Subclass 407 Training Visa — You Can No Longer Lodge Your Visa Until Nomination is Approved

If you've been counting on the Subclass 407 Training Visa to bridge a gap before your current visa expires, you need to read this now.

Effective 11 March 2026, a valid Temporary Activities Sponsorship (TAS) and an approved nomination must both be in place before an applicant can lodge a Subclass 407 visa application. This is a significant departure from previous practice, where applicants could lodge the nomination and the visa application simultaneously — or even lodge the visa while nomination approval was still pending.

What has actually changed?

Previously, many applicants (and their sponsors) would lodge the nomination and visa application at the same time, essentially running them concurrently. This gave people comfort that their visa clock was ticking while paperwork was being processed. That safety net is now gone.

Under the new rule, the process is strictly sequential:

1. The sponsor must first apply for and receive approval as a Temporary Activities Sponsor (TAS)
2. The sponsor then lodges the nomination — and that nomination must be fully approved
3. Only after nomination approval can the applicant lodge the 407 visa application itself

Why does this matter so much?

The impact is particularly severe for people whose current visa is approaching expiry. If your visa is running out and you were banking on lodging a 407 visa application to remain in Australia on a bridging visa while everything was processed, that strategy no longer works.

Applications for the Subclass 407 have surged dramatically — rising 360% during the 2024–25 financial year compared to the same period the previous year — largely following the cessation of the Subclass 408 COVID visa. That explosion in demand has come with higher scrutiny, rising refusal rates, and now this structural policy change.

A high refusal rate for both nominations and visa applications has followed this surge, and the Department of Home Affairs has been finalising some nomination applications as "otherwise finalised" rather than formally refused — which strips applicants of review rights.

What should you do if your visa is about to expire?

If your current visa is expiring soon and the 407 nomination hasn't been approved yet, you need to act immediately. Options to explore include:

• Subclass 482 Skills in Demand (SID) visa — if you have an employer willing to sponsor you in an eligible occupation
• Subclass 500 Student visa — if you qualify to enrol in a registered course
• Subclass 408 Temporary Activity visa — depending on your circumstances
• Visitor visa (Subclass 600) — as a short-term bridge while nomination is pending (seek advice on whether this works for your situation)
• Bridging visa — only triggered if you have already lodged a substantive visa application; you cannot get one by simply waiting for a nomination

The critical point: you cannot lodge the 407 visa application and receive a bridging visa to stay lawfully in Australia until the nomination is fully approved. Do not assume lodging the nomination alone will protect your status.

For sponsors and employers

This change also puts more pressure on sponsors to move quickly and get their TAS and nomination in order well ahead of their employee's visa expiry. Delays in nomination processing which can take months given current workloads at the Department could leave workers without lawful status.

If you're an employer relying on the 407 visa pathway for staff, get your TAS and nomination lodged as early as possible, and do not wait until the employee's visa is close to expiry.

Get professional advice

This is not a situation to navigate alone. Given the high refusal rates, the loss of review rights in some scenarios, and now this sequencing requirement, the margin for error is zero. Contact a registered migration agent (MARA) or immigration lawyer immediately if you or your employee is affected.

Remember:

This post is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional immigration advice. Given the uniqueness of every case, engaging with a registered migration agent is highly recommended for bespoke guidance and to navigate the specific details of your situation effectively. Book a visa consultation with a Registered Migration Agent

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