Australia: Stricter Application Requirements Introduced for Training Visa

Update November 5, 2026: Effective November 12, 2026, applicants for the Training (subclass 407) visa will be required to be outside Australia when submitting their application and when their visa is granted. Previously, applicants could submit their applications while in Australia following approval of the associated nomination. The government may identify certain groups for exemption later, but these exemptions have not yet been specified. Prospective applicants in Australia will therefore need to depart the country to apply and remain overseas until their visa is granted, unless an exemption applies, or consider alternative visa options. The changes support the government’s objectives of reducing net overseas migration to targeted levels and preventing inappropriate use of the Training visa program to prolong stays in Australia.  

March 12, 2026: Effective March 11, 2026, the Department of Home Affairs has implemented significant changes to the Training (subclass 407) visa program. Under the new provisions, a Training (Subclass 407) visa application can no longer be validly lodged until both the sponsoring employer’s Temporary Activities Sponsorship and the associated Subclass 407 nomination have been approved. Previously, applicants were permitted to lodge a visa application while the related sponsorship and/or nomination applications were still under assessment.  

Given existing processing times of 12 to 13 months, prospective applicants nearing the expiry of their current visa may not be able to wait for nomination approval before lodging a valid Subclass 407 visa application. In such cases, impacted individuals may need to depart Australia and apply offshore, or explore alternative visa options. 

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.