Australia has closed an on-shore pathway long used by trainees and interns. Under the Migration Amendment (Training Visas—Application Requirements) Regulations 2026, which commenced on 12 November 2026, applicants for the Training visa (subclass 407) must be outside Australia both when they apply and when the visa is granted. The 407 visa allows sponsored training programs of up to two years for workplace skill development, professional registration or capacity-building projects. Until now, many holders of other temporary visas—particularly international students—applied on-shore to extend their stay via a 407, sometimes stringing together multiple visas. The Government says the practice undermined the visa’s “genuine training” intent and contributed to churn in low-skill jobs. By forcing offshore lodgement, officials expect to deter speculative applications and improve program integrity. Sponsors must now plan placements earlier and factor in offshore biometrics, health checks and potential processing delays. Companies with existing trainees in Australia have been advised to explore Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) or the forthcoming Skills-in-Demand visa for continuity, though these carry higher salary and labour-market-testing thresholds. Migration advisers warn that regional employers relying on 407 holders for aged-care and hospitality roles could face staffing gaps, particularly during the summer peak. They urge sponsors to lodge any final on-shore applications before the transitional window closes and to develop alternative talent pipelines. The amendment dovetails with September’s migration-reform blueprint, which targets pathways seen as enabling “endless temporary status”. Combined with new visitor-visa restrictions and student-visa integrity measures, the offshore-only rule signals Canberra’s determination to streamline the temporary-migration landscape.
Source: Federal Register of Legislation
