Do I need a lawyer or a migration agent?

Many visa applications are lodged directly. A registered migration agent or immigration lawyer helps with complex or refused matters.

What is a Section 48 bar?

It limits the visas you can apply for while unlawfully in Australia after a refusal or cancellation. A professional can map your options.

Can I appeal a refused visa?

Often yes — the Administrative Appeals Tribunal reviews many decisions, but strict time limits apply.

Staying lawful in Australia while your 408 Workplace Justice visa is processed: BVA, BVC and BVB in 2026

Which bridging visa keeps you lawful in Australia while your 408 Workplace Justice visa is decided, and when you need a BVB to travel.

While your 408 Workplace Justice visa application is being processed, the visa that keeps you lawful in Australia is a bridging visa — and which one you get depends on your status at the moment you applied. You may be granted a Bridging visa A (BVA) if you held a substantive visa when you applied, or a Bridging visa C (BVC) if you did not. This is set out on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official page for the Temporary Activity visa (subclass 408) Australian Government Endorsed Events (Workplace Justice Pilot), as at July 2026.

Both bridging visas stop working the moment you leave Australia, so any travel during processing calls for a separate Bridging visa B (BVB). These bridging visas are available in the first place because the application must be made online from inside Australia — you must be in Australia, but not in immigration clearance, when you apply. This article is general information only and is not personalised legal advice; because your own position turns on your visa history, confirm the details against the official pages and any professional advice you obtain.

Which bridging visa do you get while your 408 Workplace Justice application is processed?

The rule turns on a single question: did you hold a substantive visa when you applied? If you were in Australia when you applied for this visa, you may be granted:

a Bridging visa A (BVA) if you held a substantive visa when you applied
a Bridging visa C (BVC) if you did not hold a substantive visa when you applied

A substantive visa is, in plain terms, a visa you hold in your own right rather than another bridging visa. So the BVA is the outcome where you held a substantive visa at the time of application, and the BVC is the outcome where you did not hold a substantive visa at that time, which can include holding only a bridging visa. Either way, the bridging visa is what lets you remain in Australia while the Department processes the 408 application.

When does the bridging visa start, and can you stay until the decision?

The bridging visa does not replace your current visa the day you apply. It starts if your current visa expires before the Department decides your application, and you can stay in Australia on the bridging visa while the application is processed.

So the sequence is straightforward: you keep holding your current visa under its own conditions, and if it runs out before a decision is made, the bridging visa begins and carries you through to the outcome. If your current visa is close to ending, the Department's visa expiry information is the next place to look.

How do you check your bridging visa conditions and when your visa expires?

Waiting out a decision is much easier when you know exactly what you can and cannot do. You can check the conditions and the expiry of your current visa in VEVO. To see what conditions might apply to your bridging visa, or to the visa you have applied for, you can use the Department's condition checker.

Two compliance points sit alongside this. It is a condition of the visa that you maintain adequate health insurance during your stay in Australia. And if the Department needs more information from you, you can see that in ImmiAccount — the Department says it cannot give updates on applications within the standard processing time.

Can you travel outside Australia while your 408 application is being decided?

You can leave, but a BVA or BVC will not bring you back. You cannot re-enter Australia on a BVA or BVC; they cease when you leave Australia. If you plan to travel outside Australia while the application is being processed, you might need to apply for and be granted a BVB before you leave — see the Department's Bridging visa B (BVB) information.

The travel guidance makes the same point from the other direction: if you leave Australia after submitting your application but before a decision is made, make sure you have a visa to return. Before booking anything, check your conditions and your current visa's expiry in VEVO.

Why shouldn't you ask to have your current visa cancelled?

The official page is blunt on this: do not ask to have the visa you currently hold cancelled. If your visa is cancelled, you will be staying in Australia unlawfully, and your bridging visa will cease.

The trap is easy to see once you know the rule. Assume an applicant whose current visa is still valid asks for it to be cancelled because they want the bridging visa to begin immediately. Under the rule above, the cancellation leaves them in Australia unlawfully and also ends the bridging visa — the opposite of what they were trying to achieve. The bridging visa is built to start when the current visa expires on its own before a decision, not to replace a visa cancelled at your request.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I automatically get a bridging visa when I apply for the 408 Workplace Justice visa?

If you were in Australia when you applied, you may be granted a bridging visa — a BVA if you held a substantive visa, or a BVC if you did not. The bridging visa does not begin the day you apply; it starts if your current visa expires before the Department decides your application. From that point it lets you stay in Australia while processing continues.

What is the difference between a BVA and a BVC for this visa?

The difference is what you held at the time you applied: a BVA is granted where you held a substantive visa, and a BVC is granted where you did not. In either case you can remain in Australia on the bridging visa while the 408 application is processed. Neither visa allows you to re-enter Australia after you leave.

Can I travel overseas while my 408 Workplace Justice application is being decided?

You can leave, but a BVA or BVC ceases as soon as you leave Australia and you cannot re-enter on it. If you plan to travel while the application is processed, you might need to apply for and be granted a BVB before you leave. You also need to make sure you have a visa to return.

Why is it a problem to ask for my current visa to be cancelled?

The official page tells applicants not to ask to have the visa they currently hold cancelled. If the visa is cancelled, you will be staying in Australia unlawfully and your bridging visa will cease. That outcome removes the lawful status the cancellation was meant to sort out.

How can I check my bridging visa conditions and my current visa's expiry?

You can check the conditions and expiry of your current visa in VEVO. To see what conditions might apply to your bridging visa, or to the visa you have applied for, you can use the Department's condition checker.

Will the Department update me on my application while I wait?

The Department says it cannot give updates on applications within the standard processing time. You can check ImmiAccount to see whether more information is needed from you. The decision itself will be given to you in writing.