelled prospective migrants to explore alternative pathways, such as self-sponsorship under the Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) visa and small business owner Subclass 491 visas, another potential option could be the New Zealand Business Investor Work Visa.

These alternatives demand investment, legal compliance, and a clear understanding of visa criteria. Engaging a professional migration agent or legal advisor is strongly recommended to increase your chances of success. Book a consultation to evaluate your visa options and pathways here.

Age

Points will be available depending on which age bracket the applicant falls within. Once the applicant is 55, no points will be available for age and state or territory governments must apply for a waiver of the age limit for people aged over 55.

Points	Age Band
20	Between 18 and 24
30	Between 25 and 32
25	Between 33 and 39
20	Between 40 and 44
15	Between 45 and 54
0	55 and over

Business Visa points test calculator

English Language Ability

There is no minimum English language requirement for the new business migration subclasses. However, applicants with less than functional English will need to pay an English Language Charge before receiving their visas.

Points are available for:

Vocational English (5 minimum in each of the 4 components of IELTS): 5 points
Proficient English (7 minimum in each of the 4 components of IELTS): 10 points

Qualifications

People with trade qualifications, diplomas or bachelor degrees will receive 5 points. Qualifications must either be awarded by an Australian institution or recognised overseas institution.

10 points are available if the qualification is in business, science or technology.

Experience in Business or Investment

Points are available for experience relevant to the stream being applied for – ie for the business innovation stream, work experience as a business owner would be considered relevant.

Points available for business owners (188A) are as follows:

Points	Owned a business for at least:
10	4 of the last 5 years prior to invitation
15	7 of the last 8 years prior to invitation

Points are available for investors (188B) who have held eligible investments of at least AUD 250,000 prior to being invited and these are as follows:

Investor stream only Investor experience	If you are invited to apply for the visa on or after 1 July 2021, immediately before the time of invitation to apply for the visa you held eligible investments of at least AUD250,000 held for:
	Not less than 4 years	10
	Not less than 7 years	15

Net Personal Assets

Points will be available for net personal assets held for the last 2 financial years:

Financial assets	Net business and personal assets of you, your partner or you and your partner combined in each of the preceding 2 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation of at least:
	Not less than AUD1,250,000	5
	Not less than AUD1,750,000	15
	Not less than AUD2,250,000	25
	Not less than AUD2,750,000	35

Business Turnover

Points will be awarded for turnover in a business owned by the applicant. The turnover threshold must be met for 2 of the last 4 years prior to application:

Business turnover	If you are invited to apply for the visa on or after 1 July 2021, you had an ownership interest in one or more main businesses that had an annual turnover in at least 2 of the 4 fiscal years immediately before the time of invitation to apply for the visa:
	Not less than AUD750,000	5
	Not less than AUD1,250,000	15
	Not less than AUD1.,750,000	25
	Not less than AUD2,250,000	35

Innovation

Points can be awarded in a number of items under this factor, for instance:

Business innovation qualifications
	Patents or designs registered not less than 1 year before that time and used in the day to day activities of the main business	15
	Trademarks registered not less than 1 year before that time and used in the day to day activities of the main business	10
	An ownership in and day to day participation in the management of one or more main business operated under a formal joint venture agreement/s entered into no less than 1 year before the time	5
	An ownership interest in a main business/s that derives no less than 50% of its annual turnover from export trade	15
	An ownership interest in a main buisness/s not more that 5 years before : had an average annualised growth in turnover that was greater than 20% per annum over 3 continuous fiscal years; and in at least one of the 3 fiscal years 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
	An ownership interest in a main business/s that received : a grant from a government body in your home country of at least AUD10,000 for the purposes of early phase start up of a business, product commercialisation, business development or business expansion or 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

Special Endorsement by State/Territory Government

State and Territory Governments can support applicants by indicating that they proposed business is of unique and important benefit to the state or territory. This results in 10 points for the visa applicant.

Other 188 Visa eligibility streams:

A. Business Innovation –
for business owners seeking to establish business operations in Australia
B. Investor –
for people who are willing to invest $1.5 million in an Australian State or Territory bonds
C. Significant Investor –
for people willing to invest $5 million into complying investments in Australia
D. Premium Investor –
for people with significant funds who are willing to invest at least $15 million into complying premium investments in Australia.
E. Entrepreneur –
for people who have a funding agreement from a third party for at least AUD200 000 to undertake a complying entrepreneur activity

Note that business migration can be extremely complex, and even determining whether you have a good chance of qualifying can be difficult. In addition, you may be able to qualify in a number of different business migration categories.