To be eligible for this visa you must have specialised skills, knowledge or experience that can assist Australian business or be required in Australia for exceptional circumstances of national importance. Applicants will be required to show that their work or activity is short term and non-ongoing in nature, that they need to be in Australian to complete the work or activity, that they have the personal attributes or an employment background relevant to the work or activity, that they have enough money to support yourself and your accompanying family members while you are in Australia, have the support of the organisation for which you will be working or which invited you to Australia and meet the health and character requirements.
You must be outside Australia when you apply for this visa and at the time your visa application is decided. When a subclass 400 visa is granted, it will be a single entry visa or a multiple entry visa. If a visa applicant leaves Australia on a single entry 400 visa, they will be required to re-apply if they want to re-enter Australia. If an applicant foresees they will be required to make return visits to Australia, they should include this in their application.
Generally, visa holders cannot undertake any work based training or study during their time in Australia, language training is exempt. Visa applicants may include eligible family members on the application. Family members are not able to work whilst in Australia.
If an applicant intends to seek a subclass 400 visa on the grounds of highly specialised work they need to display that they have the specialised skills, knowledge or experience to assist an Australian business that cannot reasonably be found in the Australian labour market.
Highly specialised workers will generally be in an occupations listed in the 1-3 of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) and involve skills and knowledge specific to an international company.
The subclass 400 allows no more than three months stay in Australia in any 12 month period. This can be one visit for three months or a number of visits over 12 months. This will be determined by the provisions attached to the visas and whether you are allowed single entry or multiple entries.
In very limited circumstances, the subclass 400 visa can be granted for person who are engaging in an activity identified as being of national significance. Emergency workers after a natural disaster would qualify for this visa. During the application for this visa, a letter of support will be required from an Australian Commonwealth, state or territory emergency authority.