Subclass 407 · Costs · Sequential since 11 March 2026
407 Training visa cost (2026)
Short answer: a 407 file has three separate government charges — the Temporary Activities Sponsorship, the nomination, and the visa application — plus the cost of preparing a compliant Training Plan. Claims that the 407 'requires no sponsorship or nomination fees' are simply wrong. And since 11 March 2026 the three stages are sequential: each must be approved before the next can be lodged, which changes both the budget and the timeline. Prepared by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536).
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed August 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Cost stages
- 3 — sponsorship · nomination · visa
- Sequential lodgement since
- 11 March 2026
- Visa stage processing (04 August 2026)
- 11 months · 18 months
- Training Plan — our fixed fees
- $1,000 / $2,000 / $2,800 + GST
- Plan check (existing plan)
- $500 + GST
- Consultation
- $200 + GST
The three government charges
A 407 is not one application — it is three, each with its own Department charge, and since 11 March 2026 each must be approved before the next can be lodged. Budget for all three from the start:
| Stage | Who applies | Department charge |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Temporary Activities Sponsorship One-off approval of the organisation; valid five years, covers later trainees | The sponsoring organisation | [VERIFY-1] |
| 2 · Nomination One per trainee — stands or falls on the Training Plan | The approved sponsor | [VERIFY-2] |
| 3 · Visa application Lodged only after the nomination is approved | The trainee (family members extra) | [VERIFY-3] (additional applicants [VERIFY-4]) |
[VERIFY-5: whether the Skilling Australians Fund levy applies — our understanding is the SAF levy attaches to 482/186/494 nominations, not the 407, but confirm before publishing.] Charges are set by the Department of Home Affairs and change each 1 July — confirm current amounts on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before lodging.
Sequential lodgement — why it changes the budget
Under the Migration Amendment (Training Visas—Sponsorship Requirements) Regulations 2026, in force from 11 March 2026, a 407 visa application can only be validly lodged after the sponsorship and the nomination have both been approved. The three stages that could once run concurrently are now strictly one-after-another. For cost planning this means three things: the charges fall due at different times rather than together; a refusal at an earlier stage means the later charges are never incurred (a small mercy); and a trainee's intended start date must be set from the sum of three processing queues, not one.
Realistic timelines
Old references to "28-day processing" describe the pre-March-2026 concurrent era and should be disregarded. Today: nomination processing is currently running months, not weeks, and the visa stage follows separately — Home Affairs' current published figure for the 407 visa stage alone (04 August 2026) is 50% within 11 months and 90% within 18 months. There is no published Department figure for the sponsorship and nomination stages; plan the end-to-end program around the sequential total, not the visa figure alone. See current processing times, refreshed monthly.
Professional costs
The Training Plan is the document the nomination is decided on, and the main professional cost of a 407 file. Every drafting engagement starts with a free mandatory pathway assessment; all work is delivered in editable Word. Fellow agents can order the same work white-label.
The budgeting mistakes we see
- Assuming "no sponsorship costs". The 407's sponsorship is a different class from the 482's, but it exists, it is approved separately, and it is charged separately.
- Planning the start date off the visa queue only. Since 11 March 2026 the clock runs sponsorship → nomination → visa, in that order.
- Cheap Training Plans. A template plan that draws a refusal at nomination costs the charge, the months, and usually a second preparation fee — more than a compliant plan the first time.
- Forgetting the trainee's side. Health checks, OSHC-equivalent insurance where required, and English evidence sit outside the three charges.
Budgeting a 407 program?
Tell us the occupation and the training need. You'll get a straight answer on viability, the full three-stage cost picture, and a fixed-fee quote for the Training Plan.
Ready now? Skip the form. Pick a time and talk to Keshab directly — your documents on the table, a straight answer, and a written summary afterwards. $200 + GST, credited toward your fee if you engage.
Pick a time — no enquiry needed →Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536. General information only, not migration advice. Government charges are set by the Department of Home Affairs and change at least annually; confirm current amounts before relying on them.
Questions we get asked first
Does the 407 Training visa need employer sponsorship?
Yes. A 407 visa is impossible without an employer (or organisation) that holds an approved Temporary Activities Sponsorship AND an approved nomination for the specific occupation and training program. Both carry Department application charges, and since 11 March 2026 both must be approved before the visa application can even be lodged. Any suggestion that the 407 "has no sponsorship requirements" is wrong.
What are the three cost stages of a 407?
Stage 1: Temporary Activities Sponsorship — the organisation applies to become an approved sponsor (Department charge applies; approval lasts five years and covers later trainees). Stage 2: Nomination — one per trainee, built around the Training Plan (Department charge applies). Stage 3: Visa application — the trainee's visa application charge, plus charges for any family members. Professional fees for preparing the Training Plan and applications are separate from all three.
How long does the 407 process take in 2026?
Longer than most budgeting assumes. The three stages are sequential since 11 March 2026 — sponsorship must be approved before the nomination is lodged, and the nomination approved before the visa is lodged — and nomination processing is currently running months, not weeks. Home Affairs' published figure for the visa stage alone (04 August 2026) is 50% within 11 months and 90% within 18 months. Old references to "28-day processing" describe a concurrent-lodgement era that ended in March 2026.
Who pays the 407 costs — the employer or the trainee?
Sponsorship and nomination are the sponsoring organisation's applications and their charges fall on the business; the visa application charge is usually paid by the applicant, though nothing stops an employer covering it. Cost-recovery rules differ from the 482 — get advice before agreeing who pays what.
What does the Training Plan cost to prepare?
The Training Plan is the document the nomination stands on, and the main professional cost of a 407 file. Our fixed fees: training plan only $1,000 + GST (buyable online, after a free pathway assessment — refunded in full if no pathway is viable), Core pack $2,000 + GST, Full pack (with pre-lodgement audit) $2,800 + GST, all delivered in editable Word. Already have a plan? A written Training Plan Check is $500 + GST. An initial consultation is $200 + GST.
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