What Can You Do on an Australia Subclass 400 Visa in 2026?

Plain-language guide · general information, not immigration advice

On a Subclass 400 visa you may do short-term, highly specialised work in Australia — and nothing beyond the work or activity your visa was granted for. That is the whole permission in one sentence, and it comes from the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official page for the Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa (subclass 400), as of August 2026. Family members can be included in the application, but they cannot work or study in Australia apart from a language training program. The visa is granted for up to six months, and you cannot extend it or apply for it from inside Australia.

This article is general information drawn from that official page, not personalised advice for your situation — visa conditions are applied to individual circumstances, so the official page and a registered professional remain the authority for any specific decision.

What exactly are you allowed to do on this visa?

The department frames the permission narrowly. With this visa you can do short-term work in a highly specialised job, and the work or activity must be non-ongoing. You must only do the work or activities for which your visa was granted, and you and your family must comply with all visa conditions and Australian laws.

That narrowness is the point. A subclass 400 is not a general work visa you can use to take up an interesting local job; it is tied to a specific piece of work that a specific Australian business needs and cannot staff locally.

What counts as "highly specialised" and "non-ongoing"?

Both words do real work in the assessment, and the official page defines them in testable terms.

You can apply if you have specialised skills, knowledge or experience that:

can assist Australian business
can't reasonably be found in the Australian labour market
will be non-ongoing

Non-ongoing means the work is likely to be completed within six months or less, and you do not expect or arrange to stay in Australia after that time for any reason related to that work. So the test is not just about skill level — it is about whether the task has an end point and whether you have an onward plan that is genuinely separate from it.

To show your skills, knowledge or experience, the page lists evidence you could provide: a copy of your resume, any licences or qualifications, and a letter from your overseas employer explaining your current position and duties. The Australian business or overseas employer might also need to show that they tried to find Australian workers first, because this visa cannot be granted if it affects employment or training opportunities for Australian citizens or permanent residents.

How long can you stay, and when does the clock start?

Six months is the ceiling, but it is not automatic. The visa can be granted for up to six months depending on the circumstances, and generally, for a stay period longer than three months, a strong business case must be provided with the application.

Two clocks matter, and they are independent:

Arrival clock. You must arrive in Australia within six months of the date the visa is granted, or a lesser period specified by the Minister; your grant letter tells you the deadline.
Stay clock. The stay period shown in your grant letter starts on your first date of arrival in Australia. It does not restart each time you travel, and time spent outside Australia does not extend the visa.

The visa is granted as either single entry or multiple entry. With multiple entry you can leave and re-enter as many times as you like during the stay period, but re-entering does not restart the granted period.

Can you bring your family, and can they work?

You can include members of the family unit in your application when you apply. Family members included in the application are not permitted to work or study in Australia, except that they may do a language training program.

Two further conditions apply to the whole group. Both you and any family members who apply must meet the health requirements and character requirements (the character requirement applies to you and to family members aged 16 and over), and you must be able to show that you and your family have enough means to support yourselves while in Australia.

What you cannot do on a subclass 400 visa

The "cannot" list is where most first-time readers discover the visa is wrong for them.

What you might want to do	Where subclass 400 stands
Stay longer than the granted period by extending the visa	Not possible — you can't stay longer by extending this visa
Apply while you are already in Australia	Not possible — you must be outside Australia when you apply and when the decision is made
Bring family who then work or study	Not permitted, apart from a language training program
Perform as an entertainer, or support entertainers performing in Australia	Not allowed on this visa
Direct, produce or take part in a production shown, broadcast or performed in Australia	Not allowed on this visa
Use successive temporary visas to maintain ongoing residency	Blocked by the genuine temporary entrant requirement

Entertainment is the one area with genuine carve-outs, so it is worth reading on its own terms.

Does the entertainment industry have its own rules?

Yes, and the distinction is sharper than most people expect. You can apply for a subclass 400 to direct, produce or take any other role in a production that will not be shown in Australia — you will need to provide a distribution contract or other evidence to support this. You can also come to Australia for a promotional activity; the department's examples are an actor visiting for a red carpet premiere, and a rock band in Australia for a promotional tour with no performances.

