Recent Update: From 11 March 2026, you will no longer be able to lodge a visa application unless the Sponsorship and Nomination applications have already been approved for the Subclass 407 visa.
Note 1: It means if your current visa is expiring and your nomination has not yet been approved, you will not be able to lodge the Subclass 407 visa application. In that situation, you may need to apply for another valid visa to remain in Australia and lodge the Subclass 407 visa application later once the nomination has been approved.
Note 2: If nomination application is refused, you will not be able to lodge the visa application. Your employer may apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) for a review of the decision. However, you will need to wait until the nomination is remitted to the Department for reconsideration and approved before you can lodge the visa application.
New Rules and Process Step by Step
Sponsorship Must Be Approved First: You can no longer lodge a 407 visa application using a sponsor who has only applied for sponsorship. The employer must already be an approved Temporary Activities Sponsor.
Nomination Must Be Approved First: A pending nomination is no longer enough. The nomination for the training program must be fully approved by the Department before the visa application can be lodged.
No More Concurrent Lodgement: Because of these two changes, the old “loophole” of lodging your sponsorship, nomination, and visa application all at once is gone. You must wait for step one to finish before moving to step two, and so on.
The Detailed Breakdown: Old Rules vs. New Rules
If you want to understand exactly how the legislation has shifted, here is a simple explanation:
1. Who Can Be the Sponsor?
The Old Rule: Previously, the sponsor listed in the visa application did not have to be fully approved yet. You could list an approved Temporary Activities Sponsor, OR someone who had simply applied to become a sponsor but was still waiting for the decision.
The New Rule: The person or business specified in the application must already be an approved Temporary Activities Sponsor.
The Impact: People who have only applied for sponsorship but are not yet approved can no longer be used to support a new visa application.
2. Nomination Requirements
The Old Rule: The system used to offer flexibility. Even if the sponsor was not yet approved (they had only applied), they could still lodge a nomination for the training program. The visa application only needed to identify that a nomination had been lodged—it did not need to be approved yet.
The New Rule: Now, all of the following must be true before the visa is lodged:
The sponsor must nominate the training program.
The nomination must already be approved.
The approval must still be valid.
The visa application must identify this approved nomination.
The Impact: A pending nomination is no longer sufficient. If you lodge a visa application without an already-approved nomination, it will not meet the legal requirements.
Summary of Key Practical Differences
Requirement
Previous Rule
New Rule (Starting Tomorrow)
Sponsor Approval
Sponsor could just be waiting for approval.
Sponsor must already be approved.
Nomination
Could be pending at the time of visa lodgement.
Must be fully approved prior to visa lodgement.
Sponsorship Types
Included older types like Professional Development.
Only Temporary Activities Sponsor.
Application Strategy
Flexible (concurrent lodgement was possible).
Strict (Must be done in sequential stages).
How Will This Impact Your Timeline?
Because you must now wait for Sponsorship Approval ➔ Nomination Approval ➔ Visa Lodgement in strict order, planning ahead is more critical than ever. You can no longer throw together a last-minute visa application to keep an employee in the country while waiting for a sponsorship to be processed.
Need help navigating these new rules?
Whether you are an employer looking to sponsor a trainee or an applicant hoping to secure a Subclass 407 visa, these changes will heavily impact your timeline. At Migration Dreamz, we can help you build a solid strategy to ensure you meet the new strict requirements without unnecessary delays.
