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Business Migration - Your Questions Answered

The Commonwealth Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) is responsible for immigration in Australia. Outside Australia, the responsible office is the Australian Embassy/High Commission. If you want to establish a business in the Northern Territory, you can apply to migrate under the Commonwealth Government's Business Skills Entry program administered by DIAC, which provides for overseas business owners, senior executives and investors to enter Australia. To be eligible for entry, you will have to meet specific criteria. If you visit the DIAC website you will find more detailed information about migrating to Australia.

It is recommended before you make a final decision to migrate and establish business and/or investment activity in the Northern Territory that you temporarily visit the region beforehand to gain a first hand perspective of what the Territory has to offer. The Northern Territory Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development will be able to assist you with informative briefings about business in the Territory, and can put you in touch with other government agencies and private sector organisations.

To enter the Northern Territory, you will need to apply for a visa to Australia, available from DIAC. There are several different categories of visas available for overseas business people to apply to migrate, on either a temporary or permanent residence basis. The visas are identified by title and subclass number. Generally, the Provisional (temporary) visa will suit most circumstances. You can make your own assessment by referring to the different visa criteria available on this site. If you are successful with your application, you will be issued with either a provisional (temporary) visa valid for up to four years, or a permanent residence visa.

Northern Territory Government sponsorship may be available for your visa application, depending on the type of business you are seeking to establish and the skills to be brought to the Northern Territory. The Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development can help you with inquiries about sponsorship and you are invited to make contact if you need assistance. There is information on this site about Northern Territory sponsorship.

You should be aware that Northern Territory Government sponsorship is not intended as a guarantee for successful establishment or business development in the Northern Territory. Its purpose is to enable visa applicants access to lesser DIAC criteria. The decision to establish and conduct a business in the Northern Territory must be determined solely by you and be based on sound commercial investigation, good business principles and personal judgement. It must be understood that the Northern Territory Government is not liable for any decisions you take in relation to migrating and the success or otherwise of the intended business or investment activity in the Northern Territory.

You should not make arrangements to move to Australia until you have been advised by DIAC that your visa application has been successful. You should ensure that you have adequate resources to support you and your family for at least the first two years you are in the Northern Territory on a temporary visa. If you are applying for Northern Territory Government sponsorship you will have to show evidence that you have sufficient resources for settling within the first two years of migrating.

The Northern Territory Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development has prepared a step-by-step guide to starting a business.

The Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development's Territory Business Centre can assist you with a range of information about business in the Northern Territory. Advice is available on:

• starting a business
• licence information
• business planning assistance
• links to Departmental assistance programs.

At a Territory Business Centre you can:

• register a business name
• conduct a business name search
• access all relevant licence and permit requirements for operating a business in the Northern Territory
• be issued with a range of business licences
• be provided with accurate information on a range of business assistance services and products.

Contact for Territory Business Centre offices:

DARWIN Ground Floor Development House 76 The Esplanade GPO Box 3000 DARWIN NT 0801 Telephone: +61 8 8982 1700 Facsimile: +61 8 8982 1725 Toll Free: +61 1800 193 111	ALICE SPRING Peter Sitzler Building 67 North Stuart Highway P0 Box 2134 ALICE SPRINGS NT 0871 Telephone: +61 8 8951 8524 Facsimile: +61 8 8951 8533
KATHERINE Shop 1, Randazzo Building 18 Katherine Terrace PO Box 867 KATHERINE NT 0851 Telephone: +61 8 8973 8180 Facsimile: +61 8 8973 8188	TENNANT CREEK Shop 2, Barkly House Cnr Davidson and Paterson Streets PO Box 1221 TENNANT CREEK 0861 Telephone: +61 8 8962 4411 Facsimile: +61 8 8962 4413

What is needed to be able to apply for the appropriate visa?

On this website, you will find a list of visa categories summarising information about each of DIAC's temporary and permanent residence visas suitable for business visits and migration to the Northern Territory. For each of the listed business skills visa categories there is criteria that DIAC expects applicants to meet before a visa can be issued. If you want details about the criteria you can view this through the link provided in the list, under "DIAC Eligibility Criteria". You will need to note the relevant page reference prior to using the link to locate the criteria.

As it is necessary for appropriate forms to be lodged with DIAC to obtain a visa, respective forms and their identifying number for each visa category have been included in the list of visa categories. If you are applying for a State/Territory sponsored visa you will need Northern Territory Government sponsorship prior to lodging your visa application with DIAC.

Applications for Business Skills Entry visas are processed in one of the three listed DIAC offices:

These DIAC offices...	...process applications from...
Hong Kong Consulate	Peoples Republic of China and Hong Kong
Taiwan	Taiwan
Perth Business Skills Centre	All other countries

To be valid your visa application must contain

• all required forms
• certified copies of all support documentation requested
• required application fee.

Failure to provide all the necessary documentation to DIAC or provision of false information may mean the processing of your visa application is delayed or your application for a visa refused. The Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development does not have the responsibility for approving visas.

What other types of Northern Territory Government business assistance are available?

Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development Assistance

Business Consultations	A free and confidential business information service is available to new, intending and existing businesses. Business owners and those wishing to get started in business can access a wide range of information by talking to a Business Development Unit Client Manager.
E-Business	Northern Territory businesses can be assisted to become more competitive in the world market, through programs and assistance to develop awareness and skills in e-business.
Workshops and Seminars	The Department sponsors free Introduction to Small Business Workshops held throughout the Northern Territory. These include business planning, marketing and bookkeeping
Youth in Business	An advisory service aimed at assisting young business entrepreneurs with access to a variety of business information. A number of free and confidential programs exist to help youth get started and assist youth to remain in business.
Business Growth	This is an enterprise improvement program that offers funding and development services to established business to enhance business performance, profitability, employment and market penetration.
Farmbis	This program is aimed at assisting primary producers and land managers with training, to improve their business and natural resource management skills.