408 visa- Invited for other social and cultural activity

Invited for other social and cultural activity

Subclass 408 – Invited for other social and cultural activity (Invited Participant) lets you come to Australia if you are invited to participate in a community-based event, including sporting events. You and your family who travel on the visa with you can stay here for up to 3 months.

With this visa, you can

take part in a community-based event for a cultural or social activity such as a sporting, religious, artistic or academic event, or a conference
travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while your visa is valid
include members of the family unit in your visa application
You must have been invited to take part in a community-based event in Australia

Examples of cultural or social events

You might be:

an individual sportsperson or member of a sports team, or team support staff such as a manager, medic, coach, referee or official. But you are not eligible for this stream if you have been contracted to play for or coach an Australian team
a minister conducting religious services or taking part in other religious activities as the guest of an Australian religious institution
working at a religious event
an academic invited by a tertiary academic institution to lecture, hold workshops or take part in research
a public speaker or lecturer
speaking, presenting or lecturing at a trade fair, expo, exhibition, conference, workshop or seminar
an entertainer attending specific promotional events, but not performing
an artist making visual art or exhibiting your work
an author, presenting your work to an audience at a writers festival
a choreographer conducting a dance workshop that includes an unticketed closing performance

If you are a competitor in a non-sporting competition such as a dance competition, music competition, online gaming competition or student competition, you might also consider a Visitor visa.

Other visa options

Depending on your reasons for travel, another stream of this visa or a different visa might be more suitable.

The Entertainment stream must be used if you are:

an entertainer or performer working in the Australian Entertainment industry
production crew for a competition being filmed in Australia
a journalist or other media personnel covering an event for an Australian audience

The Sports stream might be more suitable if you are:

a sportsperson contracted to play for or coach an Australian sporting team
a sports trainee taking part in a high-level structured sports training program of more than 3 months

The Religious Work stream might be better for you if you are doing full-time religious work.

The Research stream might be better for you if you are invited by a tertiary academic institution to take part in research for more than 3 months.

The Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) (subclass 400) visa might be more suitable if you are:

a journalist or other media covering an event, where coverage is not intended for an Australian audience
someone else working at the event,such as a project manager or specialised construction worker

A Visitor visa might be more suitable if you are:

attending or taking part in a trade fair, expo, exhibition, religious or cultural event, conference, workshop or seminar, but you are not entertaining or being paid to contribute
an amateur sportsperson training or taking part in a recreational match
an unpaid volunteer supporting an amateur sportsperson or team

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