Research Activities 408 Visa

Research Activities 408 Visa

Subclass 408 – Temporary Activity Visa Research Activities stream allows an academic or research student to come to Australia to conduct or observe research for up to 2 years. With this visa, you can:

watch or take part in a project at a research or tertiary institution in Australia
travel to and from Australia
include members of the family unit in your application

To be eligible for this visa:

You must be invited to participate in an Australian research project either as an academic or a research student.
If you intend to stay for more than three months, you will also need to have a sponsor. If you are staying for less than three months, you will need to have a supporter.
You must be an established academic researcher, research student or recent graduate.
Meet health and character
Have adequate health insurance

Sponsorship test

The sponsor must be a research or tertiary institution lawfully operating in Australia. The institution must apply to be an approved temporary activities sponsor. They must agree to sponsor the visa applicant and any dependents applying for the same visa. In addition, the sponsor must not have adverse information about them.

Support test

The support must be a research or tertiary institution lawfully operating in Australia. The institution must provide a letter of support. The letter should include:

The institution’s letterhead
The visa applicant and any dependents
The Australian academic/supervisor
The period of research
Any resources that will be made available to the applicant

What is a research or tertiary institution?

Tertiary institution means an Australian university, college of advanced education or TAFE. As for research institution, it is defined to include both government-funded and private research institutions. Examples of research institution include CSIRO and Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.

What is an Australian research project?

Australian research project means a project that is undertaken in an Australian institution, and the research must be performed with Australian citizens and/or permanent residents. The research findings should be provided to the Australian institution upon completion.

Established academic

Academic is not defined, however usually an academic holds a title of professor or lecturer. This is not conclusive. You may be asked to provide information such as your publications to show that you are an established academic.

Research student

A research student is defined as a student of an overseas educational institution or someone who has graduated less than 12 months ago. To meet the criteria for this visa, the student must seek to undertake research that is closely related to their course.

Costs: $310

Processing times: 73 – 75 days