Subclass 030 visa: Bridging C

030 visa requirements

Home Affairs lists these common criteria on the Eligibility tab of its Bridging visa C page:

• No Bridging visa E. The applicant must not hold a Bridging visa E, and must not have held one since they last held a substantive visa.
• No substantive visa. The applicant must not have held a substantive visa when they lodged the substantive visa application.
• In Australia. The applicant must be in Australia when they apply.
• A pending application or judicial review. A valid substantive visa application that has not been finally decided, or a judicial review application about it, made in time and not yet completed, where a BVC was previously held for that application.
• Review applied for in time. Merits review must be applied for within the prescribed timeframe. Judicial review must be applied for within 35 days of the tribunal's decision.
• Age. Any age.
• Character. The applicant must meet the character requirement.

Home Affairs points to Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994 for the full criteria.

When a separate BVC application is needed

Home Affairs says nearly all bridging visas are applied for automatically as part of a substantive visa application. A separate BVC application might be needed when the person wants a further BVC without work restrictions, or has applied for judicial review. A bridging visa can't be used while waiting for a citizenship application to be decided.

What the visa lets you do

According to Home Affairs' BVC page, the visa lets the holder:

• stay lawfully in Australia until the substantive visa application is finally decided, or, if granted for judicial review, until those proceedings are complete
• work, if they meet the requirements for work.

Work rights

Home Affairs says the first BVC granted with a substantive visa application does not allow work, unless the substantive visa applied for is one of these:

• Business Talent visa (subclass 132)
• Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186)
• Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa (subclass 187)
• Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188)
• Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
• Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
• Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489)
• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)
• Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494)
• Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa (subclass 888).

If a BVC does not allow work, or restricts it, the holder can apply for another BVC that allows work by showing financial hardship. If they do not meet the requirements, Home Affairs grants a new BVC with the same work condition as before.

For a BVC applied for because of judicial review:

• Protection visa applicants can get a BVC that allows work only if their last BVC allowed work.
• SkillSelect visa applicants get a BVC that does not allow work at first; they can make a further application and show financial hardship.
• Other applicants get a BVC that does not allow work, even if their last BVC did.

Travel

The BVC does not support return travel. Home Affairs says a BVC that is in effect ends when the holder leaves Australia. It cannot grant a BVC holder a Bridging visa B to travel and return. A person who leaves without another visa that lets them return must apply for and be granted a substantive visa before coming back.

When it comes into effect and when it ends

A BVC comes into effect when it is granted, when the current substantive visa ends, or when a more beneficial bridging visa ends. It ends straight away if the holder leaves Australia, is granted the substantive visa, is granted another bridging visa for the same application, or if the BVC or the substantive visa held at grant is cancelled.

For a BVC granted on or after 19 November 2016, Home Affairs says it ends 35 calendar days after a refusal or tribunal decision, an invalid-application finding or a withdrawal, or 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds the refusal or a judicial review application is withdrawn. A BVC granted before 19 November 2016 ends 28 days after these events. The visa can't be extended.

Family members and cost

If a family applied together for a substantive visa in Australia, they may also have applied together for a BVC. Home Affairs says a separate BVC application can include members of the family unit who are included in the substantive visa application. It assesses each family member and decides which bridging visa each can get.

Home Affairs' Visa Pricing table lists:

Step by step

This follows the Step by step tab of Home Affairs' BVC page.

Before you apply

1. Check in VEVO whether a BVC is already held.
2. Gather identity documents and any proof of hardship. Non-English documents need English translations.

Apply

1. Apply the same way the substantive visa was applied for. If it was lodged in ImmiAccount, the BVC is lodged in ImmiAccount.
2. If the substantive visa was lodged on paper, or a review has been applied for, lodge Form 1005 by webform.
3. Everyone in the application must be in Australia when it is lodged.

After you apply

1. Home Affairs confirms receipt. It does not give updates on processing times.
2. Webform applicants must attach all documents before submitting. Home Affairs may ask for more information.
3. Changes in circumstances must be reported.
4. Home Affairs gives its decision in writing. Everyone in the application must be in Australia at the time of decision.

Applying in or outside Australia

The BVC is an onshore visa only. Home Affairs says the applicant and anyone included in the application must be in Australia when the BVC application is submitted and when it is granted (BVC page).

030 visa processing time

Home Affairs publishes current processing times in its visa processing times guide.

Compare: BVA, BVB, BVC and BVE