Australia Sharply Reduces BIIP Visa Availability for 2023/24 Despite Record Backlog
“The future of the BIIP is uncertain,” writes James Hall, pointing to new planning levels that will exacerbate the already huge backlog.
In a nutshell, Australia has three options for those who would qualify for residency in the country through a passive investment: The Investor, Significant Investor, and Premium Investor streams, three Golden Visas that each have their own timelines and financial requirements.
Together with the Business Innovation and Entrepreneur streams (both of which are Active Investor Visas), the three Investor streams make up Australia’s Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP).
Program Type | Golden Visa Program |
Time to citizenship | 4 years |
Time to permanent residency | 3 years |
Minimum investment | AUD 2,5 million |
Physical presence requirement | None at temporary stage |
Application processing time | 1-2 years |
Citizenship grants visa-free travel to | 184 destinations, including Schengen countries and the United States |
Contribution types available | Fund Investment |
General program requirements
There are three investment streams for the BIIP in Australia. Each with increasing values and separate criteria:
AUD 2.5m investment through the Investor Stream;
AUD 5m investment through the Significant Investor Stream
Eligible investments
At least 20% in venture capital and growth private equity funds;
At least 30% in approved managed funds investing in listed, emerging companies;
A balancing investment of 50% in managed funds.
Program benefits
Requirements to qualify for citizenship
The initial 188 BIIP visa is valid for 4 years and 3 months and there are varying criteria for obtaining permanent residency depending on the investor stream:
Under the Investor stream, applicants are eligible for PR after four years;
Under the Signficant Investor stream, applicants are eligible for PR after three years;
Under the Premium Investor stream, applicants are eligible for PR after 1 year.
For the Investor and Significant Investor streams, though not for the Premium Investor stream, eligibility for permanent residency is contingent on having been physically present in Australia for at least two years and absent for no more than 90 days during any year.
In order to obtain citizenship, an applicant needs to have held their permanent residency for at least 12 months and had legal residency for 4 years in Australia. Mastery of English language the history of Australia are required.
Legislation upon which this program is based:
Migration Regulations 1994 Statutory Rules No. 268, 1994 Schedule 2 Subclass 188
See more statistics on this program, and dozens of others, in the IMI Data Center.
. | Name | Expert based in | Areas of expertise | Program you'd like help with | Service language(s) | Get Started |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adriano Vieira | 🇵🇹 Lisbon | Portugal Golden Visa Portugal D7 Visa Portugal HQA Visa | English, Spanish, French, Portuguese | |||
Alex Ingrim | 🇮🇹 Florence | Residence and Citizenship by Investment, International Tax and Wealth Planning | Greece Golden Visa Italy Elective Residency Visa Italy Investor Visa Malta Permanent Residence Program Portugal Golden Visa Spain Golden Visa Spain Non-Lucrative Visa United States EB-5 | English | ||
André Gonçalves | 🇦🇪 Dubai | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Greece Golden Visa Grenada CIP Malta MEIN Malta Permanent Residence Program Portugal Golden Visa Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Turkey CIP Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP | English, Portuguese | ||
Ariane Real | 🇵🇹 Lisbon | Portugal Golden Visa Portugal D7 Visa Portugal HQA Visa | English, Spanish, Portuguese | |||
Calvin Mazlumyan | 🇺🇸 Los Angeles | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Canada Startup Visa Dominica CIP Greece Golden Visa Grenada CIP Italy Investor Visa Malta MEIN Malta Permanent Residence Program Philippines Special Investor Portugal Golden Visa Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Singapore Entrepass Spain Golden Visa Thailand Elite Residence Program Turkey CIP UAE Golden Visa UK Startup/Innovator Visa United States E2 Visa United States EB-5 Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP | English, French, Spanish, Turkish | |||
