A Bridging Visa is a temporary visa that allows you to stay in Australia after your “current” substantive visa ceases and while your “new substantive” visa application is processed.
It “bridges” your stay in Australia from the cease date of your current visa usually until 35 days after a final decision is made on your application.
Most of the time you don’t need to make a formal application for a bridging visa. This is because it is granted to you by operation of law.
A formal bridging visa application is usually not needed if you apply for a further visa while you are in Australia and you already hold a substantive visa at the time of making your further visa application.
The reason why a formal visa application for a bridging visa might not be required is that by operation of law, the valid application for a further visa in Australia is typically (but not always) deemed to be an application for a bridging visa as well. The Department usually always grants that application, either manually or automatically.
The purpose of a bridging visa is to bridge the gap, if any, between the time at which your current substantive visa expires and the point in time when the Department grants your new substantive visa.
The bridging visa is a mechanism for keeping you lawfully present in Australia.
If a bridging visa were not to be granted, then it would mean that you would be an unlawful non-citizen, present in Australia for that period between when your substantive visa expires and your further visa is decided.
The three most common types of bridging visas are a, b, and e.
The most important thing to check is that you always have a visa whilst you are in Australia (if you’re not the holder of an Australian passport).
You can check the visa that you hold at any time by completing a VEVO check. It’s online and free.
Be careful with a bridging visa b (BVB). Its purpose is to allow you to leave and return to Australia whilst you wait for the grant of a further substantive; you may exit Australia for a very finite travel period and must re-enter Australia by a specified date.
The biggest risk with a BVB is that you forget the period of your BVB grant, and you then fail to re-enter Australia before the date specified. Take very careful note to start returning to Australia several days before your BVB expires, so that you have ample time to re-enter Australia when you return.
When you re-enter Australia your bridging visa b does not change back to a BVA but will show as a BVB, allowing you to continue to stay in Australia but importantly does not then have any exit and return facility.
You will need to take care to lodge a further BVB if you wish to again exit Australia during the period in which you are waiting for the grant of your further substantive visa.
If you hold a BVA or a BVB you can apply for a further BVB.
Unfortunately, if you hold a BVC, a BVD, or a BVE then you can’t apply for a BVB. It’s like losing your virginity.
Think of it this way – if you hold a BVC or BVD or BVE, you can never go back to get a BVB. At least until after your further substantive visa application has been granted.
As explained above, bridging visas “bridge” you from the time an existing visa ceases to be “in effect” until the time a decision is made on any new visa you may have applied for.
Usually, the bridging visa will run for a period of up to 28 days (and possibly 35 days, depending on when you lodge your application and when your bridging visa is granted) after the decision of the Department to refuse your visa application, allowing you or your migration agent or immigration lawyer enough time to file an appeal.
The Department of Home Affairs can issue you with a bridging visa if you intend to exit Australia. This is known as a “bridging visa on departure grounds”. These visas are for a fixed period.
There may be some scope to have these extended if, for some reason, you can’t depart. This is subject to negotiation between you and the compliance officer at the Department of Home Affairs.
For example, you might be without a visa and need a week or so to get things in order before you can exit Australia.
Immigration will often grant you this type of visa for a fixed term which will allow you time to exit the country or lodge another application.
There are serious consequences that follow after you exit Australia on a BVE. This is known as “special return criteria” where you may suffer a period of exclusion from Australia or a ban from a further visa grant for Australia.
The duration of this ban will depend on the sort of visa you are applying for and your circumstances. This is something that I advise on regularly and you should get independent immigration legal advice if you wish to make an application for Australia after exiting on a BVE.
Although your bridging visa may be granted (and you may have received a letter from Immigration saying that you have been granted this visa) take care. This visa usually only comes “into effect” when your existing visa expires and remains in place while the Department considers your new visa application. For example, suppose you are a holder of a subclass 600 Visitor visa. And you apply for a subclass 482 Temporary Skills Shortage visa while onshore.
Check your precise visa status regularly on the Department’s site.
You will not automatically become the holder of a bridging visa as soon as you make that 482 visa application. You will still be on your subclass 600 until it expires. Your bridging visa will usually kick in, if at all, immediately upon the expiry of your subclass 600 Visitor visa.
The Department may grant your 482 visa application while your subclass 600 visa is still in effect. This means your bridging visa in association with your subclass 482 visa application will be extinguished and never come into effect.
Don’t stress. Be vigilant with your follow-up as to why it could be that the Department didn’t consider your application valid.
Consider making a separate application for a bridging visa if your recent substantive visa application was valid but the Department hasn’t yet granted your bridging visa – this usually wakes up case officers!
Stay onshore (inside Australia) if your bridging visa is not yet in effect.
Exiting Australia will usually extinguish this visa and you may well find yourself stuck offshore. This can be tricky and I would recommend you get advice if you plan to exit from Australia. Book a call with me!
