The Subclass 400 visa is a temporary visa permitting highly skilled individuals to enter into Australia and stay for periods of up to 3 months or 6 months in limited circumstances. A strong business case must be provided to support a stay period of stay in excess 3 months.

For longer periods of stay in Australia, the Temporary Skills Shortage Subclass 482 visa may be more appropriate depending on the circumstances.

The Subclass 400 visa may be suitable for use by:

• Australian Businesses;
• Overseas Businesses seeking to enter Australian markets;
• Individuals required to work in Australia in highly skilled and short-term roles.

To be eligible for the Subclass 400 visa, an applicant must:

• Have highly specialised skills, knowledge or experience that can assist an Australian business which cannot reasonably be found in the Australian labour market;
• Have the capacity to support themself and any dependants;
• Be a genuine visitor intending to stay in Australia temporarily;
• Have English language skills sufficient to undertake their proposed work;
• Meet public interest criteria requirements.

Proposed work for the Subclass 400 visa must be non-ongoing, which means engagement in the following circumstances:

• The proposed work is likely to be completed within a continuous period of 6 months or less;
• The applicant has not made arrangements or been given an expectation of staying in Australia for a purpose relating to the work following the end of the proposed period.

The Subclass 400 visa may only be applied for from outside of Australia.

Immigration Law Services