Bridging Visa

Bridging visas confuse a lot of people, partly because there are several types with different letters, and each does a slightly different job. Our registered migration agents in Brisbane deal with bridging visas every day. Here’s the plain-English version.

A bridging visa isn’t a visa you plan a life around. It’s a temporary status that lets you stay in Australia lawfully while something else is being decided, usually a substantive visa application or a review of a decision. It ends when the thing it’s bridging is resolved, for example when your new visa is granted or your matter is finalised.

The conditions attached to a bridging visa, such as whether you can work, depend on which type you hold and often on the conditions of your previous visa. That’s why two people on “a bridging visa” can have completely different rights.

Bridging visa A (BVA). The most common one. You generally get a BVA automatically when you apply for a new substantive visa inside Australia while you still hold a valid visa. It lets you stay lawfully while the department decides. It doesn’t let you leave and return to Australia, though.

Bridging visa B (BVB). This is the one to know about if you need to travel overseas while you’re on a bridging visa. A BVB lets you leave Australia and come back within a set travel period while your substantive visa application is still being processed. If you’re on a BVA and you need to go overseas, you apply to have it replaced with a BVB before you leave.

Bridging visa C (BVC). This applies where you applied for a new visa but didn’t hold a substantive visa at the time. It keeps you lawful while the application is processed, but it usually doesn’t allow travel and often has tighter conditions, sometimes including limits on work.

Bridging visa E (BVE). This is for people who are unlawful or whose visa situation has broken down, to let them stay lawfully for a short period while they make arrangements, resolve their status, or prepare to depart. It’s the most restrictive, and it’s often the sign of a situation that needs urgent, careful advice.

There are other bridging visa types as well, but these four cover most situations people ask us about.

You usually get one in these situations:

You apply for a new visa onshore while you still hold a valid visa. A BVA is normally granted with your application.

You need to travel while your application is being processed, so you apply for a BVB.

You applied without holding a substantive visa, so you’re granted a BVC.

Your visa has ended or been cancelled and you need to regularise your status or arrange departure, so a BVE comes into play.

A bridging visa generally doesn’t come into effect until your previous visa ends. So while your old visa is still valid, you keep living on that, and the bridging visa activates only when the old one runs out.

This is the question we get asked most. Whether you can work on a bridging visa depends on the type and the circumstances. A Bridging visa A often carries the same work rights as the visa you held before, so if you could work before, you frequently can on the BVA. Other bridging visas, particularly the C and E, may come with a “no work” condition or a restriction that you can only work if you show financial hardship.

Because the rules differ case by case, don’t assume. If you’re relying on being able to work while your visa is processed, check your specific conditions with us first, so you don’t accidentally breach them.

If you’re on a bridging visa and you leave Australia, a Bridging visa A or C won’t let you back in. Your bridging visa ceases the moment you depart, and your substantive visa application can be affected. If you need to travel, you apply for a Bridging visa B before you go, which gives you a travel facility to return within a set period. We arrange BVBs for clients who have a wedding, a funeral, or work overseas they can’t miss while their main application is pending.

A bridging visa often becomes important right after a refusal. If your visa application is refused while you’re on a bridging visa, your status can change quickly, and there are usually strict time limits to seek a review. In many cases a bridging visa keeps you lawful during the review period, but this is not automatic and depends on your circumstances.

If you’re staring at a refusal, the worst thing you can do is wait. Deadlines to appeal are short and unforgiving. Talk to us straight away, and see our Visa Refusal & Appeal page.

We make sure you’re granted the right bridging visa when you lodge, so you never fall unlawful.

We check your work conditions so you don’t breach them by accident.

We arrange a Bridging visa B when you need to travel overseas and return.

We act fast after a refusal to protect your status and meet review deadlines.

We manage bridging visas as part of larger applications, such as a partner visa, so nothing slips through the cracks.