Christina Georgaki | 🇬🇷 Thessaloniki | Greece Golden Visa; Greece FIP | English, Greek | |||
David Lesperance | 🇵🇱 Gdynia | Citizenship by Descent, Residence and Citizenship by Investment, US Expatriation, International Tax and Wealth Planning, Family Office Advisory | Antigua & Barbuda CIP, Dominica CIP, Grenada CIP, Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Turkey CIP Malta MEIN Australia BIIP Investor Streams Bahamas Economic Permanent Residence Cayman Islands Investor Visa Cyprus Golden Visa Greece Golden Visa Latvia Investor Visa Malta Permanent Residence Program New Zealand Investor Visa Panama Qualified Investor Visa Portugal Golden Visa Spain Golden Visa Austria Independent Means Visa Gibraltar Category 2 HNWI Residence Greece FIP Visa Ireland Independent Means (Stamp 0) Italy Elective Residency Visa Jersey High Value Residency Portugal D7 Visa Canada Startup Visa Panama Business Investor Visa UK Startup/Innovator Visa Hungarian Citizenship by Descent Irish Citizenship by Descent Italian Citizenship by Descent Latvian Citizenship by Descent Polish Citizenship by Descent | English | ||
Ekaterina Mavrenkova | 🇨🇭 Zürich | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Dominica CIP Grenada CIP Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Turkey CIP Malta MEIN Australia BIIP Investor Streams Cayman Islands Investor Visa Greece Golden Visa Malta Permanent Residence Program New Zealand Investor Visa Portugal Golden Visa Spain Golden Visa United States EB-5 | English, Russian | |||
Elena Ruda | 🇦🇹 Vienna | Andorra Residence Without Lucrative Activity Antigua & Barbuda CIP Austria Independent Means Visa Canada Startup Visa Cyprus Golden Visa Dominica CIP Greece Golden Visa Grenada CIP Italy Investor Visa Malta MEIN Malta Permanent Residence Program Portugal Golden Visa Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Spain Golden Visa Turkey CIP UAE Golden Visa United States EB-5 Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP | English, Russian, German | |||
Eric G. Major | 🇬🇧 London | Citizenship by Descent, Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Dominica CIP Grenada CIP Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Turkey CIP Malta MEIN Anguilla Permanent Residency Program Australia BIIP Investor Streams Cayman Islands Investor Visa Colombia Investor Visas M and R Greece Golden Visa Malta Permanent Residence Program New Zealand Investor Visa Portugal Golden Visa Spain Golden Visa Germany Self-Employment Visa Guernsey Investor & Entrepreneur Residency United States EB-5 | English, French | ||
Geoffrey DuBoulay | 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Saint Lucia CIP | English | ||
George Ganey | 🇺🇸 Washington DC | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | United States EB-5 United States E2 Visa | English, Spanish, Catalan | ||
Güvenç Ketenci | 🇹🇷 Istanbul | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Antigua & Barbuda CIP, Dominica CIP, Grenada CIP, Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Turkey CIP Malta MEIN Australia BIIP Investor Streams Cyprus Golden Visa Greece Golden Visa Malta Permanent Residence Program Portugal Golden Visa UK Startup/Innovator Visa United States EB-5 United States E2 UAE Golden Visa Austria Independent Means Visa Monaco Carte de Séjour Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP | English, Turkish | ||
Hakan Cortelek | 🇹🇷 Istanbul | Citizenship by Descent, Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Dominica CIP Grenada CIP Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Turkey CIP Malta MEIN Australia BIIP Investor Streams Cayman Islands Investor Visa Greece Golden Visa Malta Permanent Residence Program New Zealand Investor Visa Portugal Golden Visa Spain Golden Visa United States EB-5 | English, Turkish | ||
Hannah Ma | 🇸🇬 Singapore | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Australia BIIP Investor Streams Canada Startup Visa Cyprus Golden Visa Dominica CIP Greece Golden Visa Grenada CIP Malaysia M2H Visa Malta MEIN Malta Permanent Residence Program Portugal D7 Visa Portugal Golden Visa Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Singapore Entrepass South Korea Investor Visa Spain Golden Visa Spain Non-Lucrative Visa Thailand Elite Residence Program Turkey CIP UAE Golden Visa UK Startup/Innovator Visa United States E2 Visa United States EB-5 Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP | English, Chinese | ||
