Training visa (subclass 407): applications must be made offshore from 12 November 2026
If you run a restaurant, hotel or trade business and have used, or been considering, the Training visa (subclass 407) to bring someone in for structured workplace training, there is a change this week you need to know about. From 12 November 2026, Training visa applicants must be outside Australia when they apply, and outside Australia when the visa is granted. [1]
The change is made by the Migration Amendment (Training Visas—Application Requirements) Regulations 2026, registered on the Federal Register of Legislation on 30 October 2026. It builds on earlier changes to the visa that started on 11 March 2026. [2][3]
What is changing
Until now, eligible 407 applicants could lodge in or outside Australia. For applications made on or after 12 November 2026: [1][3]
Applicants must be outside Australia when they lodge the application.
They must also be outside Australia when the visa is granted.
An application lodged from inside Australia will be invalid, even if ImmiAccount lets it be submitted. Home Affairs notes that a finding that an application is invalid cannot be merits reviewed, and that an invalid application may affect the person's current visa status.
An application lodged offshore does not come with a bridging visa. The person can travel to Australia on another valid visa while it is processed, but only within that visa's conditions.
The regulations allow the Minister to specify, by legislative instrument, classes of people who can still apply and be granted the visa in Australia. The Explanatory Statement gives examples such as sectors with genuine skills needs or family unity, but at the time of writing we have not seen any such instrument made. [3]
Applications already lodged
Applications validly lodged before 12 November 2026 are not affected. They are assessed under the rules that applied when they were lodged, including the 11 March 2026 changes. Those earlier changes mean the business must be approved as a temporary activities sponsor, and must have an approved Training visa nomination for the person, before the visa application is lodged (unless the sponsor is a Commonwealth agency). [1]
Why the Government made the change
According to the Explanatory Statement, the aim is to curb “visa hopping” (people moving through successive temporary visas while in Australia), protect the integrity of the 407 program and support a more sustainable migration system. Put simply, the 407 is meant for genuine training, not as a way to extend a stay. Merits review remains available if a 407 visa is refused. [3]
What this means for you
For hospitality and trade employers, a few practical points:
Trainees already in Australia. If you planned a 407 for someone who is here on another visa, such as a student or working holiday visa, the application cannot be lodged onshore from 12 November. They would need to leave, lodge from overseas and be overseas when the visa is granted. Build that travel time and cost into your plans.
Get the sequence right. Sponsor approval first, then nomination approval, then the visa application lodged from outside Australia.
Check visa expiry dates. Before the person leaves, confirm when their current visa ends and what conditions would apply if they return on another visa while the 407 is being processed.
Don't plan travel around a grant date. Processing times vary, and the person must be offshore when the visa is granted.
Ask whether 407 is the right fit. The 407 is for training, not for filling a job. If the role is really an ongoing skilled position, an employer-sponsored pathway such as the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa may be the better conversation to have.
Already lodged? Applications validly made before 12 November are not affected. Keep responding promptly to any requests from the Department.
Need a hand?
If you're weighing up a Training visa for a staff member, or wondering whether another sponsored pathway suits your business better, get in touch with Bondi Migration. We're at 39 Gould Street, Bondi Beach, and we're happy to talk through your options.
Brendan Muldoon, Registered Migration Agent MARN 0742052 | Bondi Migration Pty Ltd, 39 Gould Street, Bondi Beach NSW
Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not migration advice. Visa outcomes and processing times are never guaranteed. Please seek advice about your own circumstances before acting.
