What determines the total time is rarely the preparation: it is how quickly documents arrive, whether certification or licensing recognition is required, and Departmental processing, which no adviser can commit to. This page works backwards from the date your specialist needs to be productive.
The right date
Start from the wrong date and everything after it is wrong
The date that matters is not the shutdown start date. It is the date the specialist needs to be productive on site, and between those two sit travel, site induction, competency verification, medicals and, on some rosters, a charter flight manifest that locked days earlier.
It is easy to plan to the shutdown date and lose a week you did not know you needed.
Three clocks
The three clocks running in parallel
Clock one, the visa. Triage, one document request, and lodgement once your file is complete. Then Departmental processing, which sits outside anyone’s control.
Clock two, certification and licensing. For welders, electricians, crane operators and NDT inspectors, an overseas qualification may need verification, recognition or requalification before the person can lawfully or contractually do the work. This clock can be longer than the visa clock and is often started later.
Clock three, site access. Inductions, medicals, competency verification, accommodation and transport. Short individually, cumulative in practice.
Start all three on day one. A common cause of a specialist arriving and being unable to start is that clocks two and three were not started until clock one finished.
Planning table
Working backwards: a realistic plan
| Weeks before productive date | What should be happening |
|---|---|
| 8+ | Scope and crew list drafted. Nationalities known. Certification requirements confirmed with your integrity, electrical or fabrication team. Each specialist’s visits to Australia in the last 12 months established. |
| 6-8 | Triage call. Document request issued. Business case in preparation. Licensing and recognition enquiries started. |
| 4-6 | Documents returning. Application assembled and reviewed. Site access and medicals booked. |
| 2-4 | Tight. Whether it works depends on your documents, on certification and on Departmental processing, which nobody controls. Call as soon as you know. |
| Under 2 | Call anyway. You will get an honest read rather than a maybe. |
How long a specialist can stay on a Short Stay Specialist visa (subclass 400)
Normally up to three months in any 12-month period, counting every 400 stay with any employer. Up to six months only in exceptional circumstances, on strong evidence. A specialist who has already spent time in Australia on a 400 in the last 12 months may be granted only the balance, so offshore and FIFO rosters that add up to more than three months a year need a different visa.
Our commitments
What we commit to, and what nobody can
Same-business-day triage. One document request. Lodged within two business days of a complete file. For crews, we agree the lodgement timetable at triage.
That’s how fast we work. Decisions and processing times rest with the Department of Home Affairs.
We do not commit to a grant date. The Department publishes its own processing times. What we will give you, at the triage call, is an honest read on whether your timeline is realistic.
Enquiries after 3pm AWST, on weekends or on WA public holidays are triaged the next business day.
Reviewed by a Registered Migration Agent (MARN 1686595) · Last reviewed [date]
Keep reading
Related pages
Short Stay Specialist visa (subclass 400)
The subclass 400 (Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist)) visa is for short-term, highly specialised work in Australia where the skills aren’t readily available locally.
Shutdowns & Turnarounds
Bringing overseas specialists in for a plant shutdown or turnaround. What the Subclass 400 covers, how far ahead to start, and what happens when the date moves.
Productive date under four weeks away? Call 08 6243 0379 now.
Book a 20-minute mobilisation briefing
Twenty minutes. No obligation. Direct with a Registered Migration Agent. Tell us the role, the site and the date.
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AWST