Visa 408 Temporary Activity in Australia

Temporary activity visa (subclass 408)

This free temporary visa allows you to stay in Australia to work if you are employed in one of the critical sectors.

To apply for the 408 visa, you must work in areas such as:

Health care.
Disability.
Elderly care.
Child care
The Agriculture.

It is important that to apply for the 408 visa, you have a temporary visa and do not have options to return to your country of origin. Your visa must be 28 days or less since it ceased to be valid, or have a visa that has not been more than 28 days since it ceased to be active.

If you do not comply with the aforementioned, you will not be eligible for this visa.

With the 408 visa, it is expected to supply the need for workers in critical sectors, since labour has been required during these times of coronavirus.

Frequent Questions

What can I do with the 408 visa?

With this visa, you can:

– Stay in Australia to work in the critical sectors of agriculture, food processing, healthcare, elderly care, disabled or child care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
– Stay in Australia if you have no other visa options and cannot leave Australia due to current travel restrictions due to COVID-19
Include in the application, the members of your family unit who are with you in Australia. Family members applying for the visa with you must also meet the health and character requirements.

If you are granted the visa, the Department of Internal Affairs will send you a letter of notification of the grant, where you can find the grant number of the visa. With this number, you will be able to access your visa registration digitally, since your visa will be digitally linked to your passport.

What are the eligibility criteria for the 408 visa?

– You must be in Australia.
– Have a valid visa or if your last visa expired, it has to be less than 28 days ago.
– Being able to support yourself and your dependents.
– You must have enough money to support yourself and your family members who have traveled to Australia with you.
– You and any member of your family must meet the health requirements, so you must undergo a medical check-up.
– You and your family members over 16 years of age who apply for the visa with you, must meet the character requirements.
– Have adequate medical insurance for your stay in Australia if you have not already obtained it.
– Be a genuine temporary participant.
– If you owe money to the Australian Government, you must pay or make a formal agreement to return it.
– Not having had a cancelled visa or a previous application rejected, since you may not be eligible for the 408 visa. Check if the cancellation of the visa affects you.
– If you are over 18 years of age, you must acknowledge the Statement of Australian Values which confirms that you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws when applying for a visa.

How long can I stay in Australia?

Given the situation due to COVID-19, this visa is granted with:
– An additional stay of up to 12 months if you work in those critical sectors of agriculture, food processing, healthcare, care for the elderly, disabled or infants.
– An additional stay of up to 3 months if your departure from Australia is currently delayed by COVID-19 travel restrictions.
– Your visa grant letter, which will tell you how long you can stay.

If your temporary activity visa is about to expire, you can apply for a new 408 visa to stay in Australia if you continue to meet the eligibility requirements.

Know that if you apply outside of Australia, you will not meet the requirements for this visa, and it will be rejected. Only those who remain within the country will be able to apply.

What is the cost of the subclass 408 temporary activity visa?

There is no cost to apply for a COVID-19 pandemic event visa. However, you may have to pay a fee for health checks, police certificates, and biometrics.

When applying, you must select “yes” in the question of granting the visa application fee in the application and select the option “Nil VAC”.

This visa will only be granted to people who are in Australia.

What are the obligations with the 408 visa?

You and your family must comply with all Australian laws and visa conditions. They must follow all public health instructions to stay safe and help fight COVID-19.
To get the 408 visa, you must meet the health and character requirements, have health insurance, be able to support yourself and your dependents, and be a bona fide temporary participant.
Your activities must not harm the work, training, or working conditions of Australian citizens or permanent residents.
If you are granted a temporary activity visa up to 12 months to work in a critical sector, you must continue to work in the critical occupation and the position for which you were granted the visa.
You may be allowed to work in the same critical occupation for a different employer, but you must notify the Department of any employment changes by completing a Notice of Changes in Circumstances (Form 1022)
Workers who came to Australia under the Seasonal Worker Program will only be able to work for their Approved Employer. Any job change must be approved by the Department of Education, Skills, and Employment (DESE).

What are the jobs in critical sectors covered by the 408 visa?

Within the critical sectors are the following occupations:
Medical assistance, care for the disabled, and care for the elderly
Doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, health and social care and care workers on the front lines, including volunteers. Support staff specialized in the Australian health and social care sector. Workers in the health and social care supply chain, including producers, distributors of medicines, medical equipment, and personal protection.

Childcare
Nursing and teaching personnel, social workers, and specialized education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response.

Farming
Workers in the production, processing, distribution, sale, and delivery of food, as well as those that are essential for the supply of other goods (medicines, household hygiene products, veterinarians, etc.).

