We are pleased to announce that Skilled & Business Migration is now open for the 2020/21 program year to receive applications for 188 Significant Investor Visa (SIV) nominations only. These can now be applied for without prior completion of an Intention to Apply.
With regards to all other 188 & 132 Visa nomination applications we advise the following update:
2020/21 Interim BIIP State Nomination Requirements – Round 2
The Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs has provided an interim number of visa nomination places to the Government of South Australia up until the full year quota is confirmed in the coming weeks.
The allocation of interim 188 and 132 visa nominations provided to the Department for Innovation and Skills is intended to support the following high-level outcomes of the State’s Business Innovation & Investment Program:
- High quality business owners and entrepreneurs that have created genuine and sustainable business opportunities in South Australia that benefits the State’s economy, local businesses and the workforce.
With Round 1 invitations, applications and nomination processing completed, we wish to advise the timeframes and processes involved with the next phase of our 2020/21 Business Migration Program:
To be considered for Round 2 invitations, you must have completed the following by Monday 23rd November (11:59pm ACST):
- Submit an Intention to Apply and complete the second step email response for additional information.
- Lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) through the Department of Home Affairs SkillSelect system, and provide this EOI reference in your Intention to Apply.
- If you have previously submitted an Intention to Apply, this will be considered for invitation selection in this round, however you are able to submit another one if your situation or business intentions have changed, or if you did not include an EOI reference.
- Please ensure your EOI is up to date and contains consistent information to your Intention to Apply.
- If you do not have an existing account, you will need to register as a new user on the Skilled & Business Migration Portal, and lodge your Intention to Apply by submitting an online enquiry
Your Intention to Apply and EOI will be considered for nomination based on the following objectives:
- Attract significant investment into the South Australian economy.
- Increase employment in South Australia through the direct creation of jobs.
- Drive innovation to make South Australia more productive and competitive.
If you have selected the Subclass 132 Significant Business History stream or Subclass 188 Business Innovation stream, you must have previously completed a physical exploratory visit to South Australia that meets the pre-July 2020 requirements below or meet the virtual exploratory meeting requirements also detailed below:
Physical Exploratory Visit
Evidence must be provided at time of application for State nomination. Information to be collected is the date and duration of the visit, where in SA you have visited and the nature of your visit. The accepted evidence must include one of the following:
• Meeting with Skilled & Business Migration (email confirmation of meeting).
• Airline boarding passes – tickets are not accepted as they do not confirm the flight was taken.
• Receipts for accommodation in SA.
If the above evidence is not available other submitted evidence may be accepted, such as emails to confirm the meeting with SA companies. Photos are not required and will not be assessed. Your application needs to include an exploratory visit itinerary and details on the outcome from your visit. This information is being collected to help understand how your visit has benefited your understanding of business and lifestyle opportunities.
Virtual Exploratory Visit
The virtual exploratory visit is available to clients under one of these circumstances:
- You are unable to travel due to a COVID-19 related travel restriction, and agree to undertake a physical exploratory visit within six months of travel restrictions being lifted and prior to your visa being granted.
- You were refused a visitor visa by the Department of Home Affairs, and it was not due to a character or health reason. You must provide a copy of the visa outcome letter in your online application.
The virtual exploratory visit can be conducted by video or voice call, and must meet the following minimum requirements:
1. Is undertaken no more than 6 months prior to the date of application for State nomination.
2. Includes one telephone meeting with Skilled & Business Migration, and at least two other telephone or video meetings that adhere to the requirements below:
- For the 188 Business Innovation stream, one meeting must relate to the proposed business activity, and the other to an alternative qualifying business activity or an alternative product if exporting.
- For the 188 Entrepreneur stream, both meetings should relate to the proposed entrepreneurial activity.
- For the 132 Significant Business History stream, one meeting must relate to the proposed business activity, and the other meeting relate to an alternative qualifying business activity or an alternative product if exporting.
- For the 132 Venture Capital Entrepreneur stream, both meetings should relate to the proposed entrepreneurial activity.
You will be required to provide information about these virtual meetings in the online application form, including the date, contact person and outcomes.
If the Department for Innovation and Skills is satisfied with your Intention to Apply and your EOI, you may be invited to submit an online application for state nomination. These will be issued from Tuesday 24th November to Friday 4th December. You will have 10 business days from the date notified to apply for state nomination.
For South Australia to approve your online application and make a nomination in SkillSelect you need to meet the Department of Home Affairs criteria and South Australia’s requirements. Please note:
Your personal details in your South Australian online application must be the same as your EOI. Any discrepancies may result in nomination refusal.
- Missing or incorrect documentation may result in your South Australian application being refused.
- Additional documentation after submission of your South Australian application will not be accepted, unless requested.
Your application will be assessed by the Department for Innovation and Skills within an indicative 4 week period. Priority processing is not available.
If you are not invited to submit a state nomination application in Round 2, your Intention to Apply remains eligible for any subsequent rounds, which is subject to the confirmation of future program settings, expected to be announced in mid-late November. Thereafter, following completion of Round 2 processing, further information will be announced regarding the application process or subsequent Rounds for the remainder of the 2020/21 program year. Please do not contact the Department for Innovation and Skills regarding the status of your Intention to Apply unless you have been requested to provide further information.
Prospective applicants who meet the requirements listed above and lodge an EOI are not guaranteed to be invited to submit an application. Applying for nomination does not guarantee you will receive nomination by South Australia or be granted an Australian visa. Invitation to submit an application and nomination is granted at the discretion of South Australia and is subject to quotas and Commonwealth and State priorities.
If you are granted an Australian visa, the business proposal you put forward during this interim period will be scrutinised at the subsequent Subclass 132 Review stage and Subclass 888 stage, where the Government of South Australia has a direct role.
Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for more information.