Our Entrepreneur & Investor guide is packed with useful information you will need to know when emigrating to Australia.
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Australia now has a direct pathway to Permanent Residency for those who can drive its economy forward under the National Innovation Visa stream.
This is now the most strategically important route for many of our clients; it’s the natural choice for entrepreneurs, founders, and innovative investors over 45 years old.
We not only focus on ensuring your case is granted, but also on ensuring your case is completed as quickly and stress-free as possible.
Our clients can relax knowing their case is in safe hands.
Complete our form to discover your eligibility and options.
We shall also provide a free e-guide with everything you need to know when emigrating to Australia.
Yes, dependent children up to the age of 23 may be included in your application.
Yes, however, this cannot be included as part of your investment.
We work with regulated advisors to provide guidance on the Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS). Along with other methods of relocating your private pension.
Australia does not have an inheritance tax. Your entire estate can be passed on to your loved ones.
The National Innovation Visa runs in two stages: an expression of interest, then the visa application once invited. The Department of Home Affairs processing guide currently shows half of visa applications decided within four months of invitation and nine in ten within seven months. Most clients complete the move within twelve to twenty four months of first contact.
Places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis until the quotas are reached.
We always work with our clients to accommodate their plans.
No, passive investments are no longer accepted. We must demonstrate that you intend to have an active interest in supporting the local economic growth.
Those plans may change once you are in Australia. However, until then, we must prepare and present the case to demonstrate that you will not rely entirely on passive income.
This is the most strategically important route for many of our clients; it’s the natural choice for entrepreneurs, founders, and innovative investors.
When a Commonwealth, state, or territory government nominates you under this stream, your case receives priority treatment.
That makes it the most reliable acceleration mechanism in the emigration system and the most worthwhile pathway for founders, serial entrepreneurs, and active angel or venture investors.
Entrepreneurs and investors from any sector who secure nomination from an expert Australian Government agency may qualify. Currently, four jurisdictions actively conduct NIV nominations:
The Emigration Department published a few indicators for eligible candidates, including:
The bar for entrepreneurs and investors differs across the various states; there is no “one size fits all” option. Here are some common requirements across all the states:
We can provide commercial opportunities that hold the necessary intellectual property, along with a committed minimum investment from an Australian venture capital fund.
Our clients bring a genuine entrepreneurial track record and a credible commitment to Australia.
We help our clients secure the right business opportunity.
As with all things, plans may change. Therefore, once you secure your Permanent Residency, you are not obligated to run your business. In fact, once you hold PR, you are free to do whatever you wish, without further immigration controls.
This is reserved for the very small number of applicants whose international achievements are already self-evident on the world stage.
If you fit this tier, you are recognised globally as among the best in your field. Your CV is your case.
Famous candidates who hold international “top-of-field” recognition, demonstrated by major awards or equivalent achievement.
The Department’s published examples include:
Sector is not a constraint at this tier. Candidates can come from any field:
Home Affairs selects candidates with verifiable top-of-field awards and issues invitations, within the first review cycle.
The nomination requirement is lighter. You still need a nominator on Form 1000 by an Australian citizen, permanent resident, eligible New Zealand citizen, or Australian organisation with a national reputation in your field. The nominator’s role is to confirm the achievements, not to elevate the case.
Applications are built around verifiable, world-recognised credentials:
The Department wants documentary proof that the recognition is genuinely international, genuinely top-of-field, and genuinely current. Earlier awards still count, but ongoing prominence in your field strengthens the case considerably.
If you’ve won a globally recognised top-of-field award, you should pursue it directly.
The volume of true candidates is small by design, but for those who qualify, this represents a straightforward route to Australian permanent residence.
Sterling’s role for Priority 1 applicants is straightforward: confirm eligibility, assemble the evidence pack to the Department’s standard, secure the right nominator, and lodge the EOI cleanly so the invitation lands as quickly as possible.
This is where the largest share of NIV invitations is currently issued.
It covers candidates with exceptional and outstanding achievements in any of Australia’s three priority sectors. These are the fields the Commonwealth has identified as central to the country’s economic and technological sovereignty.
For most high-achieving applicants in technology, healthcare, or clean energy, this is the realistic target.
Candidates are not Nobel Laureates. They are recognised experts whose achievements are demonstrably above the standard for their field.
The Department looks for a combination of indicators rather than a single qualifying achievement. Three or more strong indicators, well-documented, materially improve invitation prospects.
Home Affairs invitation round data confirms that the majority of invitations are issued in this area, Critical Technologies leading the count, followed by Health Industries, then Renewables and Low Emission Technologies.
For candidates with three or more strong achievement indicators, the typical timeline from EOI to invitation is a matter of months. For candidates with fewer indicators, the invitation may take materially longer, or may not arrive at all.