Step by step to apply for the temporary activity visa (subclass 408)

It is important that before applying for the 408 visa, you know all the conditions and eligibility criteria that you must meet to apply for it.

You must obtain a positive evaluation of both qualifications and employment so that you can apply for your skilled visa.

Step 1

For your immigration process to be carried out with total success, it is important that you allow yourself to be advised by a registered immigration agent. At Visado, we help you manage your application. However, you can do this on your own if you wish.

When filling out the forms you must inform if you will receive immigration assistance and who will act on your behalf.

Step 2

You will need to gather your documents, which will be evidence to support your request.

The information you provide must be accurate, because if you cannot prove their identity they will not immediately deny you this visa.

You will have to make a statement in which you tell how you have been affected by the travel restrictions, mentioning:

Why can’t you apply for another type of visa
Why can’t you leave Australia before your current visa expires
What actions are you currently taking to try to organize your departure as soon as travel restrictions are lifted and / or flight availability resumes
Evidence of continuous employment, if you apply for this visa to work or continue working in a critical sector.

If you apply for the 408 visa to stay in Australia to work or continue working in a critical sector, you must indicate the respective evidence of your current employment:

Confirm the dates you have been working at your job.
Confirm in which critical sector you are working.
Provide evidence that an Australian citizen or permanent resident cannot fill your position.
Give a detailed description of the position and the tasks assumed within the critical sector in which you are working or in which you will work.
Holders of a 403 visa in the Seasonal Worker Program or workers who are going to renew their 408 visa to continue working in agriculture must provide evidence of the approved employer in the Seasonal Worker Program to perform the job.
You must attach a statement stating why you cannot apply for another type of visa.

Identity documents: You must provide the pages of your passport with your photo, personal data, date of issue, and expiration date.

Financial documents: You will need to show that you can support yourself and anyone who has come to Australia with you:

An employment contract or bank statements
Evidence of your financial position from your bank or financial institution

Character documents: They will notify you if you need to present a police certificate.

Documents of your partner:

Identity and character documents, marriage certificate if applicable.

For de facto relationships, provide:

Evidence that your relationship is registered by an Australian state or territory

Documentation showing that you have been in a de facto relationship with your partner for at least 12 months prior to submitting the application

For the Married applicants, as well as de facto applicants, you will need to provide evidence that you are in a genuine and continuing relationship. Evidence may include:

Joint bank statements, billing of accounts in the name of both, joint leases or mortgages. Documents showing that your partner has lived at the same address.

Dependents under 18 documents:

Birth certificates or family book showing the names of both parents of all their dependent children.

Dependents over 18 documents:

Identity documentation, proof of relationship with the dependent, character documents. Proof of financial dependency, such as bank statements, money transfers, and rent receipts.

Prepare your documents:

All your documents must be translated into English. Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.

Legibly scan or photograph all documents (in English and other languages) in colour. If a document has more than one page, save everything as one file.

Step 3

You must apply for this visa online:

Create an account or log in to ImmiAccount.
Attach the documents.
Each member of the family must have the documents attached to your application.
If required, you must pay the fee beforehand.

Step 4

After applying, the immigration office will notify you when it receives your application. You can check if they require more information from you in ImmiAccount.

Health exams: If you did not have medical exams before submitting the application, they will inform you if they need them. Check in ImmiAccount.

Health insurance: You must have adequate medical insurance during your stay in Australia.

Biometrics: They may request biometric data (fingerprints and photo).

Attach more information: If you missed attaching any documents when you submitted the application, attach them as soon as possible in ImmiAccount.

If you made a mistake on your application, you will need to complete Form 1023 Notification of Incorrect Answers and attach it to ImmiAccount.

Step 5

They will inform you of the decision in writing. If they approve it, they will tell you:

Your visa grant number
The date your visa begins
The conditions of your visa, if applicable

If they reject your visa, they will tell you:

Why they refused the visa
If you have the right to a review of the decision

To prevent this from happening, make sure you’re guided by the experts, at Visad we are here to help you in this type of migration process so that you continue to fulfill your dreams in Australia.

Testimonials

At a time when there was a lot of uncertainty, Visado advised me to continue in Australia in the midst of the pandemic. By applying for the 408 visa I was able to stay longer performing my work as head nurse in the country.

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Angelica Rairan
Student
With this Visa I was able to continue my professional plans in Australia despite experiencing this COVID-19 situation.

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Geimer Cuellar
Student
Thanks to Visado, I continue my life in Australia, supporting the health sector in the country, by consulting with them, I was able to opt for this type of visa. They are very professional and help you throughout your immigration process.

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Madelen Saenz
Student