188 C, D, E Visa Requirements

In this column, we will look at the requirements for the 188C Significant Investor, 188D Premium investor, 188E Entrepreneur Visa.

188C Significant Investor Visa requires nomination by an Australian State/ Territory government or AUSTRADE but unlike 188A and 188B visa, it is not a point-based immigration programme. In addition, anyone can apply for the visa without the age limit.

For grant of the visa, the applicant must maintain an investment of at least AUD 5 million in a complying investment for 4 years. A complying investment for the purposes of the Significant Investor Visa must be made up of:

• At least $500,000 in venture capital and growth private equity funds which invest in start-ups and small private companies
• At least $1.5 million in approved managed funds investing in emerging companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange
• A balancing investment of up to $3 million in managed funds that may invest in a range of assets, including ASX-listed companies, Australian corporate bonds or notes, annuities and commercial real estate

188D Premium Investor Visa requires nomination by an AUSTRADE, but it is not a point-based immigration programme, and anyone can apply for the visa without the age limit.

This visa requires to invest at least AUD 15 million into complying investments in Australia. The biggest advantage of this visa is that the applicant can apply for permanent residence after maintained an investment in Australia for only 1 year.

188E Entrepreneur Visa requires nomination by an Australian State/ Territory government and only people under 55 years of age at the time of submission of an EOI (Expression of Interest) are eligible to apply for the visa. The applicant must demonstrate at least competent English, that is, obtaining not less than 6 in each of the 4 components in the IELTS test.

To apply for the Entrepreneur Visa, the applicant will need to have an agreement for at least $200,000 in funding from one or more of the following sources:

• Commonwealth agencies
• State and territory governments
• Publicly funded research organisations
• Investors registered as Venture Capital Limited Partnerships or Early Stage Venture Capital Limited Partnerships

The applicant must undertake a complying entrepreneur activity in Australia for 4 years, except certain activities which are purchase of an existing business or franchise, real estate activities and labour hire activities.

In the next column, we will explain the 188C Significant Investor, 188D Premium investor, 188E Entrepreneur Visa more clearly with real life cases.