This visa is for people who want to travel to Australia to:

• do short-term, highly specialised, non-ongoing work
• in limited circumstances, participate in an activity or work relating to Australia’s interests. ​

Generally the stay period allowed is up to three months but up to six months may be considered in limited circumstances if supported by a strong business case.

You must:

• be invited, or supported, by the organisation you will be working for
• have specialist skills, knowledge or experience that is needed but cannot be found in Australia

Length of stay

While you are in Australia, you must be able to support yourself and your family members who come with you to Australia. You might be asked to provide evidence of funds.

Processing time vary.

The Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa (subclass 400) is a temporary visa that lets you enter Australia to:

• do short-term, highly specialised, non-ongoing work
• in limited circumstances, participate in an activity or work relating to Australia’s interests.

When lodging your subclass 400 visa application, you will need to allow time for the application to be processed, taking into account the date you are intending to travel to Australia.

From 19 November 2016, the Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa (subclass 400) no longer includes an Invited Participant stream.

This Visa let’s you:

1. stay in Australia while your visa is valid (generally up to three months, but up to six months may be allowed in limited circumstances)
2. do short-term, highly specialised, non-ongoing work for which you were granted the visa
3. in limited circumstances, participate in an activity or work relating to Australia’s interests
4. bring members of your family with you to Australia, if they meet the requirements for including family members in your application. Your family members will not be allowed to work in Australia.

Combining a holiday with your intended work or activity may be allowed if the holiday is of short term duration and secondary to the main purpose of your visit.

• Limitations on your work or activity
• Course of study
• Workplace-based training
• Working in the entertainment industry
• No further stay

Generally this visa is granted for up to three months, but depending on your work or activity a longer period of up to six months might be allowed in limited circumstances.

We will assess how long you can stay based on your individual circumstances. Your visa will be valid during the stay period you have been granted, which will commence from the date you first enter Australia.

You must arrive in Australia within six months of the date the visa is granted, or within a shorter time-frame if granted.

Each family member you want to bring with you to Australia must be included in your visa application.

These family members must meet the requirements for including family members in your application.

Your family members will need to lodge their own application for this or another visa if:

• you do not include them in your visa application or
• they want to work in Australia or
• if you are a highly specialised worker and they want to study towards a formal qualification in Australia (except a language training programme).

You and your family must comply with all visa conditions and Australian laws.

You must do only the work or activities for which your visa was granted.

You will need to lodge a new application for this visa if you want to:

• participate in a different activity or activities than you listed in your application
• work for an organisation that is not one of the organisations you identified in your application.