How Long Can I Stay After My Visa Refusal on a Bridging Visa C in 2026?
A Bridging visa C granted on or after 19 November 2016 usually ceases 35 calendar days after a refusal decision — here's how the countdown works.
If you are holding a Bridging visa C (BVC) (subclass 030) and the substantive visa you applied for has just been refused, the general rule is this: for a BVC granted on or after 19 November 2016, your visa ceases 35 calendar days after the refusal decision. That countdown is set out on the Department of Home Affairs' "Bridging visa C (BVC) (Subclass 030)" page as at August 2026, and the Department's own instruction is that once you have been notified of an outcome, you should check VEVO to see exactly how long you can stay. Everything below is general information about how the rule is framed, not advice about your individual circumstances — your own VEVO record and the Department's current published guidance are what govern your case.
How many days do I have to leave Australia after a bridging visa C refusal?
Thirty-five calendar days, if your BVC was granted on or after 19 November 2016. The Department lists three triggers that each start that same 35-day clock:
- its refusal decision on your associated substantive visa application, or a decision by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) on that application
- a determination that your substantive visa application, or your AAT review application, is invalid
- your withdrawal of the substantive visa application or the AAT review application
"Calendar days" matters: the period is not counted in business days, so weekends and public holidays are included. For a clear picture using an assumed scenario, suppose an applicant receives notification of a refusal decision dated early in June — thirty-five calendar days from a decision in that part of the month runs into July, not merely to the end of June. The arithmetic is only an illustration, though. The date that actually binds you is the cease date shown in VEVO once notification has occurred.
Does the clock start from my decision letter or from the decision itself?
The two things are closely related on the official page, and the difference is worth understanding before you count anything by hand.
For a BVC granted on or after 19 November 2016, the Department frames the trigger around the decision — its refusal decision or the AAT's decision — rather than around the date you happened to read the letter. For a BVC granted before 19 November 2016, the framing changes: the visa ceases 28 days after the date the Department notifies you that your application was invalid or refused.
In practice this is why VEVO, not your own arithmetic, is the reference point. Notification occurs through Department channels, and a letter that sits unopened or arrives late does not change the recorded outcome date.
What if my bridging visa C was granted before 19 November 2016?
You get 28 days, and the trigger is expressed as the date of notification. A pre-19 November 2016 BVC ceases 28 days after whichever of these happens first:
- the Department notifies you that your substantive visa application is not valid
- the Department notifies you that your substantive visa application has been refused
- you withdraw your substantive visa application
- a merits review tribunal notifies you that it has upheld the refusal decision
- a merits review tribunal notifies you that it has no jurisdiction to consider your review application
- you withdraw your merits review or judicial review application
- a judicial review body upholds the decision to refuse your substantive visa application
The shorter period and the wider list of triggers mean that anyone whose BVC dates back before that November 2016 threshold should treat the 28-day figure as the operative one, and check it against VEVO.
What happens if I take the case to the AAT or to a court?
The pathway changes the countdown, and for BVCs granted on or after 19 November 2016 there are two regimes sitting side by side:
- Merits review (AAT). Your BVC ceases 35 calendar days after the AAT's decision on your associated substantive visa application, after a determination that the application or review application is invalid, or after you withdraw either application.
- Judicial review. Your BVC ceases 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds the refusal decision, or after you withdraw a related judicial review application.
One structural point from the Migration Regulations 1994 and the Department's Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) helps explain why this looks complicated: a BVC ends on the happening of an event rather than on a fixed expiry date printed on a grant letter. Because these provisions are periodically reissued, the figures should always be checked against the current official publication.
How do I find my exact cease date?
Use VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online). The Department's position is explicit: once you have been notified of an outcome, you can see exactly how long you can stay in Australia in VEVO. If you and your family applied together for the substantive visa, VEVO is also where you check whether family members already hold a BVC.
