Applying for another visa while on a Bridging visa E

Holding a Bridging visa E does not stop you applying for another visa in Australia, but the section 48 bar, condition 8503 and Schedule 3 decide which visa you can get. Section 76 of the Migration Act 1958 preserves other visa applications; each visa’s separate validity and grant requirements still apply.

Under section 5(1) of the Migration Act 1958, a substantive visa excludes bridging, criminal justice and enforcement visas. Check your last substantive visa, any refusal or cancellation since your last entry, and the visa you want next. Sections 48 and 46(1A) of the Migration Act 1958 and applicable Schedule 3 criteria in the Migration Regulations 1994 require separate checks. Use the routes table to identify the rule to check before lodging.

Information checked as at 3 October 2026.

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Your routes from a Bridging visa E

The Migration Act 1958, Migration Regulations 1994 and Home Affairs’ Ministerial intervention page set out the separate rules behind these routes. These are routes to assess, not options confirmed as available to every reader. A valid application allows the application to be considered; it does not establish that the visa’s grant criteria are met.

At a glance — 3 October 2026

The Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994 govern the separate application and grant checks. The Migration (Arrangements for Bridging visa applications) Instrument (LIN 21/045) 2021 approves specified combined application forms, not automatic grants. The Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 changed the former-student route from 2 October 2026.

Can you apply for another visa on a Bridging visa E?

Yes, holding a Bridging visa E does not itself prevent another visa application under section 76 of the Migration Act 1958. The intended visa’s application-validity rules and grant criteria still apply.

• Refusal or cancellation history: Section 48 of the Migration Act 1958 restricts applications to prescribed classes if you have no substantive visa and, since your last entry, have had a relevant visa refusal or cancellation under a listed provision. Not every BVE holder is section 48 barred.

• Previous visa conditions: Section 46(1A) of the Migration Act 1958 considers a relevant no-further-stay condition on a visa held since your last entry. If the condition bars the intended application and has not been waived, expiry of the visa carrying it does not remove that barrier.

• Intended visa criteria: Schedule 3 of the Migration Regulations 1994 applies where the intended visa’s provisions require it, not to every subsequent application. Section 48, no-further-stay conditions and Schedule 3 are separate checks.

Lodging a partner visa from a Bridging visa E

A partner visa from a Bridging visa E requires separate validity and Schedule 3 checks under item 1214C, regulation 2.12 and clause 820.211 of the Migration Regulations 1994.

1. Check the onshore application rules. Firstly, Partner (Temporary) Class UK is prescribed under regulation 2.12 of the Migration Regulations 1994. Item 1214C requires you to be in Australia, outside immigration clearance, and to lodge with a Partner (Residence) Class BS application. These checks do not cover all partner-visa requirements.

2. Check previous no-further-stay conditions before lodging. Secondly, an unwaived relevant condition makes a barred partner application invalid under section 46(1A) of the Migration Act 1958. Expiry of the visa carrying it does not remove the bar. Check any 8503 visa condition and the scope of any waiver before lodging.

3. Check Schedule 3 and the relevant dates. Thirdly, clause 820.211(2)(d)(ii) of the Migration Regulations 1994 requires criteria 3001, 3003 and 3004 unless the Minister is satisfied there are compelling reasons not to apply them.

4. Check the intended application and supporting evidence before lodgement. Finally, you and your partner or prospective sponsor should check that your dates and supporting evidence are consistent. An Australian migration lawyer can check validity barriers under section 46(1A) of the Migration Act 1958 and whether the evidence addresses the applicable criteria under the Migration Regulations 1994. That check is not a guarantee of validity or grant.

Home Affairs’ No further stay waiver page lists marriage or starting a de facto relationship as not, by itself, a reason for a waiver.

Applying more than 28 days after your visa ended

Criterion 3001 of Schedule 3 to the Migration Regulations 1994 generally requires a valid application within 28 days of the relevant day, usually when the last substantive visa ended. For onshore Partner subclass 820, clause 820.211(2)(d)(ii) permits compelling reasons not to apply the criteria; see Schedule 3 partner visa.

Relevant-day reminder: Criterion 3001 of Schedule 3 to the Migration Regulations 1994 generally uses 28 days from the relevant day; it is not a fresh period starting with the BVE grant.

Permanent residency from a Bridging visa E

Permanent residency from a Bridging visa E requires a separate visa pathway; section 76 of the Migration Act 1958 does not replace that pathway’s requirements.

1. Check whether an onshore application is valid. Check section 48 and any historical no-further-stay barrier under section 46(1A) of the Migration Act 1958 before assessing the intended permanent or staged pathway.

