407 Visa Refused? ART Review and Your Other Visa Options
Updated: 30 September 2026
A 407 visa refusal does not always end your plans in Australia.
Depending on which stage was refused and where you applied, you may be able to:
ask the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) to review the decision
apply for a different visa, such as a Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa or a Subclass 186 visa
in some cases, do both at the same time.
Timing decides which options stay open. You have 28 days to apply to the ART for most migration decisions, and the ART cannot extend that deadline.
Key takeaways
A "407 refusal" can mean your employer's nomination was refused, or your visa application was refused. Each one has different options.
If the nomination was refused, your sponsor (not you) applies to the ART for review.
The ART deadline is 28 days after you are notified of the decision, or 14 days if you are in immigration detention.
If your 407 visa is refused while you are in Australia and you do not hold another substantive visa, section 48 stops you from applying for a 482 or 186 visa from inside Australia. While your 407 visa is still pending, section 48 does not yet apply because of the 407.
Your decision letter tells you whether you have review rights, who can apply and the exact deadline. Read it first.
What does a 407 visa refusal mean?
The Training visa (subclass 407) involves three separate decisions by the Department of Home Affairs:
Sponsorship. Your organisation applies for approval as a temporary activities sponsor.
Nomination. Your sponsor nominates you for a training position.
Visa application. You apply for the 407 visa itself.
A refusal can happen at any of these stages. You need to know which one was refused, because the review rights and your next steps differ. This guide focuses on nomination and visa refusals. If the Department refused the sponsorship itself, your organisation should check its own decision letter for review rights.
The process changed on 11 March 2026. According to Home Affairs, new applicants can now only make a valid 407 visa application after the sponsor is approved and the nomination is approved.
Before 11 March 2026, applicants could lodge the visa application at the same time as the sponsorship and nomination. If you lodged under the old process, you may have a refused nomination while your visa application is still waiting for a decision.
What are your options after a 407 refusal?
You usually have four options. Some of them work together.
Option 1: Apply to the ART for review. The ART looks at the decision again, and you can give it new documents and information.
Option 2: Apply for a different visa. An employer may be able to sponsor you for a 482 or 186 visa instead. Section 48 decides whether you can do this from inside Australia.
Option 3: Do both. You can keep the ART review running while you pursue another visa, as long as section 48 does not block the new application.
Option 4: Start again with a new nomination. Your sponsor can lodge a new nomination that fixes the problems in the refused one, such as a weak training plan. If your 407 visa was refused in Australia, section 48 also stops you from lodging a new 407 visa application from inside Australia.
If none of these options fits your situation, plan your departure before your current visa or bridging visa ends.
Nomination refused vs visa refused: what is the difference?
Nomination refused (stage 2).
The Department refused your sponsor's nomination of your training position. The decision is about the sponsor's application, so under regulation 4.02 of the Migration Regulations 1994, the person who made the nomination applies for review. That is your sponsor, not you.
Visa refused (stage 3).
The Department refused your 407 visa application. The decision is about you, so you are the person who applies for review, if review rights apply.
Being nominated is a requirement for the 407 visa, unless your sponsor is a Commonwealth Government agency, as the Home Affairs 407 visa page confirms. Without an approved nomination, you cannot meet that requirement.
Your nomination was refused and your visa application is still pending
This situation mostly affects applications lodged before 11 March 2026. Two things matter here.
Your review rights depend on the nomination review. Under section 338(2)(d) of the Migration Act 1958, a 407 visa refusal is only reviewable if, at the time of refusal, you are in an approved nomination, or an ART review of the nomination refusal (or of a sponsorship refusal) is still pending. If your sponsor does not apply for nomination review in time, a later visa refusal may have no review rights.
Section 48 does not yet apply because of the 407. Section 48 only starts once a visa is refused. While your 407 visa application is still pending and you hold a Bridging visa A, you can lodge a 482 or 186 application in Australia if you meet its requirements. This assumes no other visa application of yours has been refused since you last entered Australia.
Your nomination was refused and you have not lodged a visa application
This situation applies under the process in place since 11 March 2026.
No visa application means no visa refusal, so section 48 does not apply because of the 407.
You also do not get a bridging visa from the 407. Home Affairs states that applicants in Australia must hold a valid visa while the sponsorship and nomination are processed.
Your sponsor can apply to the ART for review of the nomination refusal, or lodge a new nomination.
Do you have the right to ART review?
Your decision letter answers this question. Home Affairs states that it will tell you why it refused your visa and whether you have a right to review. The ART also says your decision letter will tell you whether it can review the decision and who can apply.
For a 407 visa refusal, review rights generally need all of the following:
you applied for the visa while in Australia
you were not in immigration clearance when the Department made the decision
at the time of refusal, you were in an approved nomination, or an ART review of the nomination refusal (or of a sponsorship refusal) was pending.
For a 407 nomination refusal, the sponsor who made the nomination has the review right.
When you read the letter, check:
whether the decision is reviewable
who can apply for review
the time limit
the date the letter treats as your notification date.
What is the deadline to apply to the ART?
Section 347 of the Migration Act 1958 sets the time limits:
28 days after you are notified of the decision, for most applicants
14 days if you are in immigration detention on the day you are notified.
The ART has no power to extend these time limits. If you miss the deadline by one day, the ART cannot review the decision.
The deadline runs from the day you are notified of the decision. Your decision letter states the exact time limit that applies to you.
ART fee. The ART application fee for most migration decisions is AUD 3,727. The same fee applies to reviews of nomination refusals.
How does the ART review a 407 refusal?
The ART reviews the merits of the decision. It does not only check whether the Department followed the correct process. It looks at the case again and decides whether the refusal was the right outcome.