Two practical cautions follow from that. First, VEVO reflects the Department's record, so if your passport details, email address, residential address or phone number have changed and were not updated, your record may not match your expectations. Second, the BVC is digitally linked to your passport and Department's materials note no visa label is issued, so VEVO is the only document you can show anyone as proof of your visa and conditions.
What else can end my bridging visa C immediately?
Refusal is not the only ending. A BVC also ceases immediately in these situations:
- you leave Australia while the BVC is in effect
- you are granted the substantive visa you applied for
- you are granted another bridging visa in relation to the same substantive visa application
- the Department cancels either your BVC or the substantive visa you held when the BVC was granted
The travel point catches people out. A BVC does not support return travel, the Department cannot grant a Bridging visa B (subclass 020) to a BVC holder for travel and return while the substantive application is being processed, and a BVC in effect ceases on departure. If you leave without another visa permitting return, you must be granted a substantive visa to come back, and there is no guarantee one will be granted.
Can I extend my bridging visa C or get a new one?
No — the Department states plainly that you cannot stay longer by extending this visa, and you must apply for a new visa if you wish to stay longer. A separate application for a BVC is possible in limited circumstances, such as where you are seeking a further BVC without work restrictions, or where you have applied for judicial review; if you have applied for judicial review, you can only apply for a bridging visa by webform.
Where the AAT has upheld the refusal and you move to judicial review, applying for a bridging visa is the mechanism for maintaining lawful status during those proceedings. The BVC costs nothing to apply for, and you and anyone included in the application must be in Australia at both submission and grant.
What are the risks of staying past the cease date?
Once your BVC ceases and you hold no other visa, you are in Australia without a lawful visa. The Department's own materials describe the BVC's purpose as letting you stay lawfully until the substantive application is finally determined, or until associated judicial proceedings are complete — so when that purpose is exhausted, the basis for remaining goes with it. Beyond the immediate loss of lawful status, the practical consequences generally include difficulty obtaining any further visa from within Australia and exposure to immigration enforcement, and any travel after that point creates a record that can complicate future applications.
That general framing is the reason to treat the VEVO date as hard. The 35 days (or 28 days, depending on your pathway and your grant date) is not a negotiation window; it is the period in which you either regularise your status through another application or arrange departure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it 28 days or 35 days after a refusal?
It depends on two things: when your BVC was granted, and which review pathway you used. A BVC granted on or after 19 November 2016 ceases 35 calendar days after the refusal or AAT decision, while a BVC granted before that date ceases 28 days after notification. Where judicial review is involved, the period after a court upholds the refusal is 28 calendar days.
Can I count the 35 days from the day I opened my letter?
Not reliably. For BVCs granted on or after 19 November 2016, the Department ties the countdown to its refusal decision or the AAT's decision, not to the date you read correspondence about it. The safest approach is to read the cease date from VEVO, which reflects the Department's record.
What if I leave Australia on day 30?
Your BVC ceases immediately on departure, because a BVC that is in effect ceases when you leave the country. Leaving before the countdown expires is therefore permitted in the sense that you exit lawfully, but you cannot return on that visa, and returning requires being granted another visa first.
Can I work during the 35-day period?
That depends on the conditions attached to your BVC as recorded in VEVO, not on the countdown itself. Where an initial BVC does not permit work, the Department allows an application for a further BVC without work restrictions if you can demonstrate financial hardship; it assesses your circumstances and, if you do not meet the work requirements but remain eligible for a BVC, grants a new one carrying the same work restriction.
Does my family lose lawful status at the same time as me?
Family members who are included in the substantive visa application may hold their own BVC, and each is assessed and granted a bridging visa according to their own circumstances. Check each person's status and conditions separately in VEVO rather than assuming one cease date covers everyone.
Is anything on this topic likely to have changed recently?
Yes — the underlying provisions sit in the Migration Regulations 1994 and departmental policy guidance, both of which are updated over time. The 35-day and 28-day periods should be confirmed against the Department of Home Affairs' current published BVC page and the legislation as currently in force.