Imad Elbitar | 🇹🇷 Istanbul | Andorra Residence Without Lucrative Activity Antigua & Barbuda CIP Austria Independent Means Visa Canada Startup Visa Cyprus Golden Visa Dominica CIP Greece Golden Visa Grenada CIP Italy Investor Visa Malta Permanent Residence Program Nicaragua Investor PR Nicaragua Pensionado and Rentista Visas Panama Business Investor Visa Panama Qualified Investor Visa Panama Rentista Retirado Visa Paraguay Permanent Residency Program Portugal Golden Visa Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Spain Golden Visa Turkey CIP UAE Golden Visa United States EB-5 Uruguay Independent Means Visa Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP | English, Arabic, German | |||
Jasmin Lopez | 🇲🇽 Mexico City | Andorra Residence Without Lucrative Activity Antigua & Barbuda CIP Austria Independent Means Visa Canada Startup Visa Cyprus Golden Visa Dominica CIP Greece Golden Visa Grenada CIP Italy Investor Visa Malta Permanent Residence Program Nicaragua Investor PR Nicaragua Pensionado and Rentista Visas Panama Business Investor Visa Panama Qualified Investor Visa Panama Rentista Retirado Visa Paraguay Permanent Residency Program Portugal Golden Visa Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Spain Golden Visa Turkey CIP UAE Golden Visa United States EB-5 Uruguay Independent Means Visa Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP | English, Spanish | |||
Kemal Nicholson | 🇦🇪 Dubai | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Dominica CIP Grenada CIP Malta Permanent Residence Program Portugal Golden Visa Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Turkey CIP UAE Golden Visa | English | |||
Kevin Hosam | 🇦🇬 Antigua & Barbuda | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Dominica CIP Grenada CIP Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Turkey CIP Malta MEIN Anguilla Permanent Residency Program Australia BIIP Investor Streams Bahamas Economic Permanent Residence Barbados SERP Program Bermuda Economic Investment Certificate (EIC) Program Cayman Islands Investor Visa Colombia Investor Visas M and R Greece Golden Visa Latvia Investor Visa Malta Permanent Residence Program New Zealand Investor Visa Philippines Special Investor Residence Permit Portugal Golden Visa Spain Golden Visa Barbados Welcome Stamp Paraguay Permanent Residency Program Uruguay Independent Means Visa Andorra Residence Without Lucrative Activity Cambodia My 2nd Home Canada Startup Visa Cyprus Golden Visa Malaysia M2H Visa Monaco Carte de Séjour Panama Business Investor Visa Panama Qualified Investor Visa Panama Rentista Retirado Visa Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP | English | ||
Laszlo Kiss | 🇲🇹 Malta | Antigua & Barbuda CIP, Dominica CIP, Grenada CIP, Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Turkey CIP Malta MEIN Australia BIIP Investor Streams Cyprus Golden Visa Greece Golden Visa Malta Permanent Residence Program Portugal Golden Visa UK Startup/Innovator Visa United States EB-5 United States E2 UAE Golden Visa Austria Independent Means Visa Monaco Carte de Séjour Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP | English, Hungarian | |||
Matías Apparcel | 🇨🇱 Santiago | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Portugal Golden Visa Portugal D7 Visa Portugal HQA Visa | English, French, Spanish, Portuguese | ||
Melvin Warshaw | 🇺🇸 Boston | Residence and Citizenship by Investment, International Tax and Wealth Planning, US Expatriation | United States EB-5 United States E2 | English | ||
Mona Shah | 🇺🇸 New York | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Grenada CIP Portugal Golden Visa Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Turkey CIP UK Startup/Innovator Visa United States EB-5 | English | ||
Natalie Fridlender | 🇻🇳 Saigon (HCMC) | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Dominica CIP Grenada CIP Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Turkey CIP Malta MEIN Australia BIIP Investor Streams Cayman Islands Investor Visa Greece Golden Visa Malta Permanent Residence Program New Zealand Investor Visa Portugal Golden Visa Spain Golden Visa Russia Golden Visa | English, Russian | ||