You can give the ART new documents and information at any time during the review. This matters for 407 refusals, because many refusal reasons are general, and a stronger case often needs better evidence.
Common 407 refusal reasons include:
no genuine training need
a weak or generic training plan
training that looks like regular employment.
Read more in 5 reasons 407 training visa applications fail.
At the ART, you and your sponsor can respond directly to the reasons in the refusal letter. For example, you can provide:
a revised, structured training plan with clear outcomes
evidence of how the training relates to your current occupation, study or field
evidence that the training is separate from normal work duties.
For the full review process, possible outcomes and processing times, see our guide to ART visa refusal review in Australia.
Can you stay in Australia while the ART reviews your case?
Usually, yes, if you hold a Bridging visa A for your 407 application.
A Bridging visa A lets you stay lawfully until your visa application is "finally determined". Under section 11A of the Migration Act, an application is not finally determined while an ART review is running.
Check your bridging visa conditions in VEVO. The conditions of your bridging visa still apply during the review.
Can you apply for a 482 or 186 visa instead?
Often, yes, but timing decides whether you can apply from inside Australia.
Both the 482 and the 186 visa need an employer to nominate you for a position. Each visa also has its own occupation, skills and English requirements. Check whether your occupation fits using RACC's skilled occupation list tool.
Where you can apply from
Under Schedule 1 of the Migration Regulations 1994, you can apply for a 482 or 186 visa from inside or outside Australia. If you apply in Australia, you must hold one of these:
a substantive visa
a Bridging visa A, B or C.
How section 48 affects you
Section 48 of the Migration Act 1958 applies if all of the following are true:
you are in Australia
you do not hold a substantive visa
your visa application was refused after you last entered Australia.
If section 48 applies, you can only apply in Australia for the visa types listed in regulation 2.12. The 482 and 186 visas are not on that list. The bar applies even while your ART review is pending.
Visas that are on the regulation 2.12 list include:
Subclass 190 and 491 skilled visas
partner visas
protection visas
bridging visas.
What this means in practice
Your 407 visa is still pending: You can lodge a 482 or 186 application in Australia now, while you hold your Bridging visa A.
Your 407 visa was refused in Australia: You cannot lodge a 482 or 186 application from inside Australia. You can apply from outside Australia, or apply for a visa on the regulation 2.12 list if you are eligible, such as a 494.
You hold another substantive visa: Section 48 does not apply to you.
Planning longer term? Our 407 to 482 to 186 pathway guide explains how these visas connect.
Should you appeal, apply for another visa, or both?
Your best option depends on what was refused and where you are. These scenarios are a starting point, not a substitute for advice on your own case.
Your nomination was refused and your 407 visa is still pending
Your sponsor should consider applying to the ART for review of the nomination refusal within 28 days. This protects your review rights if the visa is later refused.
If an employer can sponsor you for a 482 or 186 visa, consider lodging it now, before your 407 visa is decided and section 48 applies.
Your 407 visa was refused while you were in Australia
Check your decision letter for review rights and the deadline.
If you have review rights, the ART lets you present new evidence. If you hold a Bridging visa A, you can usually stay in Australia during the review.
Unless you hold another substantive visa, a 482 or 186 visa is only available from outside Australia. A 494 visa is still possible from inside Australia if you are eligible.
Your nomination was refused and you have no visa application
Your sponsor can apply for ART review of the nomination, or lodge a new, stronger nomination.
Make sure you hold a valid visa while you wait.
A different employer wants to sponsor you
Home Affairs states that the 407 visa is not meant to fill workforce shortages. If your role is ongoing work rather than training, a 482 or 186 visa may fit better.
Check section 48 first if you are in Australia and any visa of yours has been refused.
Frequently asked questions
Can I appeal a 407 visa refusal?
Often, yes. If you applied for the visa in Australia, you may be able to apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). For a 407 visa, you also need an approved nomination, or a pending ART review of the nomination or sponsorship refusal, at the time of refusal. Your decision letter confirms whether you have review rights.
How long do I have to appeal a 407 refusal?
You have 28 days after you are notified of the decision, or 14 days if you are in immigration detention. These limits come from section 347 of the Migration Act 1958. The ART cannot extend them, so check your notification date and lodge early.
Who applies for review if my 407 nomination was refused?
Your sponsor does. A nomination refusal is a decision about the sponsor's application, so the Migration Regulations give the review right to the person who made the nomination. You apply for review only if your visa application itself is refused.
Can I apply for a 482 visa after a 407 refusal?
Yes, but where you apply from matters. If your 407 visa was refused while you were in Australia and you hold no substantive visa, section 48 stops you from applying for a 482 inside Australia. You can still apply from outside Australia. If only your nomination was refused and your visa is still pending, you can apply in Australia while you hold a Bridging visa A, provided you meet the 482 requirements.
Can I stay in Australia while the ART reviews my 407 refusal?
Usually, yes. A Bridging visa A lets you stay until your visa application is finally determined. Under the Migration Act, that does not happen while the ART review is running. Your bridging visa conditions still apply.
Do I get my 407 visa application fee back if I am refused?
No. Home Affairs does not refund the visa application charge when it refuses a 407 visa. Under the rules in place since 11 March 2026, a 407 visa application lodged before the nomination is approved is invalid. In that case, Home Affairs refunds the charge.
Get advice on your 407 refusal
A 407 refusal comes with short deadlines and choices that are hard to undo. Applying for the wrong visa at the wrong time can close off options you still have today.
RACC's registered migration agents can:
read your decision letter and confirm your review rights and deadline
help you and your sponsor prepare an ART review
check whether you are eligible for a 482, 186 or 494 visa.
Related guides:
This page is general information only and is not migration or legal advice. Visa rules and fees change. Speak with a registered migration agent about your circumstances before you make a decision.
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