2. Check the pathway’s grant criteria. The onshore 820/801 partner pathway is one example requiring separate checks under the Migration Regulations 1994. As explained above, the applicable Schedule 3 criteria are not automatically waived.

3. Check an offshore alternative if the onshore route is unavailable. PIC 4014 is not a criterion for permanent visas or partner subclasses 309/820/100/801 under the Migration Regulations 1994. However, Home Affairs’ Re-entry ban page says immigration history is considered for permanent applications.

Subclass 482 is not a prescribed section 48 class under regulation 2.12 of the Migration Regulations 1994. A job offer or sponsorship does not remove that application bar.

If section 48 applies, you and your prospective employer should establish whether the proposed application is valid before preparing it. Employer sponsorship is not a substitute for these checks or confirmation of a permanent-residency pathway.

Student visas from a Bridging visa E

For applications made from 2 October 2026, the Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 removed the former-student 28-day onshore application route, apart from the specified Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) cancellation exception; see 2026 Student visa reform.

Does a new application give you a new Bridging visa E?

No, a new application does not automatically give you a new Bridging visa E. Home Affairs’ Subclass 050 page says some valid onshore substantive applications also constitute BVE applications, not automatic grants.

LIN 21/045 approves specified substantive-visa forms as BVE forms. Under item 1305(3)(e) and regulation 2.07A of the Migration Regulations 1994, the combined BVE application depends on a valid substantive application. The applicant must be in Australia, and the substantive visa must not be one that can only be granted offshore. Separate BVE grant requirements still apply.

For a non-detained BVE holder in this combined-application situation, clause 050.611 of the Migration Regulations 1994 carries forward specified existing conditions if a further BVE is granted. One example is condition 8101 (no work), which prohibits work in Australia under Schedule 8. Lodging a partner or another substantive application does not itself remove that restriction.

A substantive application does not itself convert a BVE into a Bridging visa A. Subclass 010 has separate visa-history and eligibility requirements under the Migration Regulations 1994.

When leaving Australia is the better path

Leaving Australia ends a Bridging visa E immediately under section 82(8) of the Migration Act 1958. It is an option to assess when the intended onshore application is unavailable, not an automatic solution.

PIC 4014 in Schedule 4 to the Migration Regulations 1994 restricts certain subsequent visa grants after departure on a BVE unless an exception or the specified compelling or compassionate circumstances apply. Where the three-year rule applies, the period runs from departure to the new application.

Check PIC 4014 after a BVE before making departure plans. Departure planning and eligibility to return are separate matters; lodging an offshore application does not itself permit return.

The rules behind your next application

1. Section 48 — the application bar. Section 48 of the Migration Act 1958 applies only when its visa-status and refusal or cancellation tests are met. See Who does the section 48 bar apply to for the prescribed-class list under regulation 2.12 of the Migration Regulations 1994, rather than a list here. If cancellation is relevant, check what changes on the day your visa is cancelled.

2. No-further-stay conditions — a separate validity barrier. Section 41(2A) of the Migration Act 1958 provides for waiver in prescribed circumstances. Section 46(1A) can make an application invalid because of a relevant condition on a visa held since your last entry. This is separate from section 48: a no-further-stay condition alone does not trigger section 48.

3. Schedule 3 — additional criteria where required. Schedule 3 of the Migration Regulations 1994 applies where the intended visa requires it. Criterion 3001 generally looks to the relevant day associated with the end of the last substantive visa, not the BVE grant date. See the first 28 days after your visa expires for the immediate status checks.

Home Affairs’ Ministerial intervention page describes a process following a qualifying tribunal decision, not an ordinary visa application. A BVE based on a Ministerial request has separate first-request requirements under clause 050.212 of the Migration Regulations 1994. See Ministerial intervention in Australia before treating a request as your next step.

Does a bridging visa refusal trigger section 48?

No. Section 48(1)(b)(i) of the Migration Act 1958 excludes a bridging visa refusal, although another relevant refusal or cancellation still requires checking.

Does a protection visa refusal have a separate application bar?

Yes. Section 48A of the Migration Act 1958 restricts a further protection application in Australia unless the Minister makes a section 48B determination.

Is there a decision deadline for a Ministerial intervention request?

No. Home Affairs’ Ministerial intervention page says the Minister is not required to consider a request and is not bound by timeframes.

This guide is published by Bridging Visa E Guide, an information publisher, not a law firm, migration practice or government site. It provides general information, not advice about your individual circumstances.

Return to the Bridging Visa E Guide.

Before lodging, an Australian migration lawyer can check your refusal or cancellation history, previous no-further-stay conditions and the dates relevant to Schedule 3. Those checks address separate requirements under the Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994.