Bridging Visa C (BVC): Subclass 030

A Bridging Visa C (BVC) keeps you lawful in Australia while an application you made in Australia is decided, if you did not hold a substantive visa when you lodged it. This often happens when a visa has expired, or when the person held another bridging visa at the time. This page explains how a BVC differs from a Bridging Visa A, the rules on work and travel, and when it ends.

BVA or BVC?

	Bridging Visa A	Bridging Visa C
Held a substantive visa when you lodged	Yes	No
Usual work conditions	Same as your previous visa	No work (8101), with some exceptions
Can lead to a Bridging Visa B for travel	Yes	No
Fee	Nil	Nil

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Who can get a BVC

You can generally get a BVC if:

• you did not hold a substantive visa when you made a valid application in Australia for a visa that can be granted onshore;
• you are in Australia, not in immigration clearance or detention, and generally immigration cleared;
• your application has not been finally decided; and
• you do not hold a Bridging Visa E, and have not held one since you last held a substantive visa.

Holding a BVE blocks a BVC. If you have held a BVE since your last substantive visa, a BVC is not available for later applications.

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How you get a BVC

For most onshore visas, the substantive visa application form also counts as a BVC application. The list of forms is not the same as for a BVA. A separate application on Form 1005 is used for a replacement BVC, a BVC without the no work condition, or a BVC while you seek judicial review. There is no visa application charge. For partner visas (820 and 801), one BVC covers both stages.

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Work rights on a BVC

Most BVCs carry condition 8101, which means you cannot work. A BVC has no conditions if it was granted for an application for one of these visas: subclasses 132, 188, 888, 186, 187, 494, 491, 189, 190 or 489.

If your BVC stops you working, you can apply on Form 1005 for a new BVC without the work condition. You must show a compelling need to work, which generally means financial hardship. Each family member must show their own need, and there is no minimum age. See applying for work rights on a bridging visa.

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Travel

A BVC does not allow you to return to Australia. If you leave, it ends, and you will need a new visa to come back. If you return on another visa, you may be able to get a replacement BVC once that visa ends.

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When a BVC ends

A BVC ends when your substantive visa is granted, 35 days after a refusal or an ART decision (some refusals end it immediately), 35 days after you withdraw your application, or immediately if you leave Australia. A BVC for judicial review ends 28 days after the court proceedings are completed. If another visa comes into effect, such as a student visa, the BVC goes out of effect, but it can come back into effect if that visa ends before your application is decided.

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Common traps

• Applying from overseas, then arriving: if you were outside Australia when you lodged, you cannot get a BVC for that application, and only a BVE may be possible once you become unlawful.
• After the tribunal: there is no BVC for a request to the Minister after the ART has affirmed a refusal. A BVE may be available. See ministerial intervention.
• Late judicial review: a person asking the court for an extension of time cannot get a BVC until the extension is granted.
• Review lodged late: a late ART application means the visa application is finally decided, so no further BVC can be granted for it.

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What you should do now

• Check which bridging visa you hold: BVA and BVC have different work and travel rules.
• Ask for work rights if you need them: apply on Form 1005 with evidence of financial hardship.
• Do not leave Australia: your BVC ends when you depart.
• Check your review deadline: the ART time limit is in your refusal letter and is usually shorter than 35 days.