Written by Navpreet Aulakh, Registered Migration Agent MARN 2619467
Checked against Department of Home Affairs guidance on 12 October 2026
The main 407 visa requirements are simple to list but easy to get wrong in practice: you need an approved temporary activities sponsor, an approved nomination for a structured training program, functional English, adequate health insurance and a genuine plan to stay in Australia only for the training. Since the latest Home Affairs change, the sponsor and nomination must be approved before the trainee can lodge the visa application. Below we cover eligibility, training types, the 407 visa occupation list, costs and sponsor duties.
For an overview of the visa, see our Training visa (subclass 407) page.
What is the 407 Training visa?
The Training visa (subclass 407) is a temporary visa for workplace-based occupational training that improves your skills in your current occupation, area of tertiary study or field of expertise. It can also be used for a professional development training program. Home Affairs says you might be granted a stay of up to 2 years.
- The 407 is not a work visa. Home Affairs states it is not intended to fill workforce shortages and is not for ongoing work in Australia.
- All work done on the visa must be paid in line with Australian minimum wages, even though the purpose is training.
To fill a role, look at employer sponsored visas such as the Skills in Demand (482) visa instead.
What are the 407 visa requirements for the trainee?
Home Affairs lists the following eligibility criteria for the person being trained.
| Requirement | What Home Affairs says |
|---|---|
| Approved sponsor | Your sponsor must be an approved temporary activities sponsor. |
| Approved nomination | Your sponsor must have nominated you for a program of occupational training, and the nomination must be approved before you apply. Australian Commonwealth Government agencies do not nominate, but you must be invited. |
| Age | Usually 18 years or older at the time of decision. |
| English | Functional English. |
| Health and character | You and family members applying with you must meet the health requirement. Applicants aged 16 and over must meet the character requirement. |
| Health insurance | Adequate health cover for the whole of your stay. |
| Genuine temporary stay | You must only intend to stay temporarily and do the things allowed on this visa, and have substantially complied with the conditions of your last visa. |
| Australian values statement | Applicants 18 and over must sign it. |
| Debts to the Australian Government | Must be paid back or an arrangement made to pay them. |
| Immigration history | A previous cancellation or refusal can affect eligibility. |
Can you apply for a 407 visa from inside Australia?
Yes. You can be in or outside Australia when you apply and when the decision is made. Onshore, you generally need to hold a substantive visa that is not a Transit (771), Special Purpose or certain 403 visa. If your substantive visa has ended, Home Affairs allows a 28-day window in limited cases. Check your current visa conditions in VEVO first. Our VEVO check guide shows how.
What English level do you need for a 407 visa?
You must have functional English. Our English requirements page explains how functional English can be shown and how it compares to the higher levels needed for permanent visas.
What types of training qualify for a 407 visa?
The nomination requirements change depending on the type of training. Home Affairs recognises three types of occupational training.
1. Occupational training required for registration
Workplace-based training that you need to get occupational registration, membership or licensing. The registration must be mandatory to work in that occupation in Australia or in your home country.
2. Occupational training to improve skills in an eligible occupation
A structured workplace-based training program that is tailored and timed to your training needs, relates to an occupation on the list of eligible skilled occupations, and involves a nominee with recent and suitable experience. Home Affairs says that experience must be the equivalent of at least 12 months full-time in the occupation, gained in the 24 months immediately before the nomination is lodged. Employment or study experience can count.
3. Occupational training for capacity building overseas
This covers three situations:
- Overseas qualification: structured workplace training in Australia for up to 6 months for students enrolled at a foreign educational institution who must complete practical training, research or observation to get their qualification.
- Government support: training supported by a national or state/territory government agency in Australia, or by a national, state/territory or provincial government in the trainee's home country.
- Professional development: face-to-face classroom-style programs in Australia for overseas employers sending managerial or professional staff.
Is there a 407 visa occupation list?
Yes, but it only matters for the second training type (improving skills in an eligible occupation). The occupations are set by the Migration (LIN 19/050: Specification of Occupations - Subclass 407 Visa) Instrument 2019, made under paragraph 2.72B(3)(b) of the Migration Regulations 1994. It specifies every occupation on three lists set out inside the instrument:
- the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List
- the Regional Occupation List
- the Short-term Skilled Occupation List
Each occupation has a 6-digit ANZSCO code, and the trainee's tasks must match the tasks for that code. These lists sit in the 407 instrument itself, so check it rather than the 482 list. A skills assessment is not a 407 requirement, though our skills assessment page helps if the trainee later plans a skilled visa.
How much does a 407 visa cost?
Home Affairs charges at the date this article was checked:
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Main applicant (base application charge) | AUD535.00 |
| Additional applicant 18 and over | AUD535.00 |
| Additional applicant under 18 | AUD135.00 |
| Subsequent temporary application charge (may apply if you apply in Australia) | AUD700.00 |
| Temporary activities sponsor application (paid by the organisation) | AUD420.00 |
| Nomination (paid by the organisation) | AUD170.00 |
You may also pay for health checks, police certificates and biometrics. A lower visa charge applies to eligible citizens of Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste, and family members also get the lower charge based on the primary applicant's passport.
