Australian Temporary Activity visa (Subclass 408) visa allows temporary visit to Australia for participating in short-term activities. This visa has about ten different streams for different activities and with different stay periods. Some temporary activities may also be common for multiple streams. The Department of Home Affairs recommends consultation with a registered migration agent who can assist in properly defining the proposed temporary activity and selecting the appropriate stream.

Temporary Activity Visa (Subclass 408) streams:

• Entertainment Activities
• Sporting Activities                                                                                        
• Invited for other social and cultural activity (Invited Participant)
• Special program
• Religious Work
• Australian Government Endorsed Activities
• Research activities
• Superyacht Crew
• Exchange Arrangements
• Domestic Work Executive

Common Benefits of all Temporary Activity Visa Streams

• Applicants may include family members during application and add more members after moving to Australia.
• Multiple entry is allowed; valid visa holders can leave and re-enter Australia as many times as convenient.

All visa streams have appropriate purposes, however, the 4 most commonly applied-for-streams are the Entertainment Stream, Invited Participant stream, Sporting Activities stream and Australian Government Endorsed Activities stream.

Entertainment Activities Stream

This stream is generally for professionals in the entertainment industry (actors, musicians, dancers, performance artists, television & cinema production crew, news personalities etc.) who wish to visit Australia for a short-term to participate in activities related to media and entertainment.

Stay Period: The stay period will be determined by the Department of Home Affairs based on the proposed entertainment activities by the applicant. The maximum stay period may be allowed for up to 2 years.
No visa extension is applicable for this stream.

Cost: AUD 325. Additional fees may apply for including family members.

Processing time: All visas are approved within a week to a month.

Invited for Other Social and Cultural Activity (Invited Participant) Stream

The Invited Participant visa stream is for invitees and guests who wish to take part in any social, cultural or community-centric occasion to be held in Australia. These occasions may include sporting or religious activities as well, however, depending on the importance and purpose of the sporting or religious events, visa holders may instead be more suited to apply for a Sporting Activities Stream or a Religious Work Stream respectively.

Stay Period: 3 months (maximum)

No visa extension is applicable for this stream.

Cost: AUD 325. Additional fees may apply for including family members.

Processing time: All visas are approved within a week to a month.

Sporting Activities Stream

Individuals involved in any level of sports activities (players, coach, team instructor, manager etc.) can temporarily visit Australia under this visa stream to engage with an Australian sports institution for a short-term basis.

Stay period: 2 years

Processing Time: 75% of applications approved in a month.

Australian Government Endorsed Activities Stream

This is the temporary visa for taking part in any event that is endorsed by the government of Australia. The events which come under the umbrella of government endorsement vary from time to time and can range from world-class sporting events to trade events, summits, exhibitions etc.

A special category termed as “Covid-19 event” had been included temporarily in April 2022 allowing temporary visa holders to stay a period of maximum 12 months in Australia, provided that they were unable to leave Australia after their temporary visa expired due to the closing of Australian borders during the pandemic. The Covid-19 category will be amended soon.

Stay Period: 4 years (maximum)

Processing time: 75% of visas processed in 9 months.

Other Streams of the Temporary Activity Visa

Other streams under the Temporary Activity Visa (Subclass 408) include:

• Exchange Arrangements stream for employee exchange programs between an Australian organization and foreign company
• Domestic Worker for Executives stream for foreign workers who will be doing domestic work in the living abode of senior foreign executives
• Research activities stream for foreign researchers and project staff to visit Australia to conduct research activities under the supervision of universities and organizations.

These visas are granted with a maximum stay period of 2 years and the processing times may vary from days to months to years depending on importance and valid reasoning for visa application.

It is highly recommended to seek advice from an Australian registered migration agent to select the appropriate visa stream who may also help you apply in proper terms as per your proposed temporary activity.

These are just a few of many of our celebrity clients who gave us the permission to share their visa grants in public. There are lot more. If you are planning to apply for an Australian Temporary Activity Visa, feel free to contact us today.