Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188) vs EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa
A factual side-by-side comparison of two residency programmes. All figures are drawn from the canonical program pages — follow either link in the table header for sources and the full profile.
Key Differences at a Glance
- ›Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188) is faster: 18 months vs 30 months for EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa.
- ›Lower capital: Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188) (150,000 USD) vs 800,000 for EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa.
Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188) Australia · entrepreneur | EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa United States · investment | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Australia | United States |
| Category | Entrepreneur | Investment |
| Application Fee | $4,000 | $3,675 |
| Minimum Income | — | — |
| Minimum Investment | $150,000 | $800,000 |
| Processing Time | 18 months | 30 months |
| Family Included | Spouse or de facto partner and dependent children included in the provisional visa; all must meet health and character requirements | Spouse and unmarried children under 21 included at no additional investment |
| Path to PR | Yes — 4 years | Yes — 0 years |
| Path to Citizenship | Yes — 5 years | Yes — 5 years |
| Physical Presence | Business Innovation stream requires genuine establishment of a business in Australia and physical presence during the provisional visa period | Must reside in the US after receiving conditional green card; 6-month continuous absence voids residency |
| Dual Citizenship | Allowed | Allowed |
| Tax Impact | Provisional visa holders residing in Australia are generally treated as Australian tax residents and taxed on worldwide income | Grants US lawful permanent resident status; worldwide income subject to US taxation from day of admission |
| Tax Residency Trigger | 183 days/yr | 0 days/yr |
| Worldwide Taxation | Yes | Yes |
| Renewal Cost | — | — |
About Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188)
The Subclass 188 Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa is a five-year provisional visa for business owners, investors and entrepreneurs, requiring a state or territory nomination. It has several streams — Business Innovation, Investor, Significant Investor (AUD$5M) and Entrepreneur — each with distinct thresholds: for example, net assets of at least AUD$800,000 (Business Innovation) or AUD$2,250,000 (Investor), a points score of 65+, and business turnover of AUD$750,000 over two of the last four years; applicants are generally under 55. Costs are high — about AUD$6,000 in government fees and AUD$28,000–$50,000 realistically, excluding the AUD$1.25M–$2.5M business investment itself. A spouse/partner and children are included. The provisional visa does not auto-convert to permanent residency; holders must actively meet stream conditions, then apply for the permanent Subclass 888, after which citizenship becomes available. Provisional holders resident in Australia are taxed on worldwide income. The programme has been CLOSED to new applicants since 1 July 2024 — only previously lodged cases are being processed.
Full Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188) profile →About EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa is a US investment route that grants lawful permanent residency directly: the green card, conditional for its first two years, is issued without a separate PR step. It requires a minimum investment of USD 800,000 in a USCIS-designated Targeted Employment Area (or USD 1,050,000 elsewhere) into a new commercial enterprise creating at least 10 full-time US jobs, with funds lawfully sourced and kept genuinely at risk. Beyond the investment, realistic first-year costs run roughly USD 55,000-95,000. Processing is long, around 30 months, with the I-526E petition alone taking 18-48 months and mainland-China and India applicants facing multi-year visa retrogression. A spouse and unmarried children under 21 are included at no extra investment. Citizenship is possible after five years, and dual citizenship is allowed. A green card makes you a US tax resident from day one, taxing worldwide income and triggering FATCA/FBAR duties, with an exit tax if you later renounce. Guaranteed returns disqualify the investment, and a failed regional center has caused total loss of both capital and visa.
Full EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa profile →Gotchas to Watch For
Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188)
- ⚠**PROGRAMME CLOSED TO NEW APPLICANTS from 1 July 2024.** Only previously-lodged cases in the pipeline are being processed. A successor visa was announced in the Dec 2024 migration strategy — verify current status.
- ⚠Provisional 4-year visa does NOT automatically convert to PR — the 888 requires active compliance with stream conditions
- ⚠State quotas dried up well before the federal closure — many would-be applicants received no nomination
EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa
- ⚠EB-5 Reform Act 2022: thresholds raised to $800k (TEA) / $1.05M (non-TEA); reserved visa categories added
- ⚠Mainland China + India face multi-year visa retrogression after I-526E approval
- ⚠Green card = US tax resident from day 1 = worldwide income taxation + FATCA/FBAR obligations
- ⚠Investment must stay "at risk" — guaranteed returns disqualify
- ⚠Regional Center selection critical — bankrupt/fraudulent RCs have caused total loss of both investment AND visa
Neutral reference — we don't recommend one programme over another. Programmes change: always verify each detail against the official source linked on the individual program pages.