If you live overseas and you are or have been a Senior Executive employee of a major business, have significant assets and commit yourself to be involved at the management level in a new or existing business in Australia, you can apply under the Senior Executive Visa category while being sponsored by a State or Territory government.

To be eligible for a State/Territory Sponsored Senior Executive Visa (Subclass 164) you need to provide evidence that:

• You have been sponsored by an appropriate regional authority of a State or Territory government;
• You have an overall successful business career;
• For at least 2 of the 4 years immediately before you apply, you have occupied a position in the 3 highest levels of the management structure of a major business where you were responsible for strategic policy development affecting a major component or a wide range of operations of that major business;
• Your (or your and your spouse's combined) business and personal assets have a net value of at least AUD500,000, which are lawfully acquired and available to transfer to Australia within 2 years after the grant of the visa, plus sufficient assets to settle in Australia;
• You are less than 55 years old at time of application or you are proposing to establish or participate in a business that your sponsoring State or Territory has determined is of exceptional economic benefit to them ;
• Neither you or your spouse have a history of involvement in business or investment activities that are of a nature that is not generally acceptable in Australia;
• You have a realistic commitment to establish or participate in a qualifying business in Australia and maintain a substantial ownership and direct and continuous involvement in the management of that business;
• You have demonstrated that there is a need to be temporarily in Australia to conduct or establish the proposed business activity;
• You have signed a declaration that you understand your obligations as the holder of a Provisonal State/Territory Sponsored Senior Executive (Provisional) visa.
• You have signed an Australian Values Statement.This statement is included in your visa application form and all applicants aged 18 years and over will need to sign it to confirm that they will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws. Before signing this statement you are required to have read, or had explained to you, material made available by the government on life in Australia which is contained in the Life in Australia book.