Bridging visa B (subclass 020): travel while your visa is processed, and why a BVE holder cannot get one

A Bridging visa B lets you leave Australia and return while your visa application is processed, and it costs A$575 (A$195 for eligible Pacific passport holders).

The Migration Regulations 1994 set these charges in Schedule 1 item 1302 and restrict eligibility to Bridging visa A or B holders in clause 020.211.

A Bridging visa E holder is not eligible, under clause 020.211 of the Migration Regulations 1994.

Home Affairs’ Bridging visa B page says your grant specifies when the travel period ends.

If that period ends while you are overseas, the visa ceases, according to Home Affairs’ Bridging visa B page.

Check your current visa and proposed return date before planning a trip.

Bridging visa B at a glance

This summary draws on Schedule 1 item 1302 and clauses 020.211–020.212 of the Migration Regulations 1994, and Home Affairs’ Bridging visa B page.

The eligibility summary is not exhaustive. Bridging visa B (BVB) is Class WB, subclass 020, under Schedule 1 item 1302 of the Migration Regulations 1994.

Charges effective from 1 July 2026. Research cut-off: 3 October 2026.

Who can get a Bridging visa B?

Bridging visa B eligibility starts with four checks under Schedule 1 item 1302 and clauses 020.211–020.212 of the Migration Regulations 1994.

1. Current bridging visa: Hold a Bridging visa A or Bridging visa B.
2. Immigration position: Be immigration cleared and not in immigration detention.
3. Application or review and travel reason: Have a qualifying substantive visa application or judicial review basis, and substantial reasons to leave and re-enter Australia.
4. Protection visa exclusion: Do not hold subclass 785 or 790, and do not have either as the last substantive visa held.

These are starting checks, not every grant criterion. Clause 020.213 of the Migration Regulations 1994 requires your return not to be contrary to the public interest. Clause 020.223 requires satisfaction of public interest criterion 4021: a valid passport, or the exception where requiring one is unreasonable.

What counts as a substantial reason for travel?

The legal test is “substantial”, under clause 020.212 of the Migration Regulations 1994. Home Affairs’ Bridging visa B page instructs applicants to provide a reason and attach supporting documents.

Does an aged parent visa 804 application guarantee a BVB?

No. An aged parent visa application does not remove the Bridging visa A or B requirement or the substantial-reasons test in clauses 020.211–020.212 of the Migration Regulations 1994.

A BVB refusal does not itself trigger section 48, because section 48(1)(b)(i) of the Migration Act 1958 excludes bridging visa refusals.

How much does a Bridging visa B cost?

A Bridging visa B costs A$575, or A$195 for a qualifying primary applicant holding a Pacific-regional passport, under Schedule 1 item 1302 of the Migration Regulations 1994.

Schedule 1 item 1302 of the Migration Regulations 1994 sets the following charges.

The concession concerns the primary applicant’s passport and applicants included in a valid combined application under Schedule 1 item 1302 of the Migration Regulations 1994. Living in the Pacific does not, by itself, establish eligibility for the concession.

Charges effective from 1 July 2026. The amounts took effect through the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026, Schedule 3 item 65. The standard A$575 charge was also verified through Home Affairs current visa pricing on 24 September 2026.

This table gives the charge effective from 1 July 2026, not a historical 2025 price.

What does a couple or family pay?

One valid combined application has a base charge of A$575, or A$195 where the primary applicant qualifies for the concession; additional applicant charges are nil under Schedule 1 item 1302 of the Migration Regulations 1994.

These amounts apply only to a valid combined application; do not assume every couple or family can combine applications.

How do you apply for a Bridging visa B?

Apply using the instructions on Home Affairs’ Bridging visa B page, after checking its eligibility requirements.

Bridging visa B processing time

Home Affairs publishes no processing times for this visa; check its Bridging visa B page before planning travel.

How long is the Bridging visa B travel period?

The Bridging visa B travel period ends on the date specified in your grant, according to Home Affairs’ Bridging visa B page; there is no single duration supplied for every grant.

Check two separate permissions:

• Permission to travel and enter: The granted travel period.
• Permission to remain: The visa’s separate stay-ending rules.

Under clauses 020.511–020.512 of the Migration Regulations 1994, relevant stay-ending events include refusal, review outcomes and another bridging visa grant. The rules include 35 days after relevant refusal or Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) events and 28 days after relevant judicial review events. These are not standard travel-period lengths.

What happens if the travel period ends overseas?

Your BVB ceases if its specified travel period ends while you are outside Australia, according to Home Affairs’ Bridging visa B page. A ceased BVB does not authorise your return.

Does another trip need a new BVB?

Yes, for a further trip after the existing travel period ends: Home Affairs’ Bridging visa B page says a new BVB must be granted before you leave.

Before arranging repeat journeys, check the travel permission in your individual grant. Do not assume every BVB permits unlimited entries.

Check the travel-end date in your grant: Home Affairs’ Bridging visa B page says the visa ceases if you are overseas when that period ends.

Bridging visa B conditions

Bridging visa B conditions depend on the grant basis and the conditions carried forward under clause 020.611 of the Migration Regulations 1994.

1. Work conditions. In most cases, applicable listed conditions carry forward from the bridging visa held at application. If imposed, condition 8101 (no work) prohibits work in Australia under Schedule 8 to the Migration Regulations 1994.

2. Other visa conditions. Clause 020.611 of the Migration Regulations 1994 includes other carried-forward conditions and special rules for particular grant bases. Check the conditions attached to the individual grant rather than assuming BVB travel permission removes other restrictions.

Home Affairs’ VEVO for organisations guidance says employers check whether work permission is unlimited, limited or absent, with the visa holder’s permission.

Can a Bridging visa E holder get a Bridging visa B?

No. Clause 020.211 of the Migration Regulations 1994 requires a Bridging visa B applicant to hold a Bridging visa A or B, so a Bridging visa E holder is not eligible.

A person holding only a Bridging visa C also does not meet the BVA-or-BVB requirement in clause 020.211 of the Migration Regulations 1994.

Applying for a BVB is not a method of adding return travel to a BVE: the current-visa requirement in clause 020.211 of the Migration Regulations 1994 still applies.

If you hold a Bridging visa E and need to travel

Your Bridging visa E ends immediately when you leave Australia, according to Home Affairs’ subclass 050 Travel guidance and section 82(8) of the Migration Act 1958.

If a substantive visa refusal has disrupted your travel plans, check when your current bridging visa ends. An ordinary substantive refusal generally gives a BVA a 35-day cessation period under clause 010.511 of the Migration Regulations 1994; specified security-related refusals end it immediately. See the separate guidance on whether you can apply again after a visa refusal.

Home Affairs’ subclass 050 page says return requires another substantive visa, and clause 020.211 of the Migration Regulations 1994 prevents a BVE holder from obtaining a BVB. Read the departure guidance before you travel on a Bridging visa E.

For the broader type comparison, including Bridging visa A (subclass 010), remember that Home Affairs’ BVA page says a BVA does not provide return travel.

This guide is an information publisher, not a law firm, migration practice or government site. For the central BVE information, return to the Bridging Visa E Guide.

Before departure, an Australian migration lawyer can check your grant’s travel-end date, current visa and BVB eligibility against clauses 020.211 and 020.511–020.512 of the Migration Regulations 1994. This guide’s enquiry form is a disabled preview and cannot send details yet.