Invitation Letters That Actually Work: A Checklist for Australian Businesses
An invitation letter is not a courtesy. For several Australian visas it is evidence, and in some cases it is the evidence the whole application turns on. Yet most letters we see were written in ten minutes by someone who assumed the point was to confirm the visitor is welcome.
The case officer is not reading it for warmth. They are reading it to work out what the person will actually do in Australia, and whether that activity is permitted on the visa being applied for. A letter that answers the wrong question does not just fail to help. It can actively cause a refusal by describing activity the visa does not allow.
This article sets out what a strong letter contains, what the law requires where a legislative test applies, and the specific phrases that cause problems.
The letter is being read against a legal test
For some visas, the content of the letter is prescribed. Clause 408.111 of the Migration Regulations 1994 defines what it means to pass the support test, and it requires a letter of support which:
(i) identifies the event, activity or work for which the applicant seeks to enter or remain in Australia; and
(ii) sets out the duties of the applicant in relation to the event, activity or work; and
(iii) sets out the date or dates, and the location or locations, of the event, activity or work.
Three mandatory elements. Event, duties, dates and locations. A letter missing any of them does not satisfy the test.
For a Subclass 600 in the Business Visitor stream, there is no prescribed letter, but the letter is doing something arguably harder. It has to demonstrate that what the visitor will do falls inside the definition of a business visitor activity in regulation 1.03, and outside the two exclusions in paragraph (b) of that definition. Home Affairs lists an invitation from a host organisation among the documents you can provide to show the business visitor activities planned.
For a Subclass 400, the letter supports clause 400.211(2), which requires the applicant to demonstrate “that there is need for the applicant to be in Australia” to do the work, along with the highly specialised and non-ongoing requirements.
Different visas, same principle. The letter is proof of activity.
The checklist
1. Identify your organisation properly
Full legal entity name, ABN or ACN, trading name if different, registered address, and the letter on actual letterhead. Include the name, position, direct phone and email of the person signing, and make sure that person is senior enough to be committing the organisation.
2. State the visa and stream you understand the person is applying for
This sounds like the applicant’s job, not yours. Including it matters because it forces the letter to be consistent with the visa. A letter that describes hands-on work while the applicant lodges a Business Visitor stream application is a contradiction the case officer will notice before you do.
3. Describe the activity in specific, permitted terms
This is the heart of it. Say what the person will actually do, using language that maps to what the visa allows.
For a business visitor, the permitted activities are making general business or employment enquiries, investigating, negotiating, entering into or reviewing a business contract, activities as part of an official government to government visit, and participation in a conference, trade fair or seminar where the organiser is not paying them to participate.
So write “will attend contract negotiations regarding the supply agreement” rather than “will assist our team”. The first describes a listed activity. The second describes something that sounds like work.
4. Give exact dates and locations
Start and end dates, and the specific addresses or venues. Where there is an itinerary, attach it. For live performance under clause 408.229A(4), an itinerary “specifying the dates and venues for all performances” is a requirement rather than a nicety.
5. Set out the duties, not the person’s reputation
Clause 408.111 asks for the duties. A paragraph about how respected the visitor is in their field does not satisfy that, however true it is. List what they will do, day by day or session by session if the schedule is short.
6. State who is paying for what
Travel, accommodation, and whether any payment is being made to the visitor and by whom. Be accurate rather than helpful here. For a business visitor, payment by a conference organiser for participation takes the activity outside the permitted definition, so a letter that quietly omits a speaking fee is creating a much larger problem than it solves.
7. Confirm the visitor is leaving, and why
A sentence on their ongoing role overseas, and confirmation of when they return to it. This supports the genuine temporary entrant requirements that run through the temporary visa program, including clause 400.213 for the Subclass 400.
8. Say what happens to the work afterwards
For work visas, address continuity directly. If an Australian takes the task over, say so and name the handover. This supports the non-ongoing requirement in clause 400.222 and the requirement in clause 400.224 and clause 408.211 that the activity will not have adverse consequences for employment or training opportunities for Australians.
9. Sign and date it, close to lodgement
An undated letter, or one written eight months before the trip and referring to a schedule that has since changed, undercuts everything else in it.
The wording that causes refusals
These phrases appear constantly in letters, and each one tells the decision maker something unhelpful.
“Will assist our team with day to day operations.” Describes work for an Australian organisation, caught by paragraph (b)(i) of the business visitor activity definition.
