The rules on where you can lodge an Australia 407 visa have changed. On its official Training visa (subclass 407) page, the Department of Home Affairs states that from 12 November 2026 applicants must be outside Australia when they apply and when the visa is granted. From the same date, an application lodged while in Australia will be invalid, and ImmiAccount accepting a submission does not make it valid.
What the Australia 407 visa is for
The 407 is a temporary visa for workplace-based occupational training: improving skills for a current occupation, completing practical training required by a foreign qualification, or taking part in a professional development programme. It is not a work visa and it is not a route to long-term stay; the department says the visa is not intended to fill workforce shortages, and all work done in Australia must be paid.
A few fixed parameters matter. The visa can be granted for up to 2 years and cannot be extended by renewal. The application charge starts at AUD535.00. Applicants are usually 18 years old or older at the time of decision, and must have an approved temporary activities sponsor plus an approved nomination for their training, unless the sponsor is a Commonwealth agency. Family members granted the visa with the applicant can work up to 40 hours every two weeks.
What changed on 12 November
There is one change, and it reaches a lot of people: both the place of lodgement and the place of grant are now restricted to outside Australia.
First, you must be outside Australia when you apply. An application lodged in Australia on or after 12 November 2026 will be invalid. This is easy to miss because the system does not stop you; the department says plainly that an application will be invalid if you apply while in Australia, even where ImmiAccount allows the lodgement.
Second, you must also be outside Australia when the visa is granted. Leaving to lodge and then returning to wait does not solve the problem: you may re-enter on another valid visa while the file is open, but you have to be offshore at the moment of grant.
Third, invalid is not the same as refused, and the consequences can be worse. An invalid application is not assessed and cannot go through the usual merits review. If an existing visa has already expired, the invalid lodgement may also affect eligibility for other visas.
Fourth, transitional arrangements. Training visa applications validly lodged before 12 November 2026 are assessed under the rules in place when they were lodged. But since 11 March 2026 the department has also required an approved sponsor and an approved training nomination before a valid application can be made, so lodging before the deadline is not simply a matter of deciding to do it.
Fifth, there is room for exceptions. The regulations let the Minister specify classes of applicants who may lodge or be granted while in Australia. Whether an exception covers you depends on the instrument the department publishes, and should not be assumed.
"Applicants must be outside Australia when they apply for a Training visa (subclass 407), and when we grant it."
Old rules against new
| Situation | Before 12 November | On or after 12 November |
|---|---|---|
| Lodge while in Australia | Allowed | Invalid |
| Lodge from overseas | Allowed | Required |
| Location at grant | No restriction | Must be offshore |
| Applications already lodged | Not applicable | Assessed under the old rules |
| Bridging visa | Arises from a valid lodgement | No bridging visa from an offshore application |
Who needs to act now
The first group is people in Australia on a student or temporary graduate visa who planned to switch to a 407 onshore. The premise of that plan has gone: they must leave Australia, lodge from overseas, and stay offshore until the visa is granted.
The second group is people whose training nomination is already approved and who are ready to lodge. If the nomination and every other requirement are in place, a valid application can still be lodged before 12 November; but only days remain, and one missing document closes the window.
The third group is sponsors and their training managers. Start dates have to be rebuilt around the trainee leaving Australia, lodging, being granted offshore and then arriving on the 407. Building travel and processing time into the programme schedule is cheaper than fixing it afterwards.
The fourth group is trainees who are already overseas. The change barely touches them, but the rule that they cannot be in Australia at grant is a hard constraint; booking return travel on the basis of an expected processing time is not safe.
- Question
Can an Australia 407 visa still be lodged onshore?
- AIAIG answersOnly if it is validly lodged before 12 November 2026. An application lodged in Australia on or after that date will be invalid, even if ImmiAccount accepts the submission. Anyone already in Australia on another temporary visa who planned to switch to a 407 needs to leave the country first, lodge from overseas and wait offshore for the decision.
- Question
What happens if an Australia 407 application lodged onshore is ruled invalid?
- AIAIG answersAn invalid application is not assessed, so it does not enter the usual merits review process. If the person's existing visa had already expired when they lodged, the invalid application may also affect eligibility for other visas later. This differs from a refusal, which at least carries review rights.
- Question
Are Australia 407 applications lodged before 12 November affected?
- AIAIG answersNo. The department states that Training visa applications validly lodged before 12 November 2026 will be assessed under the rules in place when they were lodged, including applications that included family members. Note, however, that since 11 March 2026 an approved sponsor and an approved training nomination have been required before a valid application can be made, so lodging before the deadline depends on the nomination already being approved.
AIAIG View
First, if you are in Australia with less than two months on your visa and are considering a 407, do not treat "just lodge it" as a plan. An onshore application after 12 November is invalid and cannot be reviewed, which removes the only buffer keeping your status continuous. Check the expiry date first, then decide whether to lodge inside the window or plan to leave.
Second, whether you can make the deadline depends on the nomination, not on your intentions. Only where the sponsorship and the training nomination are approved and the documents are complete does "lodge before 12 November" mean anything; if the nomination is still under review, plan for an offshore lodgement.
Third, put the grant-location rule in your calendar. You may re-enter Australia to wait for a decision, but you cannot be in the country when the visa is granted. This is easier to forget than the lodging rule, and forgetting it means paying for a second flight out.
Fourth, for sponsors this is a scheduling problem rather than a compliance problem. Training start dates move later; the AUD535.00 starting charge is the small cost, while travel, accommodation and programme delays are the large ones. Planning early is cheaper than replanning late.
Fifth, if your real goal is to stay in Australia long term, the 407 was never the right instrument: it lasts up to 2 years, cannot be extended and does not lead to permanent residence. Look at skilled or employer-sponsored pathways instead of chaining temporary visas. Check the official notice for details.
Sources
Last updated Nov 3, 2026