Frequently Asked Questions
The Temporary Activity (subclass 408) visa has several streams allowing different types of work:
- Australian Government endorsed event
- Events are specified by the government, such as sporting events, state supported events, and global pandemic events (e.g. COVID-19)
- Special program stream, to take part in:
- Cultural enrichment or community benefit programs
- Youth exchange programs
- School language assistance programs
- School-to-school interchange programs
- Religious work stream
- To work as a religious worker with a religious organisation for up to two years
- Research activities stream
- Invited participant for a social and cultural activity stream
- Sporting activities stream
- Entertainment activities stream
- Superyacht crew stream
- Exchange arrangements stream
- Domestic work for executives stream
- To work as a full-time domestic worker in certain senior foreign executives’ households for up to two years
To apply for the Temporary Activity visa, you would first need to determine which stream you would apply under, as the requirements and eligibility criteria differ. We recommend that you obtain legal advice to ensure you meet the criteria of the relevant stream.
Sponsorship
Most streams require you to be sponsored by the inviting organisation, institution or agency. Requirements will vary, such as having to be a particular type of organisation or having a program in place, or approval from the Department of Home Affairs as a Temporary Activities Sponsor.
Qualifications and/or experience
You may need to show that you have the relevant qualifications and/or experience to work for the purpose of your stay in Australia. For example, if you are working as a religious worker or as an entertainer, you will need to show you have relevant experience doing such work.
Financial means to support yourself while in Australia
Some streams will require that you have enough funds or will have an income to support yourself and any dependents that you bring with you to Australia.
The processing time for the many streams of the Temporary Activity visa was not available at the time of writing. Information on current processing times can be found on the Home Affairs website.