Subclass 407 — Training visa

Eligibility snapshot

General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. The subclass 407 Training visa is a temporary visa designed, in general terms, for people coming to Australia to undertake workplace-based occupational training or a structured professional development activity. The defining feature of this visa is sponsorship: an applicant is typically supported by an organisation that has been approved as a temporary activities sponsor, and in most cases the training activity itself is the subject of a separate nomination by that sponsor. The visa is aimed at training that helps someone build or extend skills in their occupation, area of study, or field of expertise, rather than at general employment. In broad terms, applicants are usually expected to be sponsored and (where required) nominated before or around the time of applying, to have the relevant background that makes the proposed training appropriate to their circumstances, and to genuinely intend to undertake the training described. Standard temporary-visa expectations around health and character generally apply, and an applicant normally needs to hold adequate arrangements for health matters during their stay. The visa is granted for a temporary period tied to the training program; the exact period and conditions are set out on the official page and depend on the activity. Eligibility rules, the categories of training that qualify, and the precise requirements change over time and depend heavily on individual circumstances. This snapshot stays at the level of the general process only. For the current, authoritative criteria, check the official Home Affairs page for the subclass 407 Training visa, and a registered migration practitioner can advise on how the requirements apply to a particular situation.

Frequently asked questions

Health and character checks

Like most Australian visas, the Training visa (subclass 407) generally requires applicants, and family members who apply with them, to meet both a health requirement and a character requirement. Most visa applicants must meet the health requirement, and a person may be asked to complete health examinations to demonstrate this. Where examinations are required, the results are assessed by a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth, who advises the Department. Whether examinations are needed, and which ones, depends on individual circumstances, and the Department lets applicants know if they are required. For character, applicants are generally expected to satisfy the character requirements set out under section 501 of the Migration Act 1958. After applying, a person may be asked to provide a police certificate along with other character documents. As a general guide for the 407, an Australian police certificate is usually requested where a person has spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16, and overseas police certificates may be requested for each country in which the person spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16. Because health and character checking can add time, these steps are often best completed early rather than close to an intended travel date. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Health insurance and Medicare

The official guidance for the Training visa (subclass 407) indicates that applicants are generally expected to hold adequate health cover for the whole of their stay in Australia, and this expectation usually extends to any family members included in the application. Cover is generally expected to include medically necessary treatment, including transport. In most cases, visitors to Australia do not have access to the public Medicare system and are responsible for their own hospital, medical and related costs, which can be significant. Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) is the type of private health insurance most commonly used to help meet these costs for people who are not covered by Medicare. Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is a separate product for student visa holders and is generally not the relevant product for a 407. Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with a number of countries, which may give visitors from those countries access to some medically necessary treatment under Medicare while they are here. These agreements have limits — for example, they generally do not cover treatment as a private patient in hospital, and other limits can apply depending on the country — and further details are available from Services Australia. Having reciprocal access does not necessarily remove a visa's health-insurance expectation, so applicants are directed to check the requirements of the visa they are applying for. As a general guide, the official guidance suggests cover with benefits at least equivalent to the relevant state and territory gazetted rates for public-hospital treatment and appropriate cover for surgically implanted prostheses, and notes that a higher level of cover than the minimum may sometimes be more appropriate. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Government costs

The main government cost for the Training visa (subclass 407) is the Visa Application Charge, which is set by the Australian Government, shown in Australian dollars, and is separate from any fee charged by an agent, adviser, or service platform. Because charges change over time, the current amount should be confirmed on the Department's Visa Prices table or Visa Pricing Estimator rather than relied on from a third-party figure. A lower visa cost can apply in limited circumstances for eligible citizens of Pacific Island countries, Timor-Leste, or ASEAN member countries. There are generally additional charges for accompanying family members included in the application, and applicants may also have other costs, such as for health checks, police certificates, and biometrics. Applicants who apply while already in Australia may also be liable for a subsequent temporary application charge. This charge applies to certain temporary visas (the 407 is one), is payable by each person in the application, and is based on each person's individual visa history; it is payable in addition to any other visa charges. It generally does not apply where a person is outside Australia when making the application, or where it is their first substantive temporary visa application made in Australia. The 407 is a sponsored visa, so separate costs usually arise on the sponsorship and nomination side, which are handled by the sponsoring organisation. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Visa length and timing

The Training visa (subclass 407) is a temporary visa, and the Department indicates it may be granted for a stay of up to two years, generally aligned with an approved occupational training program. Because a sponsor must be approved and, in most cases, a nomination approved before a person can apply, applicants often coordinate the timing of these steps with their intended training start date. Applicants are also generally advised not to arrange travel until they are told in writing that the visa has been granted. The Department publishes an indicative visa processing times guide, based on how long recently decided applications have taken; it is a guide only and does not guarantee that an application will be decided within that timeframe. Lodging a complete application — including undertaking any required health examinations and character checks before lodging — can help with quicker processing. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Visa conditions that may apply