The sponsor must pay its own sponsorship and nomination costs. Home Affairs says those costs, plus migration agent fees and training costs, cannot be passed on to the trainee. For a wider view of employer-side costs, see what it really costs to sponsor a worker.
How long does a 407 visa take to process?
Home Affairs does not publish a fixed figure for the 407. Its processing time guide tool shows times for recently decided applications and is a guide only. Incomplete forms, missing documents and verification checks slow things down, and the sponsorship and nomination steps come first.
What does the sponsoring organisation need to do?
Who can become a temporary activities sponsor?
The sponsor must be an Australian organisation lawfully established and operating in Australia (such as a company, partnership or non-profit, but not an individual or sole trader), an Australian government agency, or another eligible body such as a foreign government agency operating lawfully in Australia. It must show it can meet its obligations, have a good business record and obey Australian laws. Approval lasts 5 years.
For the 407, there is an extra test: the sponsor must be able to show it can directly provide the training, unless it is a national Commonwealth Government agency or has an exemption. This is a different process from standard business sponsorship used for the 482.
Home Affairs may ask for financial evidence such as 6 months of bank statements, the latest tax return or an accountant's letter.
What are the 407 sponsor obligations?
Temporary activities sponsors must:
- cooperate with inspectors
- keep records showing compliance (for up to 5 years in some cases)
- provide records and information when requested
- tell Home Affairs in writing when certain events happen, for example if the trainee does not start or stops participating in the program
- not recover, charge or transfer sponsorship, nomination, migration agent, recruitment or training costs to the trainee or anyone else
- pay costs to locate and remove the trainee if they become an unlawful non-citizen, if required
- ensure the 407 holder only participates in the nominated occupation, program or activity
Our sponsorship obligations page explains how these duties are monitored. From 1 July 2026, sponsors get an email reminder 90 days before sponsorship expires.
Step by step: how do you apply for a 407 visa?
- Sponsor approval: the organisation applies to become a temporary activities sponsor in ImmiAccount.
- Nomination: the sponsor nominates the trainee, setting out the purpose and type of training and how and where it will happen.
- Wait for approval: both must be approved before the visa application is lodged (unless the sponsor is a Commonwealth agency, which issues an invitation instead).
- Visa application: the trainee gathers identity, English, health insurance and character documents and applies online. Our ImmiAccount guide walks through the portal.
- Decision: do not arrange travel until Home Affairs confirms the grant in writing. The visa is linked digitally to your passport.
What can and can't you do once the visa is granted?
- You can do the approved training and travel in and out of Australia as often as you like while the visa is valid. Time overseas does not extend the visa.
- You cannot extend a 407. To stay longer, you must apply for another visa. A new 407 needs continuing sponsorship, and you may need to explain why the training was not completed in time.
- If you change sponsor, the new organisation must sponsor and nominate you. If your training program changes, you need a new visa once the new nomination is approved.
- Family members granted the same visa can work up to 40 hours every two weeks.
- You must support yourself and any family members financially.
If the training leads to a job offer later, the usual next step is a separate employer-sponsored application. Our 482 visa skills, costs and timeline guide explains that pathway.
What are the common mistakes with 407 applications?
- Lodging the visa before the nomination is approved.
- Using the 407 to fill a job.
- A generic training plan that is not tailored and timed to the trainee's needs.
- Choosing an occupation that is not in the 407 occupation instrument for the "improve skills" type.
- Not paying the trainee in line with minimum wages.
- Passing sponsorship, nomination or training costs on to the trainee.
For short events or activities that are not training, the Temporary Activity (408) visa may fit better.
407 visa requirements: quick answers
Does the 407 visa lead to permanent residency?
No. It is a temporary visa for training only. Any later permanent visa needs its own eligibility.
Can the trainee bring family?
Yes. Family unit members can be included and must meet health and character requirements. Family can also apply later as subsequent entrants.
Is a skills assessment needed for a 407 visa?
Home Affairs does not list a skills assessment as a 407 requirement. For the "improve skills" type, you need recent experience equal to at least 12 months full time in the previous 24 months.
Can a 407 trainee be unpaid?
No. Home Affairs states all work undertaken on the Training visa must be paid in line with minimum wages.
Can a sole trader sponsor a 407 trainee?
No. Home Affairs excludes individuals, sole proprietors and sole traders from becoming temporary activities sponsors.
Get advice before you nominate
Most 407 problems start with the nomination. Whether you host trainees or have a training offer, book your consultation to check the plan before anything is lodged.
Official sources: Home Affairs - Training visa (subclass 407); Home Affairs - Occupational training types; Home Affairs - Temporary activities sponsor; Home Affairs - Temporary activities sponsor obligations; Home Affairs - Current visa pricing.
This article is general information only and is not migration advice for your circumstances. Visa rules, charges and lists change. Book a consultation with a registered migration agent before you lodge a sponsorship, nomination or visa application.