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Subclass 403 visa, for work under government arrangements.
The 403 covers work that exists because of an arrangement between governments: the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, government agreements, foreign government agencies, diplomatic domestic workers, international representatives, and the MATES scheme for Indian graduates. We help workers, PALM employers and supporting organisations get the application right.
Who we help with 403 visas
The 403 is not one visa but six different arrangements. Getting the stream and the support letter right is most of the work.
I am a Pacific or Timor-Leste worker
PALM placements are arranged through approved Australian employers. We check your application, whether family can be included under the long-term family accompaniment pilot, and what happens when your contract ends.
I am an Australian employer in PALM
We help approved PALM employers with temporary activities sponsorship, worker applications and their ongoing obligations, including the condition that limits workers to their sponsor (8611).
I work for a government, agency or diplomatic household
Government Agreement, Foreign Government Agency, Privileges and Immunities and Domestic Worker applications each turn on the right support letter. We make sure it says what the law requires.
The six 403 streams
Each stream has its own support requirement, stay period and rules on family. These are summaries; the criteria for your stream are confirmed before you apply.
Pacific Australia Labour Mobility
For citizens and residents of PALM countries placed with an approved Australian employer.
- Employer must be an approved PALM employer and a temporary activities sponsor
- Short-term placements up to 9 months, long-term placements up to 4 years
- The first visa is granted outside Australia; a current or recent PALM worker may be in Australia at grant
- Work only for the sponsor, or under an arrangement endorsed by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme
For Indian passport holders aged 18 to 30 who graduated in a specified field from an eligible Indian institution, and who are selected in the ballot.
- Apply from outside Australia after selection
- Stay up to 2 years from first entry
- No employer sponsor needed
- Family members may be included
Government Agreement
Work under a bilateral agreement between an Australian government and a foreign government.
- Support from the parties to the agreement
- Apply in or outside Australia
- Family may be included where the agreement allows
Foreign Government Agency
Representatives of a foreign government agency without official status, and foreign language teachers employed by a foreign government.
- Support letter from the foreign government or agency
- Apply in or outside Australia
- Family may be included
Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular)
Full-time domestic work in the household of a diplomatic or consular officer who holds a Subclass 995 visa.
- Applicant must be 18 or over, with DFAT support
- The first visa is applied for and decided outside Australia
- Family members cannot be included
Privileges and Immunities
International representatives entitled to privileges and immunities under Australian law.
- DFAT support required
- No visa application charge
- Family may be included
What a 403 visa costs
Visa application charges are set by the Migration Regulations and increase each financial year. These are the charges in force from 1 July 2026.
| Stream | Main applicant | Each additional applicant 18 or over | Each applicant under 18 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government Agreement | AUD 470 | AUD 470 | AUD 120 | Family where the agreement allows |
| Foreign Government Agency | AUD 470 | AUD 470 | AUD 120 | The Department says there may be no charge for some diplomatic, official or service passport holders |
| MATES | AUD 470 | AUD 470 | AUD 120 | After ballot selection |
| Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) | AUD 470 | Not applicable | Not applicable | Family cannot be included |
| PALM | AUD 365 | AUD 355 | AUD 85 | Family only under the long-term family accompaniment pilot |
| Privileges and Immunities | Nil | Not applicable | Not applicable | DFAT support required |
Charges from the Department of Home Affairs visa pricing table updated 1 July 2026 and the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026, checked 2 October 2026. Pacific and Timor-Leste passport holders pay a reduced charge in the streams other than PALM; the Department visa pricing estimator gives the exact figure for your passport. Charges exclude health checks, police certificates and our professional fees, and are confirmed for your matter before lodgement.
The criteria in plain English
Every one of these is assessed on evidence. We build the file so that each is answered before the case officer asks.
- Support from the right body for your stream: an approved PALM employer, the parties to a government agreement, a foreign government or agency, or DFAT
- For MATES, selection in the ballot and the age, qualification and passport requirements
- A genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily for the purpose of the visa
- Health and character requirements, and health insurance for your stay where the visa requires it
- A satisfactory immigration history, including compliance with any previous visa conditions
- Family members, where they can be included, meet their own health and character requirements
The law we apply
Subclass 403 is set out in Part 403 of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), with the application requirements in item 1234 of Schedule 1.
Visa conditions are in Division 403.6 and Schedule 8. Conditions 8303 and 8501 apply in every stream for the main applicant, and condition 8503 (No Further Stay) may be imposed. PALM workers are subject to condition 8611, which limits work to their sponsor or a Department-endorsed arrangement.
Charges were increased from 1 July 2026 by the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026.
Checked 2 October 2026 against the current compilation of the Regulations and the Department of Home Affairs visa pages.
How we prepare a 403 application
Every matter runs under a written agreement that sets out the work and the fee before anything begins.
Confirm the stream
We match your work to the right stream and check that the support or sponsorship it needs is in place.
Support and sponsorship
We check the support letter or sponsorship against what the law requires, and fix gaps before lodgement.
Application and evidence
We prepare the application, identity, health and character evidence, and family details where family can be included.
Grant and compliance
We explain the conditions on your grant, including any No Further Stay condition, and what you can and cannot do next.
Why 403 applications run into trouble
These are the issues that most often decide this visa. We raise them with you at the first consultation, not after lodgement.
Wrong stream or support letter
A support letter that does not match the stream, or is missing details the regulation requires, is the most common avoidable problem.
Condition 8503 on the grant
If No Further Stay is imposed, most further visa applications in Australia are not possible unless the condition is waived first.
Working outside the approved activity
Working for anyone other than the sponsor, or outside the approved arrangement, breaches a visa condition and can lead to cancellation.
Family who cannot be included
Domestic workers and short-term PALM workers cannot include family. Assuming otherwise wastes time and charges.
Subclass 403 questions
Can PALM workers bring their family?
Can a PALM worker change employer?
Can I extend a PALM visa in Australia?
Who can apply for MATES?
What does condition 8503 mean?
How much does a 403 visa cost?
Get your 403 application on the right footing
Tell us which stream you are applying under, who is supporting or sponsoring you, and your passport country. We will tell you what the application needs and what to fix first.
The information on this page is general in nature, current as at 2 October 2026, and does not take account of your individual circumstances. It is not immigration assistance or legal advice. Visa criteria, charges, thresholds and processing priorities change; the requirements that apply to your matter are confirmed at the time of advice under a written agreement. No agent can guarantee a visa outcome. Migration Star, Rohit Sharma, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 1797395.