Nicolas Salerno | 🇵🇹 Lisbon | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Canada Startup Visa Cyprus Golden Visa Dominica CIP Greece Golden Visa Grenada CIP Malta MEIN Malta Permanent Residence Program Monaco Carte de Séjour Portugal Golden Visa Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Turkey CIP UAE Golden Visa United States EB-5 | English, French, Spanish | ||
Paul Williams | 🇬🇧 London | Antigua & Barbuda CIP, Dominica CIP, Grenada CIP, Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Turkey CIP Malta MEIN Cyprus Golden Visa Greece Golden Visa Malta Permanent Residence Program Portugal Golden Visa UK Startup/Innovator Visa United States EB-5 Spain Golden Visa Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP Canada Startup Visa | English | |||
Peter Dunn | 🇿🇦 Johannesburg | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP | English | ||
Philippe May | 🇸🇬 Singapore | Citizenship by Descent, Residence and Citizenship by Investment, International Tax and Wealth Planning | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Dominica CIP Grenada CIP Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Turkey CIP Malta MEIN Anguilla Permanent Residency Program Australia BIIP Investor Streams Bahamas Economic Permanent Residence Barbados SERP Program Bermuda Economic Investment Certificate (EIC) Program Cayman Islands Investor Visa Colombia Investor Visas M and R Greece Golden Visa Latvia Investor Visa Malta Permanent Residence Program New Zealand Investor Visa Philippines Special Investor Residence Permit Portugal Golden Visa Spain Golden Visa Barbados Welcome Stamp Paraguay Permanent Residency Program Uruguay Independent Means Visa Andorra Residence Without Lucrative Activity Cambodia My 2nd Home Canada Startup Visa Cyprus Golden Visa Malaysia M2H Visa Monaco Carte de Séjour Panama Business Investor Visa Panama Qualified Investor Visa Panama Rentista Retirado Visa Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP | English, German, Chinese | ||
Rogelio Caceres | 🇺🇸 Miami | Bahamas Economic PR Canada Startup Visa Cayman Islands Investor Visa Costa Rica Investor Visa Czech Citizenship by Descent Hungary Citizenship by Descent Ireland Citizenship by Descent Italy Citizenship by Descent Latvia Citizenship by Descent Panama Qualified Investor Visa Poland Citizenship by Descent Portugal D7 Visa Singapore Entrepass Slovak Citizenship by Descent Spain Golden Visa Spain Non-Lucrative Visa UAE Golden Visa UAE Golden Visa United States E2 Visa United States EB-5 | English, Spanish | |||
Sam Bayat | 🇦🇪 Dubai | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Dominica CIP Grenada CIP Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Turkey CIP Malta MEIN Australia BIIP Investor Streams Cayman Islands Investor Visa Greece Golden Visa Malta Permanent Residence Program New Zealand Investor Visa Portugal Golden Visa Spain Golden Visa Canada Startup Visa United States EB-5 | English, French, Farsi | ||
Slava Apel | 🇨🇦 Toronto | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Canada Startup Visa | English, Russian, Romanian | ||
Troy Neel | 🇻🇺 Vanuatu | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP | English | ||
Vito Magagnino | 🇨🇭 Zürich | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Austria Independent Means Visa Germany Self-Employment Visa Greece Golden Visa Grenada CIP Malta MEIN Malta Permanent Residence Program Portugal Golden Visa Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP UAE Golden Visa UK Startup/Innovator Visa United States EB-5 Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP | English, German, Italian | ||
Zaid Aldayriyeh | 🇦🇪 Dubai | Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Antigua & Barbuda CIP Dominica CIP Greece Golden Visa Grenada CIP Malta MEIN Malta Permanent Residence Program Portugal Golden Visa Saint Kitts & Nevis CIP Saint Lucia CIP Spain Golden Visa Turkey CIP UAE Golden Visa United States EB-5 Vanuatu DSP/REO/VCP | English, Arabic | ||
Name | Expert based in | Areas of expertise | Program you'd like help with | Service language(s) |
As the hub for investment migration professionals, IMI is regularly in touch with program specialists in every corner of the globe.
