Why is my Australia Subclass 407 refused in 2026? Common reasons

Plain-language guide · general information, not immigration advice

Most Subclass 407 refusals trace back to a short list: the nomination doesn't fit one of the three occupational training types, the training looks like ordinary work rather than a structured program, or the applicant can't evidence functional English — and behind those sit the routine failures of identity, funds, health insurance and character. This is drawn from the Australian Department of Home Affairs Training visa (subclass 407) official page (as of the August 2026 version of the official page), the criteria in Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994, and the Department's procedural guidance (PAM3). It is general information for people weighing up a 407, not advice on an individual case — your own result depends on the Department's current published requirements and, where you need it, on qualified professional advice.

What has to be true before a 407 can be granted?

Three separate approvals have to line up, and a break in any one of them ends the application.

First, the organisation must already be approved as a temporary activities sponsor. Second, unless the sponsor is an Australian Commonwealth Government agency, it must lodge a nomination for you and that nomination must be approved — and approved before you apply for the visa, not alongside it. Third, you have to meet the visa criteria yourself: age, functional English, health insurance, funds, health and character, and a genuine intention to stay temporarily.

The visa is for workplace-based training to improve skills in your current occupation, area of tertiary study or field of expertise, or to complete a professional development program. The official page is explicit that it is not for ongoing work in Australia. A stay of up to 2 years may be granted, and the visa cannot be extended — staying longer means applying for a different visa.

Does the nomination fit one of the three training types?

Nomination is where most 407 files are lost, because the requirements differ by type and the Department assesses each type separately. If the training doesn't satisfy one type, the officer moves on to check the others; if none fits, the nomination fails and the visa application has nothing to stand on.

Nomination type	What it covers	What commonly breaks
Occupational training required for registration	Training you need in order to be registered in your occupation	No evidence of an actual registration requirement, or a proposed length that doesn't match the registration requirement
Occupational training to improve skills in an eligible occupation	Skills improvement in an occupation on the relevant skilled occupation lists	Occupation not on the lists specified in the relevant legislative instrument (LIN 19/050 in the procedural guidance), or less than 12 months full-time-equivalent relevant experience in the 24 months before nomination
Occupational training for capacity building overseas	Overseas qualification, government support, or professional development	Professional development used for a role that isn't managerial or professional, or a classroom-based element that falls below the 55% face-to-face benchmark

Two practical details matter here. Occupations and experience are assessed against ANZSCO task descriptions, so the day-to-day duties in the nomination have to match the nominated occupation rather than just the job title. And the nomination has a validity window — the procedural guidance treats an approved nomination as valid for 12 months or less — so a nomination that lapses before the visa is decided leaves the visa application without its foundation.

Changing the arrangement later has the same shape: training with a different organisation in Australia requires that organisation to sponsor you and lodge a new nomination, and if you stay with the same sponsor but change the training program, the sponsor must lodge a new nomination and you then need a new visa application.

Does the program look like training, or like a job?

This is the second big refusal cluster, and it is about substance rather than paperwork. The nomination has to describe a genuine training opportunity, not a way of filling a labour shortage.

The procedural guidance sets a working benchmark: workplace-based training means at least 30 hours a week, with at least 70% of that time in the workplace rather than in a classroom or similar instructional setting, and the plan has to distinguish supervised practice from observation. The plan itself needs to be structured and tailored to the individual — training objectives, an assessment of current skills, a training needs analysis, a pathway of tasks and timeframes, and a supervision and evaluation mechanism, with tasks moving from simple to more complex under a qualified supervisor.

Generic plans are the classic failure. Assume an applicant whose training plan is a copy of the sponsor's standard induction schedule, with no skills assessment, no named supervisor and no staged tasks: on its face that reads as ordinary employment, and repeated nominations in the same format from the same sponsor point the same way. The Department also refuses or adverse-assesses nominations where the training would replace an existing Australian citizen or permanent resident worker, or where the sponsor would use a government-funded service without paying the full cost. Unpaid arrangements carry extra conditions under the Fair Work Act, including the relevant forms and reasonable accommodation; missing those can sink the nomination on its own.

Is your functional English evidence acceptable?

Clause 407.212 requires functional English, and it is a common refusal because applicants assume that a test result is enough — it has to be the right kind of evidence.

Acceptable evidence described in the procedural guidance includes an approved English test score (IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic or Cambridge CAE), at least two years of full-time study towards a degree or diploma taught in English, a valid passport from the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, the United States or the Republic of Ireland, or an assessment made at interview. The official step-by-step page repeats the passport exemption for those five countries. The scores themselves are set by the relevant legislative instrument (IMMI 15/004 in the procedural guidance), so check the current instrument rather than an old figure. The interview route exists but is discretionary and depends on the English demands of the training.

