Training visa 407 from 12 November 2026

From 12 November 2026, you can only apply for a Training visa (subclass 407) from outside Australia, and you must also be outside Australia when it is granted. If you are in Melbourne on a Student visa or another visa and were planning to move onto a 407 from here, that door closes on 11 November. Applications already lodged in Australia before 12 November are still decided under the old rules.

What changed

Home Affairs has published a short page on the changes to Training visa 407 application rules. The main points are simple:

From 12 November 2026, you must be outside Australia when you apply for a 407 and when it is granted.
If you are in Australia and want this visa, you need to leave Australia before you apply.
An application made while you are in Australia will be invalid, even if ImmiAccount lets you press submit.
A decision that your application is invalid cannot be taken to merits review.

That last point is the one that worries me most for students. ImmiAccount letting you lodge does not mean the application is valid. Home Affairs warns that an invalid application may affect your visa status, and if your current visa has already expired, you may not be able to apply for another one.

A quick reminder of what the 407 is

The Training visa (subclass 407) lets you do workplace-based occupational training in Australia. The training has to improve your skills for your current job, your area of tertiary study or your field of expertise, or be part of a professional development program.

A few facts from the official page:

You can stay for up to 2 years.
The cost starts from AUD535.
You must be sponsored, and in most cases nominated by your sponsor.
The visa is not meant to fill workforce shortages, and all work you do in Australia must be paid.

Some graduates look at the 407 after finishing a degree here, because it is tied to their area of study. That is exactly the group this change hits, so if it was part of your plan, read on.

What it means for you

If you already lodged a valid 407 application before 12 November 2026, nothing changes for you. Home Affairs says it will keep assessing it under the rules in place when you applied, including the changes that started on 11 March 2026.

If you have not applied yet and you are in Australia, you will need to:

leave Australia before you lodge,
stay outside Australia until the visa is granted, and
manage your current visa so you are never in Australia without one.

You can travel to Australia on another valid visa while your 407 is being processed, but you must follow that visa's conditions. You will not get a Bridging visa linked to an application made from outside Australia. Home Affairs also warns not to book flights back based on an expected grant date, because processing times vary.

This sits alongside the Student visa changes from 2 October 2026, which also changed who can apply while in Australia. Put together, staying onshore and switching visas is a lot harder than it was a year ago.

What to do now

Check when your current visa expires. You need to leave Australia before it expires.
Confirm with your sponsor that they are approved as a temporary activities sponsor and that your 407 nomination has been approved. Both must be in place before you can apply (unless your sponsor is a Commonwealth agency).
Gather your documents in Australia, before you travel.
Check whether you need a health examination, and whether you can do it before you leave.
Once you are outside Australia, lodge through ImmiAccount. Check your account often and reply quickly to any request for more information.
Plan your money for the time you may spend overseas waiting. If your visa is ending soon, our guide on what to do when your student visa is ending has a simple money plan.

If 11 November is too close and your sponsor and nomination are not ready, do not rush a weak application. Get proper advice on your options first.

Key dates

11 March 2026: earlier changes to the 407 came into effect.
11 November 2026: the last day an application lodged in Australia can be valid.
12 November 2026: offshore-only applications and grants begin.

The official details are on the Home Affairs 407 changes page.

Questions people ask

I applied for a 407 in Australia last month. Do I have to leave?

Home Affairs says a valid application lodged before 12 November 2026 is assessed under the rules in place when you applied, so the offshore rule does not apply to it. Keep following the conditions of the visa you hold now.

ImmiAccount still lets me submit from Melbourne. Is that okay?

No. From 12 November, an application made in Australia is invalid even if the system accepts it. Invalid decisions cannot be reviewed, and it may affect your visa status.

Can I come back to Australia while I wait?

You may travel on another valid visa while your 407 is processed, as long as you follow that visa's conditions. But you must be outside Australia when the 407 is granted, and you will not get a Bridging visa from an offshore application.

Talk to someone before you book a flight

This change is short and strict, and the timing matters. If the 407 was part of your plan after study, talk to an education consultant through OneCall Melbourne about your options, or call Sarah, OneCall's line, on 0485 057 057. If you need paid work while you sort things out, OneCall Melbourne can also help you look at support work jobs.

Sources

General information only, checked against the official sources above on the day it was written. It is not migration advice: only a registered migration agent or a lawyer can give you that.

Training visa 407 from 12 November 2026: apply from outside Australia only