Obligations for Temporary Activities Sponsors

Key considerations

• Common TAS duties and activity-specific duties must both be checked.
• The organisation remains accountable when staff, advisers or other providers carry out tasks.
• An activity ending does not automatically end every reporting, record or inspection obligation.

A practical compliance framework

TAS obligations are tailored to temporary activities. Establish which duties apply to each participant’s visa and activity rather than copying a skilled-employment checklist. PALM employers must additionally follow their scheme deed, guidelines and worker-support arrangements.

Use a participant register showing the approved activity, supervisor, dates, visa details and any relevant family members. Give managers a clear route to report non-attendance, changed arrangements or welfare concerns. This is a practical control, not a substitute for the approval documents.

Notify relevant changes within 28 calendar days

Home Affairs requires written notification of specified events within 28 calendar days. Use the Notification of Sponsorship Changes form in ImmiAccount or the published alternative notification channel. Save what was sent, when, how and to whom.

Reportable events include relevant contact changes, a participant not starting or continuing the approved activity, changes to formal arrangements or the expected end date, return-travel payments and the sponsoring legal entity ceasing to exist. Additional triggers include loss of a necessary entertainer licence, inability to meet special-programme requirements and disengagement from the sponsor.

• Ask activity supervisors to report a non-start or departure promptly rather than waiting for a scheduled review.
• Assess changes before implementation: notifying Home Affairs does not authorise a different activity.
• Check separate PALM reporting duties and deadlines. A general TAS notification period does not replace a shorter scheme requirement.

Keep records and respond to information requests

Keep reproducible evidence of required notifications and their date, method and destination. Preserve applicable travel requests and payment evidence, together with documents needed to demonstrate compliance. Records subject to an independent-verification requirement must be capable of verification.

The immigration record-keeping obligation ends two years after both sponsor approval has ceased and no sponsored persons remain. Its maximum retention requirement for an individual record is five years; other legislation or scheme commitments may require longer retention.

Provide required records and information by the deadline and in the form stated in a departmental request. Information-production duties can also continue after sponsorship ends. Keep access to archived records and nominate a backup contact.

Costs, inspections and possible removal liability

Do not recover or transfer prohibited sponsorship, nomination, associated migration-agent or recruitment costs to participants, family members or other people. Review deductions and repayment agreements by the actual expense involved. For PALM, separately check which programme-specific deductions are permitted under the scheme and employment law.

Cooperate with authorised inspectors, including lawful access, interviews and document requests. This duty starts at sponsor approval and continues for five years after approval ceases.

If a sponsored person becomes unlawful, a separate duty may require payment of Commonwealth locating or removal costs. Home Affairs can seek the applicable costs for up to five years after the person leaves Australia. Seek advice on a request and preserve the relevant records.

407 and 408: remain within the approved activity

For 407 participants, the sponsor must ensure work or participation remains within the nominated occupation, programme or activity. For 408 participants, it must remain within the activity for which the visa was granted.

A different activity or training programme can require a new nomination and/or visa. For a 407 change of sponsor, a new approved nomination may allow the existing visa to continue where the approved training programme is unchanged. Check the individual circumstances before moving a participant or altering the programme.

Accommodation: a conditional duty

The TAS accommodation obligation applies to specified 407 and 408 circumstances where the sponsored person is engaged as an unpaid volunteer. It requires an offer of reasonable accommodation for the person and qualifying family members, with replacement accommodation if the original becomes unavailable.

This duty does not itself make unpaid work lawful. Current 407 guidance states that work must be paid. Check the visa arrangements and whether an employment relationship exists before describing any role as volunteering or unpaid training.

408 travel duties differ by activity

For religious-work and special-programme participants, a qualifying written request triggers payment of reasonable and necessary departure travel within 30 days. The return-travel duty is generally required once, subject to its applicable scope.

For the domestic-worker-for-executives activity, the duty covers reasonable and necessary travel to and from Australia for the participant and qualifying family members. It is not limited to the departure-request arrangement above.

Do not assume these particular 408 rules apply to every TAS participant. Check the actual activity, relevant family members, request and statutory end points. Keep travel records and make any required notification.

How we can help

Discuss the duties attached to a proposed activity, a participant change or an information request with Ausdirect.

Questions to consider

Your next step

Bring the sponsor approval, activity or nomination documents, participant register and a dated description of the change or concern.