Bridging visas A and B while your Student visa (500) is processed in 2026
How Bridging visa A and Bridging visa B work while your Student visa (subclass 500) application is decided in Australia.
If you lodge a Student visa (subclass 500) application while you are in Australia, you are granted a Bridging visa A (BVA). It keeps you lawful once your current visa expires, but it carries no right of return — it ceases the moment you leave the country. If you hold a BVA and have substantial reasons to travel, a Bridging visa B (BVB, subclass 020) is the visa that lets you come back while the application is still being decided. This reflects the Department of Home Affairs' Student visa (subclass 500) page, as at August 2026.
The rest of this article describes the published framework in general terms. It is not personalised advice about your own circumstances, and your own visa conditions together with the current official pages remain the reference point for any decision you make.
Do you get a bridging visa automatically with a Student visa (500) application?
Yes, but only if you were in Australia when you applied. The Student visa page states plainly that applicants who were onshore at the time of lodgement were granted a Bridging visa A.
The harder question for many applicants is whether they can apply onshore at all. To apply in Australia you must hold an eligible substantive visa, or apply within 28 days of holding a Student visa, a Special Purpose visa or a dependent Diplomatic (temporary) visa, or within 28 days of being notified by the Tribunal that your visa cancellation has been set aside. You cannot apply for a Student visa in Australia if you hold a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485), a Visitor visa (subclass 600), an Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601), an eVisitor (subclass 651), a Medical Treatment visa (subclass 602), a Transit visa (subclass 771), a Maritime Crew visa (subclass 988), a Domestic Worker (Temporary) Diplomatic and Consular visa (subclass 426), a Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403) in the Domestic Worker stream, or a Diplomatic (Temporary) visa (subclass 995) as the primary holder.
One further trap sits at the lodgement stage: if you claim an exemption from the visa application charge and are not eligible for it, your application will not be accepted, and the official page notes that an invalid application outcome could affect your visa status.
When does the BVA actually start?
A BVA granted with your application does not usually do anything while your current substantive visa is still in force. If your current visa expires before the Department decides your application, the BVA starts, and you can stay in Australia on it while the new application is processed.
That is the whole function of the visa: it is a lawful-status bridge, not a travel document and not a work or study entitlement of its own.
Why is there no right of return on a BVA?
Because a BVA ends on departure. The official wording is explicit: you cannot travel on the BVA, there is no right of return on this visa, and it cancels when you leave Australia.
The practical consequence is asymmetric. Leaving Australia is easy — the Department's page confirms you do not have to notify it that you intend to travel, and a decision can be made while you are outside Australia. Coming back is the problem. Once the BVA ceases on departure, you need some other visa that permits you to return, and the page directs applicants to check VEVO to see whether their current visa allows return. It also advises avoiding booking travel before the application has been finalised.
When is a Bridging visa B (subclass 020) the right one?
BVB exists for the case above. If you hold a BVA and have substantial reasons for travel, a Bridging visa B enables your return to Australia while your application is being processed. The BVB is described on its own Department of Home Affairs visa page.
To make the distinction concrete: suppose an applicant's BVA has started, their previous student visa has expired, and they need to travel overseas for a serious family reason. Departing on the BVA would end it and leave them outside Australia with no visa to come back on. Holding a BVB before departure is what preserves the return leg. Whether a particular reason counts as substantial is a judgement made against the published criteria for that visa, not a formality.
BVA and BVB compared
| Bridging visa A (BVA) | Bridging visa B (BVB, subclass 020) | |
|---|---|---|
| How you get it | Granted because you were in Australia when you applied | The visa used when you have a BVA and substantial reasons to travel |
| Purpose | Keeps you lawful after your current visa expires and while the application is decided | Enables return to Australia while the application is being processed |
| Travel | No travel facility; no right of return; ceases on departure | Preserves your ability to return |
| Status if refused | Application refused: no refund of the application charge | Same underlying application, same outcome |
What puts your lawful status at risk while you wait?
The single clearest warning on the official page is about cancelling your current visa. If you cancel it, you will be staying in Australia unlawfully and you will not be eligible for a Bridging visa A.
Other risks are quieter but common:
- Letting your enrolment lapse. If you provided a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) as evidence of study, you must hold a valid CoE when the application is decided. A CoE is no longer valid if it is cancelled or the course is complete; a new CoE has to be attached to your ImmiAccount to remain eligible.
- Missing requests. You are told to respond to requests for information promptly and to check ImmiAccount regularly for messages; you do not need to wait until the deadline.
- Ignoring a biometrics request. If biometrics are requested, you are given 14 days to provide them, and biometrics must be provided before travelling to Australia.
- Assuming a processing estimate is a promise. The visa processing time guide tool shows times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.
What changes once the decision is made?
If the visa is granted, you are told in writing your visa grant number, the date the visa expires, and your visa conditions. You can then travel outside Australia and return as many times as you want while the visa is valid, and time spent outside Australia does not extend the visa. Work rights on the granted visa are up to 48 hours a fortnight while the course of study or training is in session, with unlimited hours for student visa holders when the course is not in session. Note also that if you are granted another substantive visa, your Student visa (subclass 500) ceases.
If the application is refused, you are told in writing why, and whether you have a right to a review of the decision. The application charge is not refunded if the application is refused.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Bridging visa A granted automatically when I apply for a Student visa (500) in Australia?
Yes — if you were in Australia when you lodged the application, you were granted a Bridging visa A. The visa allows you to stay in Australia while the application is processed. It does not give you a travel facility.
Can I fly home and come back on my BVA?
No. A BVA has no right of return and ceases when you leave Australia. Before departing, check whether your current visa allows you to return using VEVO; otherwise a Bridging visa B is the visa that preserves re-entry.
What is the difference between BVA and BVB in practice?
A BVA keeps you lawful in Australia while your application is decided. A BVB (subclass 020) is used when you already hold a BVA and have substantial reasons to travel, because it enables your return while the application is still being processed.
What happens if my current visa expires while the Student visa application is pending?
The BVA starts, and you can remain in Australia on it while the application is processed. The critical rule is not to cancel your current visa: doing so means you are staying unlawfully and are not eligible for a BVA.
Do I need to tell the Department if I travel while my application is being processed?
No. You do not have to tell the Department that you intend to travel outside Australia, and a decision can be made while you are offshore. The risk is not the departure but the return, since a BVA ceases when you leave.
Will I get my money back if the Student visa is refused?
No. The Department states that it will not refund the application charge if the application is refused. You will be told the reasons for refusal and whether you have a right to review the decision.