22 Dec A Guide to the Subclass 407 Training Visa
As an Employer-Sponsored Visa Specialist, it always blows my mind how only a few people, both other Migration Agencies and Graduate Visa holders, know about the advantages and functionalities of the 407 Training Visa. Not only do I create approximately 50+ Training Plans a year, but I am also a mentor to other Registered Migration Agents and Immigration Lawyers on the Training Visa, after articulating entry-level training positions for 10 years now and merging my recruitment and migration experience into this visa type.
What is a 407 Training Visa?
For certain occupations, you can seek a Training Visa subclass 407, to undergo work-based training or professional development under an Employer Sponsor arrangement. This temporary resident visa can be effective for a period of up to two years specifically for training purposes and is also a great opportunity for employers to use immigration to add diversity to their workforce. Unlike other Employer Sponsored Visas, the SAF does not apply to the 407 Training Visa nominations, making it an inexpensive visa option for the employer to sponsor the trainee.
A lot of people ask, “are there caveats for 407 training visas?”. The good news is that there are no caveats for the 407 visas, making it more accessible for genuine training needs. There is no caveats, nor TSMIT (Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold)
Before I commence further with what a 407 Training Visa is, we need to start with some context as to why this visa is now more popular than ever.
The rise in popularity of the 407 Training Visa
In 2018, the skilled occupations list was changed and it was the biggest cut that we had seen in 24 years. It went from 651 occupations down to 435 occupations. It’s about a third of occupations and with the change that the 457 was no longer available, the new 482 visa had a higher barrier to entry as you have to have at least two years of experience to be eligible. A lot of people were not eligible for the 482 visas, but they were eligible for the 407 visas. A lot of people thought, “Well, I’m eligible to apply for a 407 visa. I will just apply for it.”
The trouble is you need to be getting genuinely trained into a role. Who’s going to be doing the training? Are the supervisor and trainee eligible to do the training as well? These are important questions that need to be considered.
Practical examples of the 407 Training Visa
An example is Marketing Specialists, a popular occupation that is now on the short-term list. A lot of people are just trying as a marketing specialist under a 407 Training Visa, but say, if you’ve been in the business for a year or two, and then you’re doing a training visa, well, what are you getting trained in? What are you doing differently? What will you be learning and upskilling in every single day?
Another example is telecom engineers. Typically, telecom engineers on an NBN project, they’re going out to sites by themselves. A 482 visa would make sense because you’re working for several years in different homes and installing the NBN. But as a training capacity, if you’re going out there by yourself, who’s training you? What are you learning? Stuff like that. Just be very careful with the 407 visas. Yes, you might be eligible, but get some professional advice.
A third and classic example are Chefs. Many Registered Migration Agents and Immigration Lawyers ask me if Chef is a possible option for a 407 Training Visa, and I say that it is a yes/no answer. Keeping in mind that the Chef is the top-most person in the kitchen, if a small restaurant operation wants to sponsor a Chef (which may have the visa applicant as a Chef, two Cooks, and a Kitchen Hand in the operations), then who is going to be the person who trains the Chef on this visa? On the other hand, the larger operations such as large fine dining and corporate caterers you find at stadiums and convention centres, these operations have multiple stations (eg grill station, larger station, etc) and various tiers of Chef’s, and therefore a perfect example for this visa. There truly is no simple answer for what businesses are suitable to sponsor you for your 407 Training Visa, hence it is worth reaching out for a free initial consultation for tailored advice.
Considerations for your 407 Visa Training Plan:
These are the questions that I go through with all of my 407 Training Visa consultations, as they form the basis of the Training Plan, which is the crux of the entire process.
The first question I ask someone, is the proposed duration. The visa can be granted up to two years in duration, but you’ve got to ask yourself how long the proposed training I have, how long, realistically, would it go for? It might be only six months needed to enhance your skills, or three months needed to be able to register if that’s the purpose it’s for. You’ve got to ask yourself, just because I can be granted the visa for up to two years, what will be the actual period that will grant an approval?
The next one is, what’s the occupation that you’re upskilling to? The common one I have are chefs that are getting upskilled to become sous chefs or head chefs. You’ve got to ask yourself; will it be a new occupation that you’re getting upskilled into?
The next one I ask, who is the trainer and what is their suitability to be a trainer? Someone’s got to be training you in the business for the 407 Training visa, but how suitable and qualified is the trainer? If they’ve only got two months more experience than yourself, and they’ve never really trained someone before, they’re not really as suitable as someone who’s got 20 years of experience in the industry. When I say their qualifications and their experience, I mean not as a paid trainer or a facilitator, I mean as the person to mentor you and upskill you for that role.
The next one I go through, what the salary will be. Think about this in advance. It might be something you need to speak to with your employer or perspective employer.
The next one is why the company is hiring this position and how will it benefit the company. It’s not just going to have a benefit to yourself that you are getting trained, but what benefit does the business get out of it? Is it that they get to retain a really good staff member in yourself? Is it a good way of upskilling someone internally rather than hiring externally? That’s something that you definitely need to consider and hash out from the start.
The next question I go to is that you look through the ANZSCO code for your occupation and you look through exactly what details and dot points you’re competent and proficient in right now. Then you find out from looking at it, okay, which dot points am I not so proficient in? Those will become the crux of what you’ll be trained into. You need to start thinking of these things now if you are thinking about being eligible for this visa.
Next, you go through, what the employer is currently doing to train their staff? Is it just they’re magically out of nowhere, never trained anyone, but they’re going to hire you on a training visa? Go through with the employer what they’ve done before.
The next one and I think it’s very important as well, is has that employer ever had an Australian citizen or permanent resident in that occupation, or of the potential traineeship that you’re doing? Has there ever been an Australian citizen or resident doing that? That’s something as well that needs to be highlighted in the application when you’re going through it. It might be that you’re just looking because you’re eligible for a 407 visa. I’ve done a video on this before. Just because you’re eligible doesn’t mean that we get approved. You need to look at these training circumstances and as you can see, majority of them are on the business as well, not just yourself as a potential trainee.
Ask those questions of yourself, and ask those questions of an employer. If you think there’s definitely still an opportunity there for a 407 Training visa for you, please get in contact with me.
No two Training Plans are the same!
No two training plans can be the same because the unique requirement is that every training plan and every training nomination for the 407 Visa must be unique to the individual nominee.
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