Decoding the Australia PR Points System for the Subclass 188 Visa

A multitude of prospective immigrants aspire to create a space for themselves in the vast landscape of Australia. In order to filter the intake of migrants, mechanisms like the Australia PR Points system and Australia Skilled Occupation List have been established. The Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (Subclass 188) invites entrepreneurs and business investors to start, expand or invest in a business in Australia – through seven distinct visa ‘streams’. Since each visa stream caters to specific applicant profiles, the point assessment criteria are designed to evaluate the business owner’s capacity to contribute to the Australian economy. Only eligible applicants are issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for the visa.

A candidate applying for migration to Australia under the Business Innovation stream or the Investor stream must score at least 65 points based on the point allocation grid. 

Criteria	Minimum Requirement	Description		Points
Age	The applicant must be less than 55 years of age.	18-24 years		20
		25-32 years		30
		33-39 years		25
		40-44 years		20
		45-54 years		15
		55 years or more		0
Language Skills	Citizens or passport holders of Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, or New Zealand must showcase that they possess Vocational English. Applicants of other nationalities must have Proficient English. The language skills should be certified by appearing for an approved language proficiency examination, within three years before applying. Skills are assessed based on four components – Listening (L), Reading (R), Writing (W), and Speaking (S).	Vocational English		5
		Examination	Score in each component
		IELTS	5
		PTE Academic	36
		TOEFL iBT	L-4, R-4, W-14, S-14
		Proficient English		10
		Examination	Score in each component
		IELTS	7
		PTE Academic	65
		TOEFL iBT	L-24, R-24, W-27, S-23
Academic Qualifications	An applicant must possess at least a trade certificate, diploma or Bachelor degree form an Australian educational institution; or a Bachelor qualification from a recognized educational institution outside Australia.	Trade certificate, diploma, or Bachelor qualification		5
		Bachelor qualification in Science, Business or Technology fields.		10
Financial Assets	The applicant and/or their partner must display their individual or combined net personal and business assets recorded within the preceding two fiscal years.	At least AUD 800,000		5
		At least AUD 1.3 million		15
		At least AUD 1.8 million		25
		At least AUD 2.25 million		35
Business Turnover	The applicant should have held a share in the ownership of one or more main businesses, for at least two years within the four years preceding the ITA.	At least AUD 500,000		5
		At least AUD 1 million		15
		At least AUD 1.5 million		25
		At least AUD 2 million		35
Business Experience	Those applying through the Business Innovation stream must have owned one or more businesses for a specified duration, before receiving the ITA.	No less than 4 years within the past 5 years		10
		No less than 7 years within the past 8 years		15
Investor Experience	Those applying through the Investor stream must have held eligible investments amounting to at least AUD 100,000 for a specified duration, immediately before receiving the ITA.	At least 4 years		10
		At least 7 years		15
Business Innovation Qualifications	Additional points can be gained for registered patents, designs and trademarks, as well as day-to day management or ownership interest in one or more businesses – subject to specific requirements.	No less than 5 and no more than 15 points can be claimed under this factor.		15
Special Endorsement	A nomination from a state or territorial government agency can be secured, if the proposed business is specifically beneficial and vital for that state or territory.	To be nominated, the applicant must file an Expression of Interest via Skill Select, and indicate the states or territories they wish to be considered for.		10

While considering this visa option, the applicant must ensure that they can meet the minimum Australia PR points requirement, and satisfy other selection factors. Understanding the point system is the first step towards living and working in Australia with this provisional visa.