Fact Sheet 51 - Professional Development Visa

The Professional Development (subclass 470) visa enables people to come to Australia to undertake professional development training.  The visa is for professionals, managers and government officials. A Professional Development Program (PDP) is designed to enhance the overseas participant's professional or managerial skills and meet the needs of overseas employers. The training programs must be primarily academic in nature and consist of at least 55 per cent classroom-based tuition. The program must not exceed 18 months in duration unless exceptional circumstances are demonstrated.

There are three steps to applying for a Professional Development visa:

1. An eligible Australian organisation establishes a professional development agreement with an overseas employer.
2. The Australian organisation applies to be a professional development sponsor.
3. The approved professional development sponsor lodges visa applications on behalf of the overseas participants.

The professional development agreement

An application for approval as a professional development sponsor requires an Australian organisation or government agency to provide a completed formal professional development agreement together with the application for sponsorship.

Guidance about what to include in a professional development agreement to meet the Professional Development visa requirements is available on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's (the department) website.
See: Form 1228i – Professional Development ( 73KB PDF file)

More information

For more information on the Professional Development visa, see the sponsored training page on the department's website.
See: About this visa

If you can't find an answer to your enquiry on the website, contact the department using the Professional Development visa enquiry form.
See: Professional Development visa enquiry form

Fact Sheet 51. Produced by the National Communications Branch, Department of Immigration and Citizens

Further information is available on the department's website.
See: www.immi.gov.au

The department also operates a national general enquiries line.
Telephone: 131 881
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm (recorded information is available outside these hours).

Fact Sheet 51. Produced by the National Communications Branch, Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Canberra.
Last reviewed December 2011.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2010.