Bridging Visa Explained: A, B, C and E, Work and Travel Rules

What bridging visas A, B, C and E are, who can work or travel on each, when a bridging visa ends and the review deadlines after a refusal, from Home Affairs rules. General information, not migration advice. Figures as at October 2026.

Read the full guide, with official sources →

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Chapters

  1. 0:00 Bridging visas explained
  2. 0:14 The four bridging visas
  3. 0:32 Working on a bridging visa
  4. 0:45 Travelling on a bridging visa
  5. 0:56 Bridging visa B for travel
  6. 1:08 When a bridging visa ends
  7. 1:23 Review deadlines after a refusal
  8. 1:41 Waiting on citizenship
  9. 1:59 Where to read more

Transcript

What is a bridging visa in Australia? It generally lets you stay lawfully while your new visa is decided. What you can do on it depends on the type and your conditions.

Home Affairs lists four you'll usually meet: bridging visa A, B, C and E.

Nearly all bridging visas are applied for automatically as part of your main application. Home Affairs tells you if this happens, and VEVO shows your conditions.

Can you work on a bridging visa A? It depends on the conditions in your grant letter. If it doesn't let you work, you can apply for another one that does, and you will usually have to show financial hardship.

Can you travel? A bridging visa A doesn't support return travel. If you leave Australia while it's in effect, it ceases and you can't return on it.

To leave and come back, you need a bridging visa B granted before you go. Home Affairs says to apply no more than 3 months, and not less than 2 weeks, before your travel date.

A bridging visa has no fixed expiry date. It ends when something happens. After a refusal, a bridging visa A, B or C granted on or after 19 November 2016 ceases 35 calendar days later.

A review application has its own deadline. The general deadline is 28 days, and it's 14 days if the person is in immigration detention when notified. The review body is the Administrative Review Tribunal, which replaced the AAT on 14 October 2024.

One more rule: you can't use a bridging visa while you wait for a citizenship application to be decided. A MARA-registered agent can look at how these rules apply to a case. Consultations typically cost $150 to $300. Nobody can guarantee a visa.

The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.

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