Tell us a little about your situation and what you need so that we may put you in touch with the right advisors.
“The future of the BIIP is uncertain,” writes James Hall, pointing to new planning levels that will exacerbate the already huge backlog.
“It is a visa program that I think isn’t adding value to the country,” said the Home Affairs Minister in a recent press conference.
Hoping to reduce 30-month processing times for business investor visas, Australia’s government is drastically restricting new applications.
Vietnamese, Iranian, South African, Indian, and British applicants all saw approvals far above historical norms, even adjusting for the higher quota.
The total investment amount for the Investor Visa will rise from AUD 1.5 to AUD 2.5 million on July 1st.
Australia has made it a criminal offense for its citizens to return if they’ve recently been in India. Michael Krakat questions the legality of this move.
Programs that offer citizenship within months in exchange for investments or donations, with minor/no physical presence requirements.
Programs that offer citizenship in exchange for investments following a 1-2 year period, with minor/no physical presence requirements.
Bulgaria Investor Program (discontinued)
Malta MEIN
Programs that offer residence permits within months in exchange for passive investments, with limited physical presence requirements.
Andorra Residence Without Lucrative Activity
Anguilla Permanent Residency Program
Australia BIIP Investor Streams
Bahamas Economic Permanent Residence
Barbados SERP Program
Bermuda Economic Investment Certificate (EIC) Program
Brazil Investor Visa (VIPER)
Cambodia My 2nd Home
Cayman Islands Investor Visa
Colombia Investor Visas M and R
Costa Rica Investor Visa
Curaçao Investor Permit Program
Cyprus Golden Visa
Georgia Investor Visas
Greece Golden Visa
Guernsey Investor & Entrepreneur Residency
Ireland Immigrant Investor Program (discontinued)
Italy Investor Visa
Latvia Investor Visa
Luxembourg Investor Visa
Malaysia M2H Visa
Malta Permanent Residence Program
Mauritius Permanent Residency Program
Monaco Carte de Séjour
Netherlands Investor Visa
New Zealand Investor Visa
Nicaragua Investor Permanent Residency Program
Panama Qualified Investor Visa
Philippines Special Investor Residence Permit
Portugal Golden Visa
Russia Investor Visa
South Korea Investor Visa
Spain Golden Visa
Taiwan Golden Visa (APRC Plum Blossom Card)
Thailand Elite Residence Program
UAE Golden Visa
UK Investor Visa (discontinued)
United States EB-5
Programs that offer residence permits within months to those who can demonstrate income or personal wealth above a certain level, usually requiring that the holder not take up employment locally.
Argentina Rentista and Pensionado Residency
Austria Independent Means Visa
Barbados Welcome Stamp
Gibraltar Category 2 HNWI Residence
Greece FIP Visa
Indonesia Retirement Visa (KITAS)
Ireland Independent Means (Stamp 0)
Italy Elective Residency Visa
Jersey High Value Residency
Mexico Legal Residency Visa
Nicaragua Pensionado and Rentista Visas
Panama Rentista Retirado Visa
Paraguay Permanent Residency Program
Portugal D7 Visa
Spain Non-Lucrative Visa
Uruguay Independent Means Visa
Programs that offer residence permits within months to those who physically relocate to start and/or run a business. Startup and entrepreneur visas fall under this category.
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