Bridging visa work rights: which bridging visas allow work, from the Bridging visa A to the BVE
Rules checked against supplied primary sources on 3 October 2026.
Bridging visa work rights depend on the visa in effect: check its work conditions, including condition 8101 (no work), under the Migration Regulations 1994.
Yes, some bridging visas allow work, but the Migration Regulations 1994 make permission depend on the conditions of the visa currently in effect.
Schedule 8 to the Migration Regulations 1994 says condition 8101 prohibits work, including activities that normally attract payment in Australia.
Work conditions vary within a bridging-visa class, as clauses 010.611 and 020.611 of the Migration Regulations 1994 show.
Home Affairs’ Bridging visa A and Bridging visa C pages describe financial-hardship routes to a new visa with work rights.
Home Affairs’ Form 1008 sets out the separate Bridging visa E route for requesting different conditions.
For employers, Home Affairs’ VEVO for organisations page distinguishes unlimited, limited and no work rights.
Can you work on a bridging visa?
Yes, some bridging visas allow work, but condition 8101 (no work) prohibits it under Schedule 8 to the Migration Regulations 1994.
Check the visa in effect, not just the visa granted. Under clause 010.511 of the Migration Regulations 1994, a BVA comes into effect when your substantive visa ceases if you still hold that visa. Until then, do not use the later BVA’s conditions to decide whether you can work.
Permission can still have limits. “Allowed to work” does not necessarily mean unrestricted hours or employment. Under Schedule 8 to the Migration Regulations 1994, condition 8104 limits work to 40 hours a fortnight, with additional student-family provisions. That is not the hours limit for every bridging visa.
Employers also need to check. Home Affairs’ VEVO for organisations page says employers need your permission to check work entitlements. Under section 245AC of the Migration Act 1958, allowing work that breaches a work-related visa condition is an offence or civil-penalty matter.
Clauses 010.611 and 020.611 of the Migration Regulations 1994 allow conditions including 8105, 8107 and 8547 to carry over in relevant BVA and BVB cases. Their exact limits and exceptions are not set out here; check the specific conditions attached to your visa.
Can you change employer on a bridging visa? The class alone does not establish whether you can change employer. Check your specific work conditions: clauses 010.611 and 020.611 of the Migration Regulations 1994 make the conditions dependent on the circumstances of the grant.
Does unpaid work count as work? Under regulation 1.03 of the Migration Regulations 1994, “work” includes an activity that normally attracts remuneration in Australia. Do not assume an unpaid activity is outside condition 8101.
Does applying for work rights remove the current restriction? No, an application is not the new BVE grant described in Home Affairs’ Form 1008. Check the conditions of the visa in effect before starting work.
Which bridging visas allow work?
Compare the visa class and its actual conditions, rather than infer entitlement from the class name. Clauses 010.611 and 020.611 of the Migration Regulations 1994 provide different conditions for different grant circumstances.
At grant means when the bridging visa is granted—not necessarily when its conditions start governing your work. The Migration Regulations 1994 provide that a BVA comes into effect when the substantive visa ceases if that visa is still held.
At a glance — source-check date: 3 October 2026
- Work permission: Depends on the conditions of the visa in effect under the Migration Regulations 1994.
- No-work condition: Condition 8101 prohibits work under Schedule 8 to the Migration Regulations 1994.
- Restricted hours: Condition 8104 in Schedule 8 to the Migration Regulations 1994 specifies 40 hours a fortnight; this is not a universal bridging-visa limit.
- BVA, BVB and BVC form: Home Affairs’ Form 1005, “Application for a Bridging visa A, B or C”.
- BVE form: Home Affairs’ Form 1008, “Application for Bridging E visa”.
Work rights by bridging visa
| Bridging visa | Work allowed at grant | How to ask for permission to work |
|---|---|---|
| Bridging visa A (010) | Depends on the grant conditions. Clause 010.611 of the Migration Regulations 1994 provides condition-free grants in some cases and carries earlier work conditions into others. | Home Affairs’ Bridging visa A page describes applying for a new BVA with work rights, usually on financial hardship. It says this route cannot grant work rights where the current BVA restricts work and the case is judicial-review based or involves a protection visa application. |
| Bridging visa B (020) | Depends on the grant conditions. Clause 020.611 of the Migration Regulations 1994 generally carries conditions from the bridging visa held at application, subject to specified exceptions. | A BVB is not a way around a work restriction. Check whether you qualify for the new-BVA route described by Home Affairs’ Bridging visa A page; this guide does not establish a separate BVB hardship procedure. |
| Bridging visa C (030) | Home Affairs’ Bridging visa C page says an initial BVC usually has no work rights, except for listed skilled or business applications. | Home Affairs’ Bridging visa C page describes applying for a new BVC with work rights on financial hardship. See the guide to Bridging visa C work rights for class-specific detail. |
| Bridging visa D (040, 041) | No. Parts 040 and 041 of the Migration Regulations 1994 require condition 8101 (no work). | This is not a permission-to-work route on the existing BVD. A subclass 041 holder is eligible to apply for a BVE under clause 050.211 of the Migration Regulations 1994, but that is not an automatic grant of work rights. |
| Bridging visa E (050, 051) | Depends on the grant conditions. Home Affairs’ subclass 050 page says the grant letter states whether work is allowed. | Home Affairs’ Form 1008 provides the new-BVE route for different conditions. Eligibility depends on the grant basis; hardship alone is not a universal entitlement. The detailed hardship route below concerns subclass 050, not a verified identical procedure for subclass 051. |
| Bridging visa R (070) | Work entitlement is not established by the sources checked for this guide. Check the individual grant and current work-entitlement record; Home Affairs’ VEVO for organisations page explains work-entitlement categories. | Part 070 of the Migration Regulations 1994 provides special invitation or no-application grant routes, not an ordinary application process. This guide has not verified a separate BVR work-permission procedure. |
Applying for a substantive visa, such as subclass 190 or 407, does not by itself settle the work conditions of your bridging visa in effect. Clauses 010.611 and 020.611 of the Migration Regulations 1994 and Home Affairs’ Bridging visa C page describe application-specific rules and exceptions. The sources checked here do not establish a universal 190 or 407 result.
