This visa is the second stage application for permanent residency for holders of the 188 – Business Innovation stream.

State nomination for this visa is managed by the Queensland Government, through Migration Queensland, in collaboration with the Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs.

Eligibility criteria

To be considered for Queensland nomination, you must:

• hold a current 188 visa – Business Innovation stream,
• have complied with all the Migration Queensland requirements you undertook for the 188 visa,
• demonstrate that you meet the Home Affairs Immigration Eligibility Criteria for the Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa (subclass 888), and
• register your application directly with Migration Queensland.

Additional eligibility criteria are based on your original visa

• Provide evidence of your genuine commitment to Queensland, such as: purchase of properties for family residence, additional investment, study in Queensland, etc
• Provide evidence that you have resided in Queensland for at least 1 year.

EOI for 188 visa submitted from 1 July 2021

• provide evidence that a minimum of A$400,000 was invested in one or two qualifying business(es) located in the Greater Brisbane and Gold Coast regions; or
• provide evidence that a minimum of A$300,000 was invested in one or two qualifying business(es) located in regional Queensland.

EOI for 188 visa submitted from 14 July 2016 to 30 June 2021

• Provide evidence that a minimum of A$200,000 was invested in one or two qualifying business(es) located in Queensland.

EOI for 188 visa submitted prior to 14 July 2016

• Provide evidence that a minimum of A$500,000 was invested in one or two qualifying business(es) located in Brisbane or the Gold Coast; or
• Provide evidence that a minimum of A$300,000 was invested in one or two qualifying business(es) located in other regions of Queensland.

If your current business is different to that initially approved as part of your 188 application, please provide a copy of Migration Queensland’s written approval of changing your business proposal. This approval must be granted before you proceed to lodge your nomination application for 888 visa.

New Zealanders on a Special Category visa (subclass 444)

Please refer to the current Queensland nomination criteria and send an email to Migration Queensland if you have specific questions.

Application process

Step 1

Review your eligibility criteria, visa conditions, and document checklist on the Department of Home Affairs website and the Migration Queensland website. Ensure that you meet both the Home Affairs Immigration Eligibility Criteria and Migration Queensland criteria and that you have all your documentation ready before you apply.

Step 2

Register your interest here.

Step 3

Lodge the requested documentation:

• Queensland State Nomination Application form
• Home Affairs Form 1414
• Copy of your Australian visa grant letter
• All documentation listed in the checklist provided by the Home Affairs that pertain to:
  1. Business documents (including summary of business activity and organisational chart)
  2. Business ownership
  3. Management
  4. Taxation (Business Activity Statements)
  5. Financial documents
  6. Evidence of employees (if applicable)
  7. Net assets

Step 4

After you have uploaded your documents, you will be required to pay the non-refundable application fee to finalise your application.

Migration Queensland will then review your application and request any further information.

Note: You will be given 14 days to finalise your application from the date of invitation. If you are unable to provide the relevant information within this time frame, you must seek an extension from Migration Queensland. Applications not finalised within the time frame will be closed and you will need to submit a new application if you wish to seek Queensland nomination again.

Step 5

Once Migration Queensland has received and approved your completed application, you will be given 90 days to lodge your application with them, but you must lodge do so before your current visa expires.