• Tasmania Small Business Owner Stream – 491 visa

Tasmania Small Business Owner Stream – 491 visa

Tasmania is 1 of the 3 states (QLD and ACT) in Australia that have in place a Skilled migration stream for Small Business Owner. In Tasmania, if you are an eligible business owner of a registered business, you might be qualified for the 491 nomination from the Tasmania Government.

Like other streams in the state migration program, you will need to meet the requirements for the Department of Home Affairs for visa subclass 491, and the state’s requirement for this stream.

Related:

Department of Home Affairs’ requirements

To be eligible to apply for state nomination, you must meet the following requirements set out by the Department of Home Affairs. You must have:

  • not yet turned 45 years of age
  • nominated an occupation on the relevant list of eligible skilled occupations
  • a valid and positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation
  • at least ‘Competent’ English language proficiency
  • at least 65 points on the Department of Home Affairs points test.

To know more about the 491 visa requirement, please click here.

Small Business Owner stream requirements

To be considered for this category you must meet all the following criteria:

  • demonstrate that you have established and operated your business (solely owned) in Tasmania for at least 6 months.
  • demonstrate that the business is highly likely able to give you a personal income that would meet the minimum taxable income requirement set by Home Affairs for the subclass 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa. Currently, that is AU$53,900 per year for at least 3 years in the next 5 years.
  • show that you have an understanding of the responsibilities and requirements around treating employees fairly by completing key units on the Fair Work Ombudsman’s online learning centre.

Did you know?

If you are applying for a 491 nomination under this stream, your nominated occupation does not need to be related to the business you are operating, as long as you can show you have experience running that type of business.

For example, you are running a restaurant, but you can nominate Civil Engineer as your occupation in the 491 application for nomination.

All applicants must also provide a comprehensive business plan with:
  • evidence of thorough research into, and understanding of, the target market.
  • research and understanding of relevant industry conditions, licensing and/or registration requirements for the business in Tasmania.
  • realistic market opportunities for the proposed business in Tasmania, particularly where the business would be competing with other similar existing businesses already established in Tasmania.

Additional considerations include the applicant’s prior business ownership or business management experience and also the nature of the business and its long-term benefit to Tasmania.

Ineligible Businesses

The following types of businesses are not eligible for the Small Business Owner Stream:

  • Franchise
  • Part-owned business
  • Passive business investment
  • Service stations
  • Massage clinics
  • Taxi/ Uber related businesses.
Application Process

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