What else causes refusals?

Identity and accurate information. If you cannot prove your identity, the Department will refuse the application and may not grant you — or family members listed on the application — another visa for 10 years. Information that turns out to be false or misleading engages public interest criterion 4020, which carries refusal and a possible 3-year bar; correcting a genuine mistake is handled through Form 1023 once you spot it.

Funds and health insurance. You must be able to support yourself and accompanying family members financially, and show evidence of adequate health insurance for the whole stay — bank statements, a letter from your financial institution, employment contracts, or documented sponsor allowances and accommodation. Health insurance is also a visa condition (8501) once you hold the visa.

Health and character. Public interest criteria covering health (4005 and related criteria) and character (4001) apply to you and to family members. The official page asks for an Australian Federal Police National Police Certificate where you have spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16, with Forms 80 and 1221 completed.

Problems on the sponsor's side. The nomination and visa criteria both look at adverse information about the sponsor or its associates, whether the sponsorship has been withdrawn or has ceased, and conduct such as paying for, or receiving payment in connection with, sponsorship events under sections 245AR and 245AS. The visa criteria also require the Department to be satisfied that in the past 3 years you have not engaged in conduct of the kind covered by those workplace-exploitation provisions.

Genuine temporary intention. Clause 407.217 asks whether you genuinely intend to stay temporarily for the visa's purpose, taking into account your substantial compliance with the conditions of your last substantive or bridging visa, whether you intend to comply with conditions such as 8107, and anything else relevant. A history of overstaying or working outside conditions does real damage here.

Unpaid charge. The Department cannot process an application if the correct visa application charge hasn't been paid; it will notify you and may return the application.

Do you get a chance to fix gaps before the decision?

Usually yes, and ignoring that chance is itself a common cause of refusal. At nomination stage, the procedural guidance requires officers to request further information in writing and gives the sponsor 28 days to respond, with an extension available for a reasonable reason; no response within the period can lead to the nomination being refused. At visa stage, further information can be requested under section 56 of the Migration Act 1958, and where the officer is considering adverse information against you, procedural fairness requires that you be given an opportunity to comment on it.

If the application is refused, the Department tells you in writing why, and whether you have a right to review of the decision. The application charge is not refunded on refusal.

How do you avoid these refusal reasons?

Pick the nomination type before writing the training plan, and check the occupation list and the 12-months-in-24-months experience rule for skills-improvement nominations.
Write the plan around the individual: current skills assessment, staged tasks, named supervisor, evaluation points, and at least the 70% workplace and 30 hours per week benchmarks where workplace-based training is claimed.
Keep the nomination and the visa application consistent — same occupation, same duties, same program length, and a nomination that is still valid when the visa is decided.
Front-load the easy evidence: functional English, identity pages, police certificates, health insurance for the full period, and funds.
Treat any request for more information as part of the assessment, and respond within the stated period.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Subclass 407 a work visa?

No. It lets you visit Australia to do workplace-based training to improve your skills, or to complete a professional development program, and the official page states it is not for ongoing work in Australia. You may be granted a stay of up to 2 years, and the visa cannot be extended.

Can I apply for the visa while my nomination is still pending?

Not as a rule. Your sponsor must be approved as a temporary activities sponsor and, unless it is an Australian Commonwealth Government agency, its nomination must be approved before you apply for the visa. Commonwealth agencies don't need to nominate, but their sponsorship must be approved first.

What English level does the 407 require?

Functional English. Evidence can be an approved test score, two years of full-time English-taught study, a valid passport from the UK, Canada, New Zealand, the US or Ireland, or an assessment at interview; the required test scores are set by the relevant legislative instrument, so confirm the current one.

Can I switch sponsor or training program after the visa is granted?

Training with another organisation means that organisation must sponsor you and lodge a new nomination; once it is approved you can train with them for the time left on your visa. If you stay with the same sponsor but change the training program, they must lodge a new nomination and you will then need a new visa application.

Will I get my visa fee back if I'm refused?

No. The Department states it will not refund the application charge if the application is refused. The written decision sets out the reasons for refusal and whether you have a right to review.

How long will a 407 decision take?

The official page points to the global visa processing times guide tool, which shows times for recently decided applications and is a guide only, not specific to your case. Applications take longer if they are filled in incorrectly, documents are missing or more information is needed, or information has to be verified — and they cannot be processed at all if the correct charge isn't paid.