The Australian Government introduced new rules for the Training visa (Subclass 407) that took effect on 11 March 2026, changing when applicants are allowed to lodge their visa application.
Key Change
From 11 March 2026, applicants cannot submit a Training visa application until certain approvals are already in place. Specifically:
- The employer must be approved as a Temporary Activities Sponsor, and
- The employer must have an approved Training visa nomination for the applicant (unless the sponsor is an Australian Commonwealth agency).
If these approvals are not granted first, the visa application will be considered invalid and will not be processed.
Before this change, applicants could lodge the visa application at the same time as the sponsorship and nomination applications. The visa would simply not be granted until those approvals were finalised.
New Application Sequence
The correct order now is:
- Employer receives Temporary Activities Sponsor approval.
- Employer receives Training visa nomination approval.
- Applicant lodges the Subclass 407 visa application.
Impact on Applicants
The change may affect people applying while already in Australia, because:
- A Bridging Visa is only available after a valid visa application is lodged.
- Applicants must maintain another valid visa while waiting for sponsor and nomination approval, or they may need to leave Australia temporarily.
You may wish to explore alternative visa options that may better suit your circumstances. For personalised advice, please contact MCLP Lawyers to arrange a 20-minute free consultation.