407 Genuine Temporary
Entrant Statement
A first-person statement written to clause 407.217 — the applicant’s compliance history, their intention to comply with the conditions this visa carries, and what takes them home.
The criterion, in its own words
Clause 407.217 of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations requires that:
Why the name matters
This is commonly called the GTE requirement, and we use that name because it is what people search for. But “genuine temporary entrant” has never been the statutory language for Subclass 407, and the distinction now has practical consequences: the Genuine Student test that replaced GTE in March 2024 applies to Subclass 500 only. A statement drafted to the student framework — or to a Ministerial Direction’s numbered factors — answers a question that was never asked of a 407 applicant.
No direction under section 499 of the Act was found governing the assessment of clause 407.217. The clause carries its own mandatory considerations, and departmental policy supplies the heads under “any other relevant matter”. That is the structure the statement follows.
Clause 407.217 “The applicant genuinely intends to stay temporarily in Australia for the purpose for which the visa is granted, having regard to: (a) if the applicant has held a substantive visa — whether the applicant has complied substantially with the conditions to which the last substantive visa, or any subsequent bridging visa, held by the applicant was subject; and (b) whether the applicant intends to comply with the conditions to which the Subclass 407 visa would be subject; and (c) any other relevant matter.”
The three mandatory considerations
Two of the three are about the applicant’s relationship with visa conditions, past and future. That is unusual, and it changes where the weight of a good statement sits.
Previous visa compliance. Whether the applicant complied substantially with the conditions of their last substantive visa, and any bridging visa after it. Departmental policy asks how serious any non-compliance was, how recent, and whether it was beyond the applicant’s control — so the answer is a narrative, not a yes or no.
Intention to comply with the 407 conditions. The conditions this visa will carry, by number, acknowledged and addressed. For a primary applicant those are 8102, 8303, 8501 and 8516 under clause 407.611.
Any other relevant matter. Expressly open, and in practice where most of the assessment happens.
What departmental policy looks for
The Department’s released policy guidance on clause 407.217 works through three heads, the third non-exhaustively. A statement that does not address each of them leaves the delegate to supply the gap.
| Head | What the delegate is looking for |
|---|---|
| Previous visa compliance | Conditions complied with, departures before visas ceased; and for any breach, its seriousness, its recency, and whether it was within the applicant’s control |
| Intention to comply | That the applicant understands and accepts the conditions — and that their main purpose is training rather than work |
| Home-country circumstances | Economic, employment, financial and family circumstances that would encourage return |
| Ties to Australia | Family and other reasons to remain, and why the applicant nonetheless intends to leave |
| Reasons not to train at home | Sound reasons the training cannot be undertaken in the home country |
| Programme integrity | Nothing indicating the visa is used to circumvent the migration program or to maintain ongoing residence |
“Main purpose is work rather than training” is the head to take most seriously. It is the point where the applicant’s statement and the sponsor’s training plan are read against each other. If the plan is thin on structure and the statement is warm about career prospects in Australia, the two together make the delegate’s finding for them. This is why we ask for the training plan before drafting.
What specificity looks like
Generic statements are discounted because delegates read hundreds of them, and nothing in a generic statement can be checked. What moves a discretionary assessment is detail that could only be true of this applicant.
A named employer holding the position. With a letter saying so, the role, and the date the applicant is expected back.
Financial commitments at home. A mortgage with a lender and a balance, a study loan, dependants being supported.
A role in a family business. Named, with the applicant’s actual function in it.
A registration or licence that must be completed abroad. With the body’s own requirement, which also strengthens the nomination.
Property, and who is in it. Owned or leased, and what happens to it during the stay.
Professional or community standing. Memberships, appointments, teaching roles — things that exist at home and do not travel.
What we need from the applicant
Home country, current location, and current visa status if in Australia
Every Australian visa previously held, with subclasses and dates, and whether each was complied with and departed before it ceased
Any refusal, cancellation or compliance action anywhere in the world
Employment history, and the position waiting on return
Family, property, financial and community ties at home, with the specifics rather than the summary
Any family or relationships in Australia, disclosed rather than omitted
Why the training cannot be done in the home country
The training plan, so the statement cannot be read against it
Family members apply under a parallel test
Clause 407.315 applies its own genuine-intention criterion to members of the family unit: that they genuinely intend to stay temporarily as a family member, having regard to compliance with the conditions of any previous substantive visa and any other relevant matter.