“Will demonstrate and sell our products at the stand.” Selling directly to the public is caught by paragraph (b)(ii).
“We will cover a fee for their participation.” For a business visitor, payment by an organiser for participation removes the conference and trade fair carve-out in paragraph (a)(iv).
“May extend if the project requires.” Signals the engagement is not non-ongoing, and neither the Subclass 400 nor the Subclass 600 can be extended in any event.
“We hope to offer a permanent role.” Directly contradicts non-ongoing engagement and genuine temporary entry.
“Will provide ongoing support after handover.” Same problem, and it is the sentence businesses most often think is reassuring.
“To whom it may concern, we confirm [name] is a valued partner.” Contains none of the three elements the support test requires.
We look at how these play out in practice in why the Department refuses Subclass 400 applications.
Do not write anything you cannot stand behind
Two provisions make accuracy more than a matter of good practice.
Clause 400.215 requires the applicant to satisfy PIC 4020, which requires that no bogus document or “information that is false or misleading in a material particular” has been given in relation to the application. PIC 4020(2) then bars visas for three years where an applicant or a member of their family unit was refused for failing that criterion. PIC 4020(3) makes clear the criterion applies whether or not the Department found out because the applicant told them.
Your letter is information given in relation to the application. Overstating the specialisation of a role, understating the likelihood of continuing work, or describing an activity that is not what will actually happen puts the applicant at risk of a consequence that outlasts the trip by years.
Separately, section 245AC of the Migration Act 1958 makes it an offence to allow a lawful non-citizen to work in breach of a work-related condition, carrying imprisonment for 2 years or 360 penalty units, or both, with a civil penalty provision of 240 penalty units. If your letter describes attending meetings and the person then does hands-on work at your site, your own letter becomes part of the record of what you understood was happening.
A short template structure
Not wording to copy, but the shape a letter should take.
- Letterhead, entity details, date.
- Who the visitor is, and their role and employer overseas.
- The visa and stream being applied for.
- The purpose of the visit, described in permitted terms.
- The specific activities and duties, with dates and locations.
- Who is paying for travel, accommodation, and any payment to the visitor.
- Why the visit needs to happen in person and in Australia.
- What happens when the visit ends, including handover where relevant.
- Contact details of a person who can verify all of the above.
- Signature, name, position, date.
Frequently asked questions
Does the letter need to be on letterhead?
There is no rule requiring it for every visa, but a letter on letterhead from a verifiable entity with a named contact carries more weight than an unbranded document. For the support test, what matters is that the required content is there.
Can we use the same letter for repeat visits?
Rewrite it each time. The dates, activities and locations change, and clause 408.111 requires them to be set out. A recycled letter with stale detail suggests the content was never specific to the visit.
Should we mention that we hope to hire the person eventually?
If it is true and you are applying for a short stay work visa, that is a signal you have the wrong visa rather than a sentence to delete. The right response is to look at employer sponsorship instead.
What if our event changes after the visa is granted?
For the Subclass 408, changes to the times and places of engagements require permission from the Department before you make them. We cover the process in our guide for event organisers.
Who should sign the letter?
Someone with authority to commit the organisation and answer questions about the arrangements. If the Department calls the number on the letter, that person should recognise the visitor’s name and the schedule.
A realistic next step
Read your draft letter once more, pretending you have never met the visitor and your only job is to work out what they will physically do between arrival and departure. If you cannot answer that from the letter, neither can a case officer.
Then check every activity you have described against what the visa actually permits. If any of them fall outside it, the letter has done its job by surfacing the problem early, and the answer is a different visa rather than softer wording. For trade shows specifically, see working at a trade show on a visitor visa.
If you would like a letter reviewed before it goes into an application, you can book a consultation with our migration lawyers.
About the author: Tina Nematian is the Principal Lawyer at One Planet Migration Law. She is admitted as an Australian Legal Practitioner and is a Registered Migration Agent, and has guided clients through partner, skilled, employer-sponsored, student, and humanitarian visa applications across Australia.
Legislative references in this article were checked against the Migration Regulations 1994 and the Migration Act 1958 as in force on 3 August 2026. Visa rules change frequently. Always check immi.gov.au before lodging.
This article is general information only and does not constitute legal or migration advice. Visa rules change frequently and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Speak with a registered migration lawyer or agent before making any application.
