On 30 October 2014, the Australian government amended its rules on the subclass 400 visas. With the latest changes, visa holders may apply for a prolongation after the three-months period expired for another three months. However, the extension will be granted only if a strong business case is made and the applicant may not surpass the stay limit of 6 months within any 12-month period.
The subclass 400 visa is issued to foreigners who would like to travel to Australia for "short-term, highly specialized, non-ongoing work, or participate in non-ongoing cultural or social activities at the invitation of an Australian organization, or in limited circumstances, participate in an activity or work relating to Australia's interests." (Deloitte Global InSight, 05.12.2014; cf. Sources)
The new rules came into force on 23 November 2014.
The list of affected trading partners was based on the number of short-term arrivals calculated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and taking into account that about 9% of those arrivals were for business visits. (cf. Sources)