Travelling on a Bridging Visa

Uncertainties regarding your immigration status can easily become a source of stress or anxiety. There are a lot of questions that may arise about what you can and can’t do while you wait for the final decision on your substantive visa application.

Common questions about work and study entitlements are usually answered in the explanation provided in the bridging visa grant. However, one thing that isn’t mentioned on the bridging visa grant is the holder’s right to travel. Depending on your circumstances, you may be allowed to lawfully leave and re-enter Australia while your substantive visa application is being finalised.

Substantive Visa vs Bridging Visa

Under migration law, a substantive visa is a visa other than a bridging visa, a criminal justice visa, or an enforcement visa.

In simple terms, a substantive visa is the “main visa” you have lodged an application for while the bridging visa is the “temporary visa” issued to you upon the Department of Home Affairs’ (Department) receipt of your substantive visa application.

Bridging visas allow you to stay lawfully in the country while your substantive visa application is being processed. However, not all bridging visas will normally allow you to leave and re-enter Australia until a decision regarding your substantive visa application has been determined.

The Bridging Visa B

If you have a good reason to travel and you already hold a Bridging Visa A, you can apply for a Bridging Visa B (BVB). This particular bridging visa allows you to travel outside Australia within a specific period while your substantive visa application is being processed.

The BVB is only valid until the end of the specified travel period. Once your BVB is granted, you should take note of the travel permitted period. You have to return to Australia before the specified travel period ends, otherwise you will not be able to return and enter Australia without submitting another substantive visa application.

There are two ways to apply, and this depends on how you submitted your substantive visa application.

If the substantive visa application was made by paper, then the application for the BVB will also have to be made by paper. For paper application, you would have to complete the prescribed form and submit it by post with a copy of your itinerary.

If the substantive visa application was lodged online, then the application for the BVB will have to be lodged online. The form would be completed via ImmiAccount and the copy of your itinerary would be uploaded and attached to the online application.

BVB applications are usually processed within a week after they have been lodged with the Department. It would be critical to note your travel dates so that the application can be lodged in a timely manner.

Not everything about the Australian immigration process has to be vague or confusing. With Indus Lawyers, you can have peace of mind even amidst the uncertainties of your immigration status. Contact our office at (02) 9687 8699 if you require any assistance in acquiring a BVB.