This is a realistic target for senior professionals in AI, quantum, robotics, biotech, clean energy, and medical innovation who can credibly evidence international recognition in their field.
Sterling’s role is forensic: identifying which of the three Tier One sectors best fits your profile, mapping your achievements to the Department’s indicator framework, sourcing the right nominator, and assembling the evidence pack that converts achievement into an invitation.
Candidates with exceptional and outstanding achievements in any of Australia’s seven Tier Two priority sectors.
Biotechnology, biosecurity, farm management technology, food technology, primary-industry value-add manufacturing, and innovation in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.
Defence technology, space industries, dual-use innovation, and the supply chains supporting both.
Research excellence, educational technology, and innovation in teaching and learning at tertiary and vocational levels.
Banking innovation, payments technology, RegTech, InsurTech, blockchain applications, and capital markets technology.
Innovation in transport systems, large-scale infrastructure projects, and the manufacturing and technology supporting both.
Innovation in mining, critical minerals supply chains, exploration services, geology and metallurgy, mineral processing, and resource waste management.
Through the broader achievement indicators recognised in Priority 4, exceptional performers, creators, athletes, and coaches can also qualify under this tier.
This pathway applies the same “exceptional and outstanding achievement” standard as the Tier 1 stream; the difference is sector, not calibre.
Strong cases typically combine:
Home Affairs invitation data shows invitations being issued across all seven Tier Two sectors, with Agri-food and AgTech, Financial Services and FinTech, Defence Capabilities and Space, and Resources all receiving meaningful attention in recent rounds.
The Department publishes no fixed processing standard for the NIV, but provides indicative timeframes.
Strong cases are typically invited within several months to a year of submission. Weaker cases may not receive an invitation at all. The Department does not provide updates on unsuccessful EOIs.
This is the right pathway for senior professionals, founders, and innovators in agriculture technology, defence, space, education, fintech, infrastructure, resources, sport, and the arts who can evidence international recognition and exceptional contribution to their field.
The bar is genuinely high, but applicants with a credible track record in any of the seven sectors can offer a direct route to Australian permanent residence that doesn’t depend on points, employer sponsorship, or regional commitment.
Sterling’s role is to position your achievements against the right Tier Two sector, secure a credible Australian nominator, and prepare the evidence pack so the case meets the Department’s “exceptional and outstanding” threshold.
For those over 45 yrs with business experience, this has quickly become the preferred route
Discuss your eligibility and explore your options with a dedicated migration specialist.
A business owner first approached Sterling, convinced he had left it too late. He was over forty-five, which placed the points-tested skilled programme out of reach, and his occupation appeared on no skills shortage list. Two other advisers had told him, politely, that Australia had no route for him.
What he did have was two decades of building and running a genuinely successful company, grown from a standing start into a business that employed a substantial team and traded well beyond its home market.
Sterling read that career differently. The National Innovation Visa has no upper age limit or occupation list; it instead requires a properly evidenced record of business achievements.
We constructed the case around his business acumen, the growth he had led, the value he had created, the standing he held in his industry, and the contribution a proven entrepreneur would make to Australia. Independent endorsements and the financial record were assembled into a single coherent narrative before lodgement.
The visa was approved, and with it, permanent residence on arrival for the whole family. They landed together, settled from the first day, and he is already enjoying his new Australian venture.
Whether you have questions or need guidance on your Australian immigration path, our specialists are ready to listen and advise. Contact us today.
Comparing life in Australia to the United Kingdom.
Australia holds one of the largest pools of retirement savings in the world and carries far less government debt than the United Kingdom. Both figures are expressed as a share of the size of each economy, so they compare directly.
| Measure | Australia | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Retirement savings pool, as a share of the economy | 172% | 68% |
| Government net debt, as a share of the economy | 34% | 94% |
Sources: Australian Prudential Regulation Authority; Australian Bureau of Statistics; Office for National Statistics; Office for Budget Responsibility Australian source
Melbourne and Brisbane both appear in the global ranking of start up ecosystems while their British counterparts do not. The ranking assesses funding, talent, market reach and the performance of companies founded in each city.
| Measure | Australia | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Melbourne against Manchester | 30th in the world, and first for performance | Outside the ranking |
| Brisbane against Birmingham | Between 51st and 60th | Outside the ranking |
Sources: Startup Genome, Global Startup Ecosystem Report Australian source
Australia gives companies a considerably richer return on money spent on research and development. The Australian offset is refundable for smaller companies, while the British credit is itself taxable, which reduces what a company keeps.
| Measure | Australia | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| A company with turnover under twenty million dollars | The company tax rate plus 18.5 percentage points, and the offset is refundable | A credit worth 20% of qualifying costs, which is itself taxable |
| A company spending heavily on research | The company tax rate plus 16.5 percentage points | The same 20% credit |
Sources: Australian Taxation Office; GOV.UK Australian source