Bridging Visas and the Onshore Partner Visa: Work, Study and Travel While You Wait

You lodged your partner visa in Australia. Now you face a long wait. Meanwhile, your student visa or visitor visa is running out. Understandably, most applicants ask the same three questions.

Can I work? Can I study? Can I leave the country? A bridging visa answers all three. However, the answer depends on which bridging visa you hold, and on the conditions in your grant letter.

What a bridging visa actually does

A bridging visa keeps you lawful while the Department decides your application. It is a temporary visa, not a substantive one. Importantly, it does not speed your partner visa up. It simply protects your status during the wait.

Home Affairs grants nearly all bridging visas automatically. In other words, your onshore subclass 820 application usually generates one. As a result, you rarely need a separate form. You can check what you hold through VEVO.

Bridging visa A: the default for onshore applicants

Most onshore partner visa applicants hold a Bridging visa A, or subclass 010. It costs nothing. Furthermore, it lets you stay lawfully until the Department finally determines your partner visa application.

When your BVA comes into effect

A BVA does not start the moment you receive it. Instead, it comes into effect when your current substantive visa ceases. Until then, your existing visa conditions still bind you. For example, a student visa’s study and work conditions continue to apply. Once that visa expires, your BVA conditions take over.

This trips people up. Many assume the BVA overrides everything on grant day. It does not.

Work rights on a BVA

Work rights are not automatic. Rather, they follow the conditions attached to your particular BVA. Your grant letter sets them out, and VEVO shows them too. Many partner visa applicants hold a BVA with full work rights. Some, however, hold one carrying a work restriction.

If your BVA prevents work, you can apply for a further BVA that permits it. Home Affairs will usually expect evidence of financial hardship. Therefore, gather bank statements, rent records and expense records first.

One limit catches people out. Where your current BVA restricts work, two situations block a work-permitting BVA. First, you applied for judicial review of your substantive visa decision. Second, you applied for a protection visa.

Bridging visa B: the travel option

A BVA does not support return travel. If you leave while it is in effect, it ceases on departure. Consequently, you would sit offshore with a pending onshore application.

A Bridging visa B, or subclass 020, solves that problem. It lets you leave and return within a defined travel period. The travel facility may cover single or multiple journeys. It also runs until a specified date.

The BVB costs AUD 575.00, with concessions in limited circumstances. One charge covers the family unit in the application. Each member must still meet the requirements individually. For that reason, only include relatives who genuinely need to travel.

Timing matters more than people expect. You must hold the BVB before you leave Australia. In addition, an expired travel facility means a fresh BVB. So does one that falls short of your trip.

One further catch surprises applicants. You cannot change the conditions on a BVB. So if your BVB does not permit work, you must apply for a BVA instead, and prove financial hardship.

Bridging visa C: when you held no substantive visa

Some people lodge a valid onshore partner visa application without holding a substantive visa. In that situation, Home Affairs may grant a Bridging visa C, or subclass 030. It also costs nothing.

A BVC does not support return travel either. Again, work rights follow the conditions imposed. If your BVC restricts work, you can seek a further BVC without it.

Studying while you wait

Bridging visas do not usually stop you from studying. Your fee status, however, is a separate question. Universities and TAFEs decide whether you pay domestic or international rates. Services Australia, not Home Affairs, decides eligibility for government study support.

Therefore, confirm both points before you enrol. Otherwise a budgeted course can cost several times more.

When your bridging visa ends

Your bridging visa ends when Home Affairs grants your partner visa. It also ends if you withdraw, or if a refusal arrives.

A BVA or BVB granted on or after 19 November 2016 then follows a set clock. It ends 35 calendar days after a refusal, or after a review tribunal decides your case. The same 35 days applies where you withdraw. Where a judicial review body upholds a refusal, it ends 28 calendar days later.

Those windows are short. As a result, seek advice immediately if a refusal lands.

How to protect your position while you wait

First, read your grant letter carefully, then confirm the conditions in VEVO. Second, keep building relationship evidence through the wait. Third, tell Home Affairs about changes such as a new address, a marriage, or a baby.

Finally, plan travel early, because a BVB is not instant. Realistic expectations help too, so read our guide to partner visa processing times in 2026. Budgeting matters as well. Our breakdown of what a partner visa costs in 2026 sets out the government charges. For the complete picture, see our guide to subclass 820/801 and 309/100.

Frequently asked questions

Can I work on a bridging visa while my partner visa is processed?

It depends on the conditions attached to your bridging visa. Many onshore partner visa applicants hold a Bridging visa A with full work rights. Your grant letter and VEVO confirm your position. If your bridging visa restricts work, you can apply for a further Bridging visa A that permits it. You will usually need to show financial hardship.

Can I travel overseas on a bridging visa?

Not on a Bridging visa A or a Bridging visa C, because neither supports return travel. A Bridging visa A that is in effect ceases when you leave Australia. To travel and come back, you need a Bridging visa B granted before you depart.

How much does a Bridging visa B cost?

The Bridging visa B application charge is AUD 575.00, with concessions in limited circumstances. One charge covers the family unit included in the application, although each family member must meet the requirements individually. A lower charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste passport holders from 1 July 2026.

When does my Bridging visa A come into effect?

A Bridging visa A comes into effect when your current substantive visa ceases. If that visa has already ceased, it starts on grant. Until that point, your existing visa conditions continue to apply.

What happens to my bridging visa if my partner visa is refused?

A Bridging visa A or B granted on or after 19 November 2016 follows a set clock. It ends 35 calendar days after a refusal or a review tribunal decision. Where a judicial review body upholds a refusal, it ends 28 calendar days later. These periods are short, so get advice straight away.

Sam Kanjo, Migration Lawyer, Skyline Migration Lawyers, Melbourne.

Talk to a Melbourne migration lawyer

Bridging visa conditions can shape your work, study and travel for years. If you are unsure what your grant letter allows, we can review it with you.

Call Skyline Migration Lawyers on 03 8108 8748 or email info@skylinemigrationlawyers.com.au.

This article provides general information only. It is not legal advice and does not take your circumstances into account. Migration law changes often, so please seek tailored advice before you act.