by Elaine Nunez-Caguioa
To all who are being recruited to work in Australia under Subclass 407 Training visa- Unpaid work placement.
Please exercise caution with accepting such arrangements. Ask for legal advice before signing documents. Where possible, do not accept verbal assurances of salary/allowance payments. This information is required to be clearly shown in your training contract signed by both parties.
Many Australian Businesses (Sponsors) who host trainees under the Training visa 407 still offer to pay a salary as per award wages under Fairwork Act Australia. Moreover, if you are already skilled and eligible, ask about the possibility of Sponsorship for Work visa Subclass 482 instead.
Why Work Visa subclass 482 is more advantageous:
- Employers are mandated to pay
annual guaranteed salary at minimum $53,900 AUD per annum + Super. - If the market salary rate for the role is higher than
minimum , they must pay as per market rate (equivalent to or higher than what a local Australian in the same role are getting) - Failure of Employer to comply with obligations will result in penalties imposed by
Australian Government - If coming from the Philippines, Philippine Government bodies - POEA and POLO also inspect work contracts which require their approval before coming to Australia. They also obtain IDs and details of employers so they can be held accountable.
Training Visa subclass 407
This visa is designed for those who wish to complete a workplace-based or professional development training program with a Training sponsor in Australia.
If you are offered this, know that most sponsors still offer to pay salary, even if it’s not as high as a subclass 482 holder, but at least the award rate.
If they offer unpaid work placement and ask you to sign an Immigration form 1283, I recommend not accepting it and look elsewhere if your intention is to earn a living while training.
An unpaid occupational training, in the form of an internship, is allowed under the Training 407 Visa, but its important to note that some unpaid work arrangements are lawful and others are not- depending on the nature of the arrangement, guidelines are published on the Fairwork Ombudsman website and
Visa applicants are also required to show evidence that they have adequate means to support themselves financially whilst undergoing training in Australia.
Under the Training visa, the visa holder is considered a “trainee” rather than an overseas worker so POEA/POLO could be limited in how they can assist.
I hope that this will help spread the knowledge, to stop vulnerable people from