Bridging Visa B (020) vs Bridging Visa A (010): Can You Leave Australia and Come Back in 2026?
How Bridging Visa B (020) differs from Bridging Visa A (010): travel rights, 35- and 28-day timelines after a refusal, and what changes if you appeal.
No. Leaving Australia on a Bridging Visa A (010) generally means you cannot come back on that visa, because a BVA carries no travel facility. A Bridging Visa B (020) exists to solve that single problem: it restores the right to re-enter within a defined travel period while a substantive visa application, or court proceedings about it, is still on foot. What it does not do is extend your stay, upgrade your case, or change the visa conditions you already have. This is general information, not advice about your own circumstances — with refusal or appeal timelines running, confirm your position against the Department's current requirements or get advice from someone qualified to assess your case. The detail below reflects the Department of Home Affairs' official page "Bridging visa B (BVB) (Subclass 020)" as at August 2026, alongside Subclass 020 of the Migration Regulations 1994 and the Department's PAM3 policy guidelines.
What is the difference between Bridging Visa A (010) and Bridging Visa B (020)?
| Bridging Visa A (010) | Bridging Visa B (020) | |
|---|---|---|
| Main function | Keeps you lawful in Australia while an onshore substantive visa application is processed | Same lawful stay, plus a travel facility to leave and re-enter within a specified period |
| Leaving Australia | No travel facility, so departure generally ends the visa | You may travel and return within the specified travel period |
| Changing conditions | Can be sought through a BVA application — work rights require proof of financial hardship | Conditions on a BVB cannot be varied, and cannot be varied at all if it was granted because of a judicial review application |
| How it ends | On the decision, withdrawal, invalidity or cancellation events set out in the visa rules | Same kinds of events, plus expiry of the specified travel period while you are outside Australia |
The practical difference for readers facing a refusal is narrow but decisive: both visas keep you lawful onshore, and only the BVB lets you cross the border and return.
Who can apply for a Bridging Visa B?
The Department's official page sets the baseline requirements. You must:
- be in Australia when you apply, and be in Australia when the visa is granted — a valid application cannot be made from overseas;
- already hold a BVA or a BVB;
- have applied in Australia for a substantive visa that can be granted while you are in Australia;
- have "substantial" reasons for needing to travel, assessed on the evidence you provide.
The Migration Regulations 1994 add that the applicant must not be in immigration clearance at the time of application or grant, and that Subclass 020 has no separate secondary criteria — every person included must satisfy the primary criteria in their own right.
If my visa has already been refused, does a BVB get me back in?
A BVB gives you a re-entry right, not a rehearing. It does not revive a refused application, and it does not stop the Department or a review body from making decisions while you are offshore. The risk on a refused or appealed case is not the departure itself; it is being outside Australia when your bridging visa stops.
For a BVB granted on or after 19 November 2016, the official page sets the following run-off periods:
| Event | How long the BVB continues |
|---|---|
| Refusal decision, or AAT decision, about the associated substantive visa application | 35 calendar days |
| Determination that the substantive application or AAT review application is invalid | 35 calendar days |
| You withdraw the substantive application or the AAT review application | 35 calendar days |
| A judicial review body upholds the refusal decision | 28 calendar days |
| You withdraw the related judicial review application | 28 calendar days |
For BVBs granted before 19 November 2016, the visa ends 28 days after notification of invalidity or refusal, a merits review tribunal upholding the refusal or finding it has no jurisdiction, withdrawal of the substantive application or review, or a judicial review body upholding the refusal. The Department notes that VEVO shows how long you can remain once you have been notified of an outcome.
What changes when a refusal moves to merits review or judicial review?
Two things change, and both catch people out. First, timing: the 28-day clock that applies once a judicial review body upholds the refusal is shorter than the 35-day clock that follows a Departmental or AAT decision. Second, the visa itself does not carry over cleanly.
- If a merits review tribunal upholds the refusal and you apply for judicial review, you must apply for a new bridging visa to remain lawful during those proceedings.
