Who this may suit
Overseas participants and organisations considering a genuine occupational training or professional development programme in Australia.
Key considerations
- There are three occupational training types. The purpose of the proposed training determines which requirements apply.
- For skills-improvement training, recent relevant employment or study must meet the 12-month full-time-equivalent requirement within the 24 months before nomination. This is not a universal requirement for all 407 categories.
- An approved Temporary Activities Sponsor and, unless the sponsor is a Commonwealth agency, an approved training nomination must be in place before the visa application.
- A stay of up to two years may be available. The approved purpose, training duration, visa conditions and individual circumstances matter.
One visa, three occupational training types
Occupational training is the umbrella term used for subclass 407. Home Affairs groups the eligible training into three types, with different nomination requirements for each. The categories are defined by what the training is intended to achieve.
A proposal should therefore begin with a clear training purpose. A job title, an offer of work or enrolment in a course does not establish which category applies or whether the visa requirements are met. An ordinary vacancy needs an appropriate work-visa assessment; a subclass 407 proposal needs its own genuine training basis.
- Registration: training that is needed to obtain a mandatory occupational registration, membership or licence.
- Skills improvement: structured workplace training that develops skills in an eligible occupation.
- Capacity building overseas: training connected with an overseas qualification, government support or professional development for an overseas employer.
Sources: Home Affairs: the three occupational training types · Migration Regulations: regulations 2.72A and 2.72B; Schedule 1 item 1238
1. Occupational training required for registration
This category concerns workplace-based training that a person needs in order to obtain registration, membership or licensing required to work in their occupation in Australia or their home country. The training must be necessary for that requirement, and its duration must be justified in light of the person’s previous experience.
The participant must have appropriate qualifications and experience to undertake the training. Relevant evidence may include the occupational regulator’s requirements and confirmation of the training needed to satisfy them.
Working in a regulated profession does not automatically place a person in this category. The key distinction is whether the proposed training itself is required to obtain the mandatory registration, membership or licence. Any permission needed to lawfully perform the proposed activities must also be checked.
Sources: Home Affairs: the three occupational training types · Migration Regulations: regulations 2.72A and 2.72B; Schedule 1 item 1238
2. Occupational training to improve skills in an eligible occupation
This category is for a structured workplace training programme tailored to the participant’s specific development needs. Both the content and the duration should match those needs, and the occupation must be eligible under the subclass 407 occupation instrument.
The participant must have recent, suitable experience equivalent to at least 12 months of full-time experience in the relevant occupation during the 24 months immediately before the nomination is lodged. Home Affairs explains that relevant employment experience or study experience can count.
Study is not an automatic exemption from the experience requirement. Its relevance, duration and timing still need to establish the required experience. Equally, the requirement should not be described as a universal demand for 12 months of paid employment.
This 12-month-in-24-month test belongs to the skills-improvement category. The registration and capacity-building categories have their own criteria, and should be assessed on that basis.
Sources: Home Affairs: the three occupational training types · Migration Regulations: regulations 2.72A and 2.72B; Schedule 1 item 1238 · Federal Register: eligible occupations for subclass 407, LIN 19/050
3. Occupational training for capacity building overseas
This category has three distinct forms. Each connects the proposed Australian training with a particular overseas qualification, government-supported purpose or overseas employment relationship.
- Overseas qualification: a student enrolled at a foreign educational institution needs a period of practical experience, research or observation to obtain their qualification. The Australian component can be no more than six months and must be a structured workplace-based programme tailored to the participant.
- Government support: a structured workplace-based programme is supported by an eligible Australian government agency or the government of the participant’s home country. Home Affairs specifies national or state/territory-level support in Australia, and national, state/territory or provincial-level support in the home country. The programme and its duration must address the individual’s training needs.
- Professional development: an overseas employer sends an employee in a managerial or professional position for development relevant to that role and the employer’s business. The main training format is face-to-face teaching in a classroom or a similar environment in Australia.