What the visa does not allow is performing as an entertainer in Australia, supporting an entertainer or group of entertainers performing in Australia, or directing, producing or taking any other part in a production that will be shown, broadcast or performed in Australia — including theatre, film, television, radio, concert or a recording. For those activities, the official page points to the Temporary Activity visa (subclass 408) – Entertainment stream instead.

What does it cost?

The official page directs applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator to work out the cost, and notes that the estimator does not take into account other costs. It does not publish a single fixed figure on the page itself, so treat any amount you see quoted elsewhere as needing confirmation against the estimator and the official page.

What the page does state clearly:

There is a charge for each family member who applies with you.
You may also have to pay for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
You will not need to pay the application charge if you are coming to Australia as a representative of a foreign government, or if you are listed in a legislative instrument — your inviting organisation will tell you if that applies.
From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application. The primary applicant must hold a valid passport from one of the listed countries: Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu or Vanuatu. Family members are also eligible, based on the primary applicant's passport.

What else will be checked before a decision?

Beyond the work itself, the eligibility page sets out several personal criteria: you and your family must have adequate means of support; you must meet the health requirement; you and family members aged 16 and over must meet the character requirement; you must intend only to stay temporarily and do what the visa allows; if you owe the Australian Government money, it must be repaid or covered by a formal arrangement; and your immigration history is considered, meaning a cancelled visa or refused application can affect eligibility.

The genuine temporary entrant requirement is the mechanism behind the criterion that you must only intend to stay temporarily and do what the visa allows. The department says you cannot use the temporary visa program to maintain ongoing residency, and that it will consider your situation, your immigration history, your previous compliance with visa conditions, and any other relevant matter.

Two practical points close out the process. Processing times are published through the department's visa processing time guide tool, which shows times for recently decided applications and is described as a guide only, not specific to your application — so build your travel date around the processing window rather than the other way round. And your visa is digitally linked to your passport; you will not receive a label. You can check your details in the grant letter or through VEVO.

So is subclass 400 the right route for you?

Assume an applicant is a specialist engineer sent by an overseas manufacturer to commission a machine at an Australian plant, with a defined commissioning plan ending in under three months and a return ticket home. That scenario fits: specialised, non-ongoing, tied to one task, and the local labour market argument is about a narrow skill, not a general one.

Now assume the same engineer is offered a twelve-month local contract after the commissioning finishes. That does not fit. The work is no longer non-ongoing, the six-month ceiling is exceeded, and extending the subclass 400 is not an option — the fit has to be found in a different visa stream. If your mental model of the trip is "short, specific, and then I go home," subclass 400 is worth exploring; if it is "get in the door and see what happens," it is not.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I do any kind of paid work on a subclass 400 visa? No. You can only do the short-term, highly specialised work or activity for which the visa was granted, and you must comply with all visa conditions. Taking up unrelated paid work falls outside the permission.

How long can I stay in Australia on a subclass 400 visa? Up to six months, depending on the circumstances. For a stay period longer than three months, a strong business case generally has to be provided with the application.

Does travelling out of Australia reset my six months? No. The stay period starts on your first arrival and does not restart each time you travel, and time spent outside Australia does not extend the visa.

Can my partner or children work or study while I am on this visa? No. Family members included in the application are not permitted to work or study in Australia, except that they may do a language training program. They must also meet health and character requirements.

Can I apply for a subclass 400 visa while I am already in Australia? No. You must be outside Australia both when you apply and when the department makes its decision, and you cannot stay longer by extending the visa.

Can I use a subclass 400 visa to perform as a musician or actor in Australia? No. Performing, or supporting performers, is not allowed on this visa, and neither is working on a production that will be shown, broadcast or performed in Australia. Limited promotional activities and productions not shown in Australia can be permitted, while performance work is directed to the subclass 408 Entertainment stream.

How much does the subclass 400 visa cost? The official page does not state a single figure on its main text; it directs applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator. There is also a charge per accompanying family member, possible extra costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics, exemptions for certain foreign government representatives, and a lower cost from 1 July 2026 for eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens.

Will I get a visa label in my passport? No. The visa is digitally linked to your passport, and you can check your details in your grant letter or through VEVO.