- A bridging visa applied for on that basis can only be applied for by webform.
- Where you have applied for judicial review and wish to travel, a separate BVB application is needed.
- Conditions cannot be changed on a bridging visa granted on the basis of a judicial review application.
Do I need a new BVB for every trip?
Only if your current travel facility has run out or will not cover the trip you have planned. A BVB travel facility may be granted as single or multiple travel, and it is valid until a specified date that the Department tells you at grant. If that date has passed, or there is not enough validity left to cover the journey, you must apply for and be granted a new BVB before leaving Australia.
The hard edge of this rule is worth stating plainly: if you are outside Australia when the specified travel period ends, the visa ceases, and you cannot return on a ceased BVB. Whether you already hold a BVB, and what its travel dates are, is shown in VEVO.
What counts as a "substantial" reason to travel?
The regulations require substantial reasons for leaving and returning, which the PAM3 guidelines gloss as reasons that are real, actual, important, and of genuine worth or significance — both weighty and supported by evidence. Guidance examples include visiting a seriously ill relative, attending a significant family event, and travel connected with employment, business or education. Decision-makers weigh the evidence you supply, and where documents are genuinely hard to obtain at short notice they decide on what is available rather than refusing automatically. Those examples are policy guidance rather than law, and how they are applied should be checked against the requirements the Department publishes.
Does a BVB let me stay longer or improve my work rights?
No. You cannot extend your stay by holding a BVB — staying longer requires a new visa application. Work rights follow whatever the substantive visa you held, or the one you applied for, allowed; your grant letter states the conditions that apply. If both the visa you had and the visa you applied for carry work restrictions, your BVB will not permit work, and if his situation bites, the route to changing conditions is an application for a BVA supported by proof of financial hardship. A bridging visa also cannot be used while you wait for a citizenship application to be decided.
Can my family travel on the same application?
Yes, but selectively. Where you applied together for the substantive visa in Australia, members of your family unit can be included in one BVB application, with one form and one visa application charge — but each member must meet the requirements individually. Only family members with substantial reasons to travel should be included; anyone who does not need to leave can remain in Australia on their existing bridging visa.
What does it cost in 2026?
Cost concessions apply in limited circumstances. From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application using a valid passport from one of the listed countries: Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Where the lower cost is not recognised at lodgement, the Department refunds the difference. The current charge itself is set out in the official cost section and should be read as the Department publishes it. Once granted, the visa is digitally linked to your passport; no label is issued.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave Australia on a Bridging Visa A and come back on it?
A Bridging Visa A has no travel facility, so leaving Australia generally ends it and leaves you without a visa to return on. The practical work-around is to be granted a Bridging Visa B before you depart, which carries a specified travel period for leaving and re-entering.
Can I apply for a Bridging Visa B while I am overseas?
No. You must be in Australia both when you apply and when the visa is granted, otherwise the application is not valid. If your BVB travel period expires while you are outside Australia, the visa ceases and it cannot be used to return.
Can I change the conditions on my Bridging Visa B?
No. Conditions cannot be varied on a BVB, including one granted because of a judicial review application. If you need different conditions — for example, permission to work based on financial hardship — the pathway is an application for a Bridging Visa A.
How long do I have after my visa is refused?
For a BVB granted on or after 19 November 2016, it continues for 35 calendar days after the refusal decision or an AAT decision about the associated substantive visa application, or after an invalidity determination or a withdrawal. Where a judicial review body upholds the refusal, or you withdraw the judicial review application, the visa continues for 28 calendar days.
Do my partner and children need their own BVB?
They can be included in your application if you applied together for the substantive visa and they are members of your family unit, using one form and one charge. Each person must still satisfy the BVB requirements individually, and only those with substantial reasons to travel should be included.
Does holding a BVB improve my chances of getting the substantive visa?
It does not. A BVB only affects your ability to remain lawful in Australia and to travel during the specified period; it is not evidence of merit, does not influence the outcome of the substantive application, merits review or judicial review, and cannot extend your stay beyond the events that end it.