Sources: Home Affairs: the three occupational training types · Migration Regulations: regulations 2.72A and 2.72B; Schedule 1 item 1238
Sponsorship, nomination and the visa application
These are separate parts of the process. Temporary Activities Sponsorship concerns the organisation’s approval to sponsor. The nomination concerns the particular participant and occupational training programme. The visa application concerns the person’s eligibility to enter or remain in Australia for the approved purpose.
Subclass 407 uses Temporary Activities Sponsorship. Standard Business Sponsorship approval used for other employer-sponsored pathways should not be treated as interchangeable.
The sponsor ordinarily provides the training directly. The Regulations allow defined exceptions, so an arrangement involving another training provider needs its own assessment. The nomination also identifies relevant employers and training locations.
A Commonwealth agency sponsor is exempt from the training nomination requirement. The applicant still needs an approved Temporary Activities Sponsor and the relevant invitation to participate. Government support for a capacity-building programme does not, by itself, make a non-Commonwealth sponsor exempt from nomination.
Sources: Migration Regulations: regulations 2.72A and 2.72B; Schedule 1 item 1238 · Home Affairs: Training visa (subclass 407) · Federal Register: explanation of the March 2026 sponsorship and nomination changes
What the training proposal needs to explain
The proposal must represent a genuine training opportunity within the relevant category. For structured workplace programmes, an individual training plan helps explain the participant’s starting point, intended development and how the programme will be delivered.
The following is a preparation guide. The precise evidence depends on the training type and circumstances; it is not a single compulsory template for every subclass 407 arrangement.
- Purpose and participant: the relevant category, existing qualifications and experience, and the training need.
- Programme: proposed activities, learning objectives, duration and training locations.
- Delivery: the organisation responsible, supervision arrangements and how development will be reviewed.
- Category-specific evidence: for example, a registration requirement, relevant experience records, an overseas qualification requirement, government support or an overseas employment relationship.
Sources: Migration Regulations: regulations 2.72A and 2.72B; Schedule 1 item 1238 · Home Affairs: the three occupational training types
Requirements for the visa applicant
Meeting a training category is only one part of eligibility. The applicant must also satisfy the visa criteria, including functional English, genuine temporary intention, adequate financial support and health insurance, and the applicable health and character requirements.
Applicants are usually required to be at least 18 when the visa is decided; the Regulations provide for exceptional circumstances below that age. Previous visa conditions, immigration history and any restrictions on making an application also need review.
Eligible family members may be included or may be able to apply later as subsequent entrants. They need their own assessment and supporting documents. A family member’s work conditions can differ from those of the main training participant.
Sources: Home Affairs: Training visa (subclass 407) · Migration Regulations: Schedule 2, subclass 407 visa criteria
Approval must come before the visa application
For visa applications made from 11 March 2026, the sponsor must already be an approved Temporary Activities Sponsor. Where nomination is required, the training nomination must already be approved and that approval must remain in effect before the visa application is lodged.
Lodging a sponsorship or nomination application is not the same as obtaining approval. An applicant cannot rely on a pending application to satisfy these visa-lodgement requirements. The Commonwealth agency nomination exception remains available where it applies.
Allow time for the organisation’s approvals before setting a training start date. If the participant is already in Australia, check their current visa expiry and conditions early. A pending sponsorship or nomination application does not itself extend their permission to stay.
The change commenced on 11 March 2026. The instrument was registered on 10 March 2026; the registration date should not be confused with the commencement date.
Sources: Federal Register: application requirements commencing 11 March 2026 · Federal Register: explanation of the March 2026 sponsorship and nomination changes · Migration Regulations: regulations 2.72A and 2.72B; Schedule 1 item 1238
Duration, paid training and visa conditions
Home Affairs may grant a subclass 407 visa for up to two years, depending on the training and circumstances. Two years is not an automatic entitlement. The overseas-qualification form of capacity building has its own maximum six-month practical training component.
Eligible training can include paid work. Home Affairs states that work undertaken on the Training visa must be paid in line with applicable minimum wages. The arrangement must still deliver the genuine training for which the visa is granted. Calling an arrangement training does not remove employee pay or workplace protections.
The main participant’s permission is linked to the approved training, rather than unrestricted employment. Check the grant letter and VEVO before starting or changing activities. Changes to the programme, employer or sponsor may require further approval and notification.