The Department of Home Affairs attaches conditions to each Training visa, and the exact set is printed in the visa grant letter and shown in VEVO. The department's own conditions tool indicates that a subclass 407 visa may carry work, health-insurance, reporting and stay-related conditions, so holders are generally expected to check their own grant letter rather than assume a standard list. Work is tightly limited. Condition 8102 generally means the primary holder may only work as part of the approved occupational training and cannot take on unrelated employment. Family members included in the application are commonly given a work-limitation condition, such as 8104, 8106 or 8107, that restricts the kind or amount of work they can do. Condition 8501 generally requires the holder to maintain adequate health insurance for the whole stay. Condition 8526 generally requires the holder to tell the department where they are living, and condition 8516 generally requires that the circumstances that led to the grant continue to be met. A no-further-stay condition, condition 8503, is sometimes imposed; where it applies, the holder generally cannot apply for most other visas while in Australia. Other conditions that can appear include 8301, meet any outstanding public interest criteria, and 8303, which asks the holder not to take part in activities that would be disruptive to, or that would threaten harm to, the Australian community. For included family members, conditions such as 8502, not arrive before a specified person, 8522, leave Australia with or before the primary holder, and 8525, leave Australia by a specified date, may apply so that a secondary visa stays aligned with the main applicant's visa. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Eligibility and the three training streams

The Training visa (subclass 407) is a sponsored and nominated temporary visa for workplace-based occupational training. Applicants generally must be sponsored by an approved temporary activities sponsor and, in most cases, have an approved nomination before they apply; where the sponsor is a Commonwealth Government agency, the applicant is invited rather than nominated. Nomination requirements differ across three types of occupational training. The first is training required to obtain registration, membership or licensing that is mandatory to work in a particular occupation in Australia or in the applicant's home country. The second is structured workplace-based training to improve skills in an occupation on the list of eligible skilled occupations. It is expected to be tailored and timed to the person's needs, and the nominee is generally expected to have recent, suitable prior experience, broadly the equivalent of at least 12 months full-time in that occupation in the 24 months before the nomination is lodged. The third is training for capacity building overseas. This covers students completing practical training, research or observation needed for a foreign qualification (structured training of up to about six months), training that is supported by a government agency in Australia or overseas, and classroom-based professional development for managers or professionals sent by an overseas employer. Across all streams, decision-makers generally look at whether the training is genuine, structured and tailored rather than ordinary employment, whether the applicant genuinely intends a temporary stay, and whether health and character requirements are met. This visa is not points-tested and no single English-language test score is set for it, although sufficient English to undertake the training and to meet any registration requirement can be relevant. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Family members and what the visa allows after grant

Members of the family unit, generally a partner and dependent children, can usually be included in the application as additional applicants, or in some cases added before a decision is made. Family members who are already Australian citizens or permanent residents are not included as migrating applicants, and an additional applicant charge applies for each migrating family member. This is a temporary visa that may be granted for a stay of up to two years. The primary holder can come to Australia to undertake the approved workplace-based training or professional development program, and can generally undertake study connected with that training. The primary holder's work is limited to the approved training under condition 8102. Included family members can generally live in Australia and, subject to any work-limitation condition on their own visa, may work to a restricted extent and study. Travel in and out of Australia depends on the travel facility recorded on the visa, which the holder can check in the grant letter and in VEVO. Holders are generally expected to keep to their conditions, including maintaining adequate health insurance and telling the department about changes such as a change of address. Adequate private health cover matters because a health-insurance condition (condition 8501) can require the holder to stay insured for the whole stay; separately, people from a country that has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia may be eligible for some medical care under Medicare while they are here. The subclass 407 is a temporary visa and does not, by itself, provide a pathway to permanent residence. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Common refusal reasons and review at the ART

Applications of this type are commonly refused when the underlying sponsorship or nomination is not approved, or when the proposed training is not accepted as genuine, structured and tailored occupational training rather than ordinary employment. Other frequent factual reasons include the nominated occupation not being on the relevant list, the applicant not having the required recent and suitable experience, the decision-maker not being satisfied that the intended stay is genuinely temporary, and health or character requirements, the public interest criteria, not being met. Incomplete documents or an unpaid or incorrect charge can also lead to a refusal. If a decision is unfavourable, merits review may be available at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), which replaced the former Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Review means an independent tribunal considers the decision afresh; who may apply, generally the visa applicant, or for some sponsorship and nomination decisions the sponsor, and the exact time limit are set out in the department's decision letter. Time limits are strict. For migration decisions an application must be lodged within the period stated in the decision letter, and for decisions made under Part 5 of the Migration Act the fee generally must be paid before that deadline. An application fee applies, currently AUD3,727 for Part 5 migration decisions, with a reduced fee available in cases of financial hardship and a partial refund available in certain favourable outcomes. This section describes the process only. It is neutral, is not a prediction about any particular case, and does not suggest whether review should be sought. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Costs: the Visa Application Charge and other expenses

The main government cost is the Visa Application Charge (VAC). For the Training visa (subclass 407) the base application charge is AUD535. An additional applicant charge applies for each family member included, currently AUD535 for an applicant aged 18 or over and AUD135 for an applicant under 18. A lower visa application charge may apply to eligible citizens of Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste. A subsequent temporary application charge of AUD700 per person can also apply to some applicants who are in Australia and hold, or last held, certain temporary visas. It generally does not apply to applicants who apply from outside Australia, or who are making their first substantive temporary visa application in Australia. The visa application charge is generally paid as a first instalment when the application is lodged. A second instalment applies only to certain visas and, where required, the department notifies the applicant; the current visa pricing table does not list a second instalment for this visa. A surcharge may be added depending on the payment method used. Visa application charges are generally not refunded if an application is unsuccessful or is withdrawn, so requirements are usually checked before lodging. Other costs are separate from the VAC and are paid to third parties. These can include health examinations, police or character certificates, document translations, and, for some occupations, evidence of qualifications or a registration or skills assessment. Amounts vary by provider and country. Any fee charged by a registered migration agent, a lawyer, or an independent service, including this website, is separate from, and additional to, the government's Visa Application Charge and other government charges. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.