Please share your comments with me.
I’d love to know more about your experience with applying for this visa subclass!
View Comments
Hai Nilesh Nandan
I applied for a student visa and I am on BVA. I applied for BVB and granted for 1 year with multiple entries. I travlled to India in April and due to family reasons I need to stay in India for more than 4 months. Will that be okay if I stay in India for more than four months or do I need to come back to Australia with in 3 months and vist back to India again ?. Please help me I am really in a state of consfusion here.
I lodged my protection visa on 29 April 2019 before two days of my visa expiry (1th of May). The bridging visa was not granted automatically and I stayed for 21 days without visa until I got the Bridging Visa in 21 May 2021.
My question is, will the gap between previous visa and the grant of bridging visa considered unlawful ? is there a statement in the law that said as long as I lodge a valid application before my visa expiry, I'm still lawful to stay in Australia ? hence I have been granted my Protection PR and I'm about to apply for my citizenship but I'm a bit worry if this will cause a refusal to my application. Thank you
Hi there
I'm still holding 408 visa now and it will expire on 25th September 2022 so my question is do i need to do apply any kind of vis before my 408 visa will expire or it will automatically activate the BVA?
thank you very much
Hi Nilesh, hope you are well. I have a bit of an urgent matter regarding my Bridging Visa and I found your website to be helpful.
I am currently on a BVA, awaiting for my partner visa to be approved. My partner and I want to travel to my country for about 7 weeks and therefore I need to apply for a BVB. However I keep getting an error message saying that I am no longer able to to use this online service and that a paper form is available or another message saying to check the information. We are travelling in 10 days so I don't have time to post a letter.
I really don't know what to do. This is very stressful.
I’ve called your office and left a voice note.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you,
Carina
Hi Carina,
Just wondering if you ever got the bvb sorted before your travel date?
I am in a similar situation now, I lodged my application weeks ago but have not heard anything and I am supposed to fly in 5 days. Would much appreciate any advice you can offer. Thanks, Clara
Hi Clara how did your application go? I'm in the same situation I applied 3 weeks ago amd no response
Hi Carina,
any updates on your situation? I lodged my BVB application on July 1st and still got no response...
Hi Nilesh I was on a non-protected special category nz visa (444) and my husband was on (subclass 461). I recently applied for a permanent residency application with my husband through the 189 nz stream. We did this 1 month before his 461 expired and have been in Australia since the application.
I have just realised now that we never received an automatic bridging a visa. Only received the receipt of lodgement. My husbands 461 has now expired and on vevo it says he doesnt have a current visa. What should we do in this situation? We also plan to go overseas in december
Hi Nilesh
Very helpful page. I know you've said that BVE is the worst to have but that's what I have *sigh*
I am waiting on decision for my partner visa (on 8 months now) but is it possible at all to apply for a BVB? I haven't seen my family since March 2020.
Thanks.
Hello Nilesh,
I have applied for bridging visa B on compassionate grounds and it has been granted on 7th of June 2022 till 7th of june 2023. However my travel plans has been delayed for more than a month, do I need to apply for bridging visa A again or can I stay with bridging visa B ?
Please advise me on how to proceed further.
Thank you
Hello sir,
So I came to Australia to do my masters degree on a student visa. After graduation I decided to apply for PhD. I applied for a PhD a month before my previous visa expiry. I recon I would get a decision on my application before the expiry and apply for new student visa with new offer letter. Unfortunately my application was still under review I didn’t know what to do as my visa was about to expire. I didnot know I could apply for other visas apart from student visa. The time I found out I can apply for other visas it was a little late. I applied for a 3 months tourist visa after a week of my previous visa had expired. Biggest mistake of my life. I was given a BVC and I explained how the situation led for me to apply for a tourist visa late but the officer was not convinced and refused my visa application. I am currently at AAT.
What are my chances of winning this back from AAT? I have a feeling it’s slim to none.
I was also thinking since I can’t apply for any visas except few onshore what if I take my offer letter and go back home and apply for a new visa offshore?
If I leave on a BVC will I have a 3-year re-entry ban ?
If no and if I apply for a new visa offshore what are my chances of getting a visa?
Hi, my visa was rejected on December 2021, I have lodged my refusal application to tribunal. I was planning to go to india on 10th of June 2022, I have applied for a bridging visa b which has been granted on 7th June 2022 till june 2023. But I have postponed my trip for a couple of months . Do I need to lodge another application for bridging visa A again ?
Please advice further proceedings.
Thank you
Hi Nilesh,
I recently reapplied for my BVB while waiting for my 485 post graduate work stream to process. Reason being first time I put in returning date pass 1 year. However on second application return date was adjust to just under a year. And it has been about 4 days since lodging the application, should I wait longer or will they decline my application altogether?
Please advise,
Trang