Australia welcomes business people


International business people wanting to come to Australia for business can choose the most appropriate visa for their business needs.

More often than not, you have to act quickly when a business opportunity arises. The Australian Government has responded to this need and has streamlined the whole visa process for genuine business people.

The purpose of your business trip can vary:

<          Short business trips to attend a meeting, sign a contract, inspect a site and/or attend an event/conference in Australia;

<          Longer working assignments;

<          Setting up a new business or buying into an existing business in Australia;

<          Settling permanently to live and do business.

Australia's business visa structure, with its temporary stay and permanent residence streams, can accommodate your business requirements.

For those short business visits

For those short business visits

A number of business visitor visas are available, which enable business people to visit Australia for up to three months for business purposes. You can only apply for these visas offshore and you have to be outside Australia when you apply. These visas cannot be extended once you arrive in Australia.

 

These visas are generally for business people who wish to:

<          explore business opportunities in Australia;

<          conduct business negotiations, site visits, equipment inspections;

<          sign business contracts; or

<          attend conferences or meetings in relation to their field of employment.

 

These visas may also be suitable for training purposes if those purposes are relevant to your usual occupation and business activities. You may also for example be eligible for these visas if the purpose of your visit is to:

sign a contract for a future business project;

explore the opportunity for a future project; or

assess the suitability of a site or facilities for a future project

 

In general, you are normally not eligible for a these visas if you will be in paid employment in Australia. If you are considering engaging in paid employment, the following will need to be taken into account in assessing whether these visas are appropriate for you:

<            Whether your employment in Australia clearly relates to your stated business purpose in Australia; and

<           Whether the position is one that an Australian resident clearly would be able to undertake.

           

Furthermore, you need to carefully consider whether the employment is:

<          highly specialised in nature and not ongoing, or

<          an emergency and not ongoing, or

<          in Australia's interest?

 

It is Australian Government policy that positions being filled must be short-term duration and not ongoing positions.

 

If you wish to visit Australia for business purposes for more than three months, or if the employment will be greater than three months over a period of time, you will need to consider applying for the specific temporary residence visa relevant to your proposed activities. The most common visa options for short term business visitors are:

 

ETA (Business Entrant) (Subclass 956 and 977)

The Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) is only available to passport holders from a number of countries and regions wishing to visit Australia for business purposes.

For countries where an ETA is not available, passport holders should generally instead consider applying for a Business (Short Stay) visa (Subclass 456).

 

An ETA is granted via electronic links between the travel agent or airline and
DIAC systems.

There are 2 different types of ETAs available for business visitors:

ETA (Business Entrant - Long Validity) (Subclass 956)

ETA (Business Entrant - Short Validity) (Subclass 977)

 

They both allow the holder to remain in Australia for a maximum of 3 months on each arrival. ETA (Subclass 977) is generally valid for travel for 12 months from the date of grant. However, ETA (Subclass 956) is valid for travel for the life of your passport or for 10 years, whichever is shorter.

 

There is no ETA application form for you to complete and you are not assessed by an immigration officer at the time of application.


You can apply for an ETA through your travel agent, airline or, in the case of ETA (Subclass 977) via the Internet.


A visa application charge applies for ETA (Subclass 956), and this ETA cannot be obtained via the Internet.


For more information on this visa option and standard processing times, please visit:

http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/business/456/index.htm

 

Medical Checks

It is a requirement of immigration legislation that all applicants for temporary entry to Australia must meet health requirements before the grant of a visa. You may therefore be asked to undergo appropriate medical checks, if:

<          You are aged 70 or more;

<          You are likely to enter a cr¨¨che, hospital or other health care area;

<          You are likely to enter a classroom situation; or

<          There are indications that you may not meet the health requirement.

 

When there is a need to stay longer

Australian employers, unable to fill skilled positions vital to their business operations, look to recruit personnel from overseas on either a temporary or permanent basis to overcome skilled labour shortages.

Skilled migrants bring human and financial capital to Australia and add value to this country's existing sophisticated technological base and multicultural workforce.

 

Business people, specialists and executives wanting to come to Australia for longer periods can apply for the Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa.

 

This visa is for:

<          Skilled persons who have been sponsored to work for a business in Australia, and

<            Management and specialist personnel of Australian-based and offshore companies.

This visa allows for temporary stays of up to four years.

 

Streamlined processing and the availability of electronic lodgement on the internet allows businesses in Australia to recruit skilled overseas personnel to fill positions. To be sponsored to work in Australia, the business must seek approval as a business sponsor and nominate the position to be filled.

 

The nominated position must meet minimum skill and salary levels to be approved. The person being sponsored must have skills consistent with those of the nominated vacancy and must be paid not less than the minimum salary level.

 

Further information can be found in the DIAC booklet - Sponsoring Temporary Overseas Employees to Australia, and is available at:
www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/sbs/index.htm

 

Settling in Australia permanently

Australia's Skilled and Business migration programs aim to attract people with specific skills and qualifications which will benefit Australia's economy and society.

 

While the criteria for migration are rigorous, if you have the skills or are a successful business person, the opportunities for genuine applicants are excellent, especially if you are interested in expanding your horizons beyond Australia's major centres.

 

Business owners, senior executives and investors can apply for a visa under the Business Skills program, which encourages successful business people to settle permanently in Australia and develop new or existing businesses.

 

In addition, if you have already established a business in Australia while here on a temporary basis, you may consider applying to remain permanently under the Established Business in Australia or Regional Established Business in Australia category.

 

More detailed information on the criteria for business migration is provided on the next page in the article titled 'Australia welcomes skilled business people'.

 

Family Migration

There are four categories of visas that people can apply to migrate to Australia under family migration - Partner Migration, Child Migration, Parent Migration and Other Family. Applicants must be sponsored by an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.

For more details on family migration visit:
www.immi.gov.au/migrants/family/family-visas-all.htm