Subclass 407 is temporary. It does not guarantee permanent residence or approval for another visa. Any later visa application has its own requirements at that time.
Sources: Home Affairs: Training visa (subclass 407) · Home Affairs: the three occupational training types · Migration Regulations: Schedule 8, condition 8102 and condition 8107(5) · Fair Work Ombudsman: visa-holder workplace rights and entitlements · Home Affairs: check visa conditions through VEVO · Home Affairs: Training visa work rights and minimum wages
Preparing, budgeting and keeping the programme on track
For an initial assessment, bring the proposed training purpose and dates, the participant’s CV and relevant qualifications or experience, the organisation’s sponsorship status, and any category-specific supporting information. Identify current visa expiry dates and accompanying family members early.
Budget for the applicable sponsorship, nomination and visa charges, together with any professional fees, health checks, insurance and document preparation. Charges and concessions can change. Obtain a current estimate for the actual applicants and circumstances rather than relying on a headline visa price.
Published processing times describe recently decided applications and do not guarantee when a particular case will be decided. The sponsorship and nomination stages also need to be considered when planning the overall timetable.
After grant, the sponsor and participant need to keep the training aligned with the approved arrangements. Maintain appropriate records, monitor the participant’s conditions and address reportable changes within the required time. Discuss material changes before putting them into effect.
Sources: Home Affairs: Training visa (subclass 407) · Home Affairs: visa pricing estimator · Home Affairs: visa processing times guide · Home Affairs: Temporary Activities Sponsor obligations · Home Affairs: check visa conditions through VEVO
How we can help
Ausdirect can assess the proposed training purpose, the organisation’s sponsorship position and the participant’s circumstances. We identify the relevant requirements, review supporting evidence and help coordinate the sponsorship, nomination and visa application process.
Questions to consider
Are occupational training and skills-improvement training the same thing?
Occupational training is the overall description. Skills-improvement training is one of the three types, alongside training required for registration and training for capacity building overseas. Each type has different nomination criteria.
Does every 407 applicant need 12 months of experience in the last 24 months?
No. That specific test applies to occupational training to improve skills in an eligible occupation. Relevant employment or study experience must be equivalent to at least 12 months full-time in the occupation during the 24 months before nomination. Other categories have different criteria.
Can relevant study count towards the skills-improvement experience requirement?
Yes. Home Affairs expressly includes relevant study experience as well as employment experience. The evidence must still establish its relevance to the occupation and the required full-time-equivalent duration within the relevant 24-month period. Having recently graduated does not automatically establish eligibility.
Does needing a professional licence mean I must use the registration category?
No. That category applies when the proposed workplace training is necessary to obtain the registration, membership or licence required to work in the occupation. Simply belonging to a regulated profession is not enough. Occupational licensing and the visa’s training-category requirements are separate questions.
Can the visa application be lodged while sponsorship or nomination is pending?
For applications made from 11 March 2026, an approved Temporary Activities Sponsor is required before visa lodgement. Where nomination is required, it must also be approved and remain in effect. A Commonwealth agency sponsor has a nomination exception, with the relevant invitation arrangement.
Will every participant receive a two-year visa?
No. Home Affairs may grant up to two years, but the permitted stay depends on the training and individual circumstances. Capacity-building training required for an overseas qualification is limited to a practical component of no more than six months. Check the actual visa grant.
Can a participant be paid during the training?
Yes, paid duties can form part of eligible occupational training. Home Affairs states that work undertaken on the Training visa must be paid in line with applicable minimum wages. The training purpose and visa conditions must be met, and any employment must comply with Australian workplace law. Payment does not turn the visa into permission to take unrelated work.
Does completing the training guarantee another visa or permanent residence?
No. Subclass 407 is a temporary training visa. Completing the programme does not guarantee eligibility for another visa or permanent residence. Any future application must be assessed against its own requirements and the rules then in force.
Your next step
Start with the training purpose, the participant’s background and your intended timing. Contact Ausdirect for an individual assessment before committing to an application or programme start date.