It is a shorter test than the primary one — it drops the forward-looking limb about intending to comply with the new visa’s conditions — but it is a real criterion, and a family member with their own visa history needs their own statement rather than a mention in someone else’s. Their visas carry condition 8104, limiting work to 40 hours a fortnight, and condition 8501, requiring health insurance to be maintained.
Written in the first person
The statement is the applicant’s. It is written in their voice, from their answers, and signed by them. We do not write it as a submission from an agent, because that is not what the Department is reading — and a statement in advocate’s prose signed by a trainee is itself a small inconsistency on the file.
Length is not the point. A statement that addresses each mandatory consideration and each policy head with checkable detail is usually three to five pages. One that runs longer is generally padding, and padding reads as absence.
General information, current at October 2026. This page explains clause 407.217 and the departmental policy heads as they stand, and how we document them. Zeolla Solutions prepares migration documentation, research and reports — we are not a law practice and this is not immigration advice. Your registered migration agent or lawyer advises on your matter; we build the evidence.
407 Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) Statement
Complete the form and you receive a case reference immediately. Nothing is payable until we confirm scope and price in writing.
Common questions
What is the 407 GTE requirement?
It is clause 407.217 of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations: the applicant must genuinely intend to stay temporarily in Australia for the purpose for which the visa is granted, having regard to compliance with the conditions of any previous substantive visa, whether they intend to comply with the conditions the 407 visa would carry, and any other relevant matter. “Genuine temporary entrant” is the common shorthand rather than the statutory language.
Does the Genuine Student test apply to a 407 application?
No. The Genuine Student criterion replaced GTE for Subclass 500 student visas in March 2024. Subclass 407 was untouched, and its criterion remains clause 407.217. A statement drafted to the student framework addresses the wrong test.
Can I order this without a training plan?
Yes. Attach the existing plan on the form so the statement cannot be read against it — departmental policy expressly directs officers to look for evidence that the applicant’s main purpose is work rather than training, and an inconsistency between the two documents is the usual source of it.
Does the applicant have to write it themselves?
No, but it has to be true of them, in their voice, and signed by them. We draft from their answers on the form; they review it and sign.
What if there are family members in Australia?
Disclose them. Ties to Australia is a head of consideration, not a disqualifier, and an Australian-resident partner or sibling the delegate discovers for themselves is far worse than one addressed on the first page with the reasons the applicant still intends to leave.
What if a previous visa was breached?
Address it directly. Clause 407.217(a) makes previous compliance mandatory to consider, and departmental policy asks how serious the breach was, how recent it was, and whether it was beyond the applicant’s control. Those three questions are the shape of the answer.
Which conditions does the statement have to address?
For a primary applicant, the mandatory ones under clause 407.611: 8102 (work only in relation to the approved training), 8303 (no disruptive activities), 8501 (maintain health insurance) and 8516 (continue to satisfy the criteria for grant). Others may be imposed. Clause 407.217(b) asks whether the applicant intends to comply with them, so they are addressed by number.
How long is it?
Usually three to five pages. Specificity decides the assessment, not length — a statement that addresses every consideration with checkable detail is doing its job, and padding beyond that reads as absence of substance.
Do you need the nomination to be approved first?
Not to draft, but it helps. Since 11 March 2026 the nomination must be approved before the 407 application is even valid, so the approved nomination is the thing the statement should agree with. If the nomination is approved on narrowed terms, tell us and we will adjust the statement before lodgement.
How long does it take?
10 to 12 working days as standard, or 5 to 7 working days for 30% more and 1 to 2 working days for 50% more — chosen on the form. The clock starts from a complete intake.
Often ordered with this
407 Training Plan Report
A phased occupational training plan with learning objectives, named and qualified supervision, teaching methods, assessment points and the career on return the training prepares for.
From407 Training Plan + GTE Report
The training plan and the genuine temporary entrant statement written together, so the two documents agree on every date, role and intention.
FromCase Review
A second opinion on a file before it is lodged - what the evidence supports, where it is thin, and what would strengthen it.
Quoted per case →Every Service, Every Price
All seventeen services with their prices and intake forms sit on one page.