Is condition 8105 a Bridging visa E condition? No. The Migration Regulations 1994 do not include condition 8105 in the subclass 050 or 051 condition lists, although it appears in relevant BVA and BVB carry-over lists.
Does financial hardship guarantee a BVE with work rights? No. Home Affairs’ subclass 050 page says it will not grant a new BVE allowing work if the requirements are not met. Clause 050.212(8) of the Migration Regulations 1994 also requires the relevant eligibility basis.
Illustration: a row of hard hats on wall hooks, some tagged green and some tagged red. The colours do not classify visa entitlements.
Alt text: Hard hats on wall hooks with green and red tags.
How to ask for permission to work on a bridging visa
Asking for permission to work starts with checking your current conditions; Home Affairs describes separate new-visa routes for BVA, BVC and BVE holders.
- Firstly, identify the visa in effect and its work conditions. Under the Migration Regulations 1994, a BVA granted while you still hold a substantive visa comes into effect when that visa ceases. Do not treat a BVA granted for later use as your current work authority.
- Secondly, check the class-specific eligibility and prepare supporting information. Home Affairs’ Bridging visa A and Bridging visa C pages describe financial hardship for their work-rights routes. It is not a universal permission-to-work rule across all bridging classes; the BVE route also has its own eligibility basis under clause 050.212(8) of the Migration Regulations 1994.
- Thirdly, use the correct new-visa route and check the resulting conditions before working. Home Affairs’ Form 1005, “Application for a Bridging visa A, B or C”, is distinct from Form 1008 for a BVE. Follow the relevant class’s application instructions, then check the new grant’s work conditions.
Bridging visa A
A new BVA can provide work rights in eligible cases. Home Affairs’ Bridging visa A page describes this route as usually requiring financial hardship. It also says work rights cannot be granted through this route where the current BVA restricts work and the case is judicial-review based or involves a protection visa application.
Separately, clause 010.611 of the Migration Regulations 1994 provides other condition-free grant situations. A BVA without work restrictions does not necessarily result from proving hardship.
Bridging visa C
A new BVC can provide work rights on financial hardship. Home Affairs’ Bridging visa C page describes that route, while identifying skilled and business application exceptions to the usual initial no-work position. Check which rule applies to your application rather than assuming hardship is always required.
Bridging visa D
No, a Bridging visa D does not permit work: Parts 040 and 041 of the Migration Regulations 1994 require condition 8101.
A subclass 041 holder is eligible to apply for a BVE under clause 050.211 of the Migration Regulations 1994, subject to the BVE criteria. This particular eligibility statement does not extend to subclass 040 and does not guarantee work rights.
How the Bridging visa E work route differs
The Bridging visa E work route uses a new visa application for different conditions, not a variation of the existing visa, according to Home Affairs’ Form 1008.
- Hardship test: Under regulation 1.08 of the Migration Regulations 1994, the relevant “compelling need to work” test is financial hardship. The Regulations do not define financial hardship; Home Affairs’ subclass 050 page describes inability to pay reasonable living expenses.
- Eligible grant basis: Clause 050.212(8) of the Migration Regulations 1994 requires an existing BVE granted from a valid onshore substantive visa application, condition 8101 and a compelling need to work. Protection applicants face an additional delay-related test. Low income alone does not establish eligibility for every BVE holder.
- Review and intervention distinction: Home Affairs’ Form 1008 describes restricted work-permission circumstances for judicial-review and Ministerial-intervention cases. These differ from the standard hardship route.
The detailed hardship route described here is the subclass 050 route under clause 050.212(8) of the Migration Regulations 1994. This guide has not verified an identical procedure for all subclass 051 holders.
The legal condition values used here were checked against the 1 July 2026 Regulations compilation. The Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 commenced on 2 October 2026 but did not change the BVE criteria or condition lists.
Getting work rights on a Bridging visa E
- Firstly, check the existing condition and eligibility basis. Home Affairs’ subclass 050 page says the grant letter states whether work is allowed. Use the guide to Condition 8101 on a Bridging visa E for the detailed BVE route.
- Secondly, prepare the correct application information. Home Affairs’ Form 1008 asks for financial-hardship information in Part E. Use Part E of the BVE form for that walkthrough.
For the wider BVE context, return to the Bridging Visa E Guide.
Before lodgement, an Australian migration lawyer can check the eligibility basis and evidence consistency against Part E of Home Affairs’ Form 1008.