The 456 subclass are an effective visa for businesspeople looking at opportunities in Australia.
These visas are processed quickly (in a few days at most), and they enjoy a 97% success rate.
The visa allows international visitors to reside in Australia for a periods of up to three months at a time.
The visa does not cover employment options that could be filled by either Australian citizens or permanent residents.
The exact figures are:
- 62,968 applications were lodged for 456 visas during the September 2011 quarter, making it the highest volume of 456 subclass visas issued over the last five years.
- 20,625 of those applications came from China, reflecting the growth in strong business ties between China and Australia.
- A total of 881,688 visitor visa applications were lodged during the three-month period, so 4656 visas currently represent 14% of all visitor visas granted.
- This means that 14% of all visitors coming to Australia are coming for business related reasons.
This proves that there is an increased international interest in the commercial opportunities presented by the country’s current economic good fortunes.
The combination of a stable financial environment, solid resource projects and non-volatile interest rate make business ventures in Australia an interesting option.
By contrast, the demand for holiday visas from Japan, United Kingdom, United States of America, Malaysia and South Korea fell by a combined 4.3% over the same 3 months.