Transferring From Australia Visit Visa to other AU visa

Question

I would like to know if I go to Australia on visit visa (600), can I change to another visa (e.g. work permit-457) while I will be on visit visa inside Australia ? or Do I have to go outside of Australia and apply for a new visa ?

Answer 1

Your employer can always apply for a 457 visa onshore or offshore. But if you are given the Condition 8503 - No further stay on your visit visa, then you may have to leave the country and come back in. You can also apply for a Bridging Visa A if you do not intend to leave the country and are confident that your 457 will be granted. As always, please do take a second opinion from either an Immigration Lawyer to confirm the above.

Answer 2

Yes, you can - under certain requirements - apply for this visa inside Australia.

However, in contrast to @deppfx statement you are NOT even allowed to apply for this if you have the No further stay condition on your visa. It is not just about leaving the country and returning.

Information on visa subclass 457 is available here: https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/457-

Quotes:

[...]

You cannot apply for this visa if you already hold another visa that has a ‘No further stay’ condition.

[...]

If you apply for this visa in Australia, you could be eligible for a Bridging visa that allows you to stay in the country lawfully while your application is processed. If you are given a Bridging visa A, you can apply for a Bridging visa B (BVB) to travel outside Australia while you wait for a decision.

[...]

Information regarding the No further stay condition can be found here: http://www.border.gov.au/about/corporate/information/fact-sheets/52b-nfc

Quote:

Condition 8503 is a mandatory condition of the following visas:

1. Visitor visa (subclass 600) for the following streams:

   • sponsored family stream

   • approved destination status scheme stream operating out of the People's Republic of China

   • tourist stream for applicants who have sponsorship imposed on them

2. Training and Research visa (subclass 402) for the professional development stream only

3. Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) if you have previously held two subclass 462 visas.

You can also check if your visa contains such conditions here: http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/check-your-visa-and-work-entitlements