Bridging Visa B (BVB): Subclass 020

A Bridging Visa B (BVB) lets you leave Australia and come back while your substantive visa application, or a review of a refusal, is still being decided. You must already hold a Bridging Visa A or a BVB, and you need a substantial reason to travel. This page explains who can apply, the fee, how long you can be away and the risks of travelling.

Who can apply

You can generally apply for a BVB if you:

• hold a BVA or BVB (it does not need to be for the same application);
• have a substantive visa application in Australia that has not been finally decided, a pending partner (subclass 100) application, or have sought judicial review of a refusal within the time limit;
• are in Australia, not in immigration clearance, and have been immigration cleared;
• want to leave and re-enter Australia for a substantial reason; and
• generally hold a valid passport.

A Bridging Visa C or Bridging Visa E does not lead to a BVB. Protection visa applicants are excluded, and so are people who hold, or whose last substantive visa was, a subclass 785 or 790 visa.

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What counts as a substantial reason

A substantial reason is real and important, not a passing wish. The law does not define it, but Department policy gives examples:

• work, business or study travel, such as conferences, meetings or research;
• family reasons, such as a seriously ill relative, a funeral, a wedding or a culturally important event;
• reasons linked to your application, such as getting documents, medical treatment or custody matters;
• personal travel, including a holiday, where processing or review of your application has taken a long time.

Include evidence with your application, such as a letter from a doctor or an invitation, and your approximate departure and return dates. Evidence can be waived where it is not practical, for example an urgent trip for a funeral.

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How long you can travel for

The BVB has a travel period, the time in which you can leave and return. Policy says your time away should not be longer than the expected remaining processing time for your application. For some applications the policy is more generous:

Application	Usual travel period under policy
Skilled visas such as subclasses 189, 190, 491 and 887	Up to 12 months
Business innovation and investment visas, and subclass 858 visas	Up to 12 months
Onshore aged parent and contributory aged parent visas (804, 884, 864)	Up to 12 months, longer for strong reasons
Other applications	Set case by case, within the expected remaining processing time

The travel period cannot be extended. If it ends while you are overseas, your BVB ceases and you will need a new visa to return. You cannot apply for a BVB from outside Australia.

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How to apply and the fee

Apply online through ImmiAccount or on Form 1006 or Form 1005, while you are in Australia. The visa application charge is $575, or $195 for a holder of a passport from a Pacific regional country, and family members who apply together pay one charge. See Bridging Visa B costs. A BVB is never granted automatically. Policy notes that lodging more than 3 months before your trip can make it harder to assess, so apply when your plans are clear.

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Work rights on a BVB

A BVB usually carries the same conditions as the BVA or BVB you held when you applied, although some applications, such as onshore partner, parent, skilled and business visas, give a BVB with no conditions. There is no way to remove a work condition through a BVB. If you need work rights, apply for a BVA without work conditions first. Granting that BVA ends your BVB, so you would then need a new BVB to travel. See applying for work rights.

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Risks while you are overseas

• If your application needs you to be in Australia at the time of decision, being away can delay or affect the grant.
• If your application is refused, or the tribunal affirms a refusal, while you are away, your BVB ends 35 days later, or 28 days after court proceedings end.
• Give the Department or the tribunal your contact details and travel dates, and plan to return before your travel period ends.

Travelling on a BVB does not reset a section 48 bar, because you are treated as having stayed in Australia. Children born to a BVB holder in Australia are taken to hold a BVB on the same terms.

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What you should do now

• Check you hold a BVA or BVB: you cannot get a BVB from a BVC or BVE.
• Apply before booking non refundable travel: the BVB must be granted before you leave.
• Explain your reason with evidence: a clear, documented reason helps.
• Return before the travel period ends: it cannot be extended once you are overseas.