Am I eligible for a Bridging visa B while my skilled or employer-sponsored PR application is pending in 2026?
Whether you can get a Bridging visa B in 2026 while a skilled or employer-sponsored PR application is pending, and what must be true.
Possibly yes: if you are in Australia, already hold a Bridging visa A (BVA) or a Bridging visa B (BVB), and your skilled or employer-sponsored permanent application was lodged in Australia and has not been finally determined, you can apply for a BVB (Subclass 020) to leave and re-enter while it is processed. That is the position set out on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Bridging visa B (BVB) (Subclass 020) page, as at August 2026. The two things that most often defeat applicants in this group are not the visa class they are waiting on but the travel reason and the timing: you must show a substantial reason to go, and you must be in Australia both when you apply and when the BVB is granted.
The subclasses commonly caught by this — Skilled Independent (189), Skilled Nominated (190), Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (491), Employer Nomination Scheme (186) and the Temporary Skill Shortage (482) route into permanent residence — all sit inside the same BVB test. The Department does not run a separate eligibility list for skilled or sponsored cases; what matters is the state of your application and your bridging visa status.
This page explains published criteria in general terms. It is not advice on your own circumstances, and where a case turns on facts such as refusals, review deadlines or travel urgency, the Department's current published guidance and a registered migration professional are the safer reference points.
What has to be true on the day you apply?
The Department's official page sets out a chain of conditions, and every link has to hold at once.
- You must be in Australia when you apply. A BVB cannot be applied for from offshore.
- You must already hold a BVA or a BVB. There is no route into Subclass 020 directly from a substantive visa or from no visa at all.
- You must have held a substantive visa at some point. The eligibility criteria state this as a standalone requirement.
- You must have made a valid application for a substantive visa in Australia, for a visa that can be granted while you are in Australia. Skilled and employer-sponsored PR applications lodged onshore normally meet this; the point is that the pending application, not just your presence, is what the BVB attaches to.
- You must meet the character requirement, and you can be any age to apply.
Suppose an applicant is holding a BVA granted when their previous substantive visa expired, and their 190 nomination-backed application is still with the Department. On these criteria they are in the right position to apply. If instead their last substantive visa was refused and no further valid application is on foot, there is nothing for a BVB to attach to.
What does "not finally determined" actually mean?
This is the phrase that decides most pending-PR cases, and the official eligibility criteria define it by two alternatives:
- the substantive visa application has not been finally determined; or
- the application was refused, and you applied for judicial review within the prescribed timeframe, and those proceedings have not finished.
The practical reading is that "pending" is a legal status, not a feeling that your case is still moving. An application that has been refused and left alone is no longer pending in this sense. An application that has been refused but taken to review within time is treated differently, and that is where the deadlines do real damage.
For tribunal review, the Department states you must apply within the prescribed timeframe, and notes that if you do apply in time you may not need a further bridging visa at all — your existing bridging arrangements often continue. For judicial review, the official page gives a specific figure: 35 days from the date of the Tribunal's decision. Missing that window may affect whether you can be granted a further bridging visa. Departmental procedural guidance summarised alongside the Migration Regulations 1994 also treats a refused application as finally determined once the review period lapses without a valid review application.
Why holding a BVA or BVB matters at two separate moments
Applicants often check their status when they lodge and assume that is enough. The regulations behind Subclass 020 split the requirement across two clauses: one applying at the time of application (clause 020.211) and one applying at the time of decision (clause 020.221). Both require you to hold a BVA or a BVB.
| At the time you apply | At the time of the decision | |
|---|---|---|
| Bridging visa held | Must hold a BVA or BVB | Must still hold a BVA or BVB |
| Location | Must be in Australia (and not in immigration clearance) | Must be in Australia if granted |
| Pending application | Valid onshore substantive visa application, not finally determined, or refused with in-time judicial review | Same condition must continue to be met |
The risk is a change in between. If your pending PR application is decided — granted or refused — the bridging visa it supports can come to an end, and with it the BVB application. If it is granted, you no longer need the BVB. If it is refused and no review is lodged in time, the basis for the BVB disappears.
What counts as a "substantial reason" to travel?
You must give a reason and attach supporting documents explaining why you need to depart and return while the substantive visa is being considered, or while judicial review is pending. This is a merits test, not a formality.
Departmental procedural guidance describes "substantial" in its ordinary sense as something real, actual, important, and of genuine value or meaning — so the reason has to be both significant and evidenced. Commonly cited examples in that guidance include a seriously ill family member, a significant family event such as a wedding or funeral, and work, business or study-related travel such as a conference, academic commitment or business negotiation. Holiday travel sits at the weak end of that scale unless there is something genuinely pressing behind it.
Officers also assess whether your return would be contrary to the public interest (clause 020.213). Active tuberculosis is the one health circumstance the guidance identifies as creating a public health risk without exception.
Do age, health and character come into it?
- Age: any age. There is no age criterion for Subclass 020.
- Character: yes. You must meet the character requirement, and a BVB can be refused or cancelled on character grounds under section 501 of the Migration Act 1958.
- Health: the subclass does not impose the standard Schedule 4 health criteria; the health-facing element is the public interest assessment on return described above. Guidance also notes that PIC 4021, which includes passport requirements, applies.
How long can you be away, and what must you do before you go?
Once granted, the BVB allows you to leave and return within a defined travel period while the substantive application is processed. The Department's page states you must stay lawful in Australia until that application is finally determined — or, where the matter is before a court, until those proceedings are completed — and that you must travel within the defined travel period. Work rights depend on what your BVB permits.
On duration, the official page does not publish a single figure. Departmental procedural guidance summarised from the Migration Regulations 1994 and PAM3 indicates a travel facility period is set case by case, that policy has pointed to a maximum of around 12 months for some categories including General Skilled Migration and business innovation streams, and that a BVB granted on a substantive visa application generally runs until 35 days after a refusal is finally determined or until a new visa is granted, while one granted for judicial review generally runs until 28 days after the proceedings end. Those figures come from guidance rather than the Department's public visa page, so treat them as indicative and confirm the current position against official published guidance before booking travel.
One more point that catches people out while they are away: if an adverse tribunal or court decision is made during your trip, the clock on your BVB can start running while you are offshore. Guidance on the regulation side puts that at 35 days after a tribunal decision and 28 days after court proceedings conclude.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply for a BVB if my 190 or 491 application is still being processed?
Yes, provided you are in Australia, hold a BVA or BVB, have held a substantive visa, and the pending application was validly made in Australia for a visa grantable onshore. The pending status itself is what the BVB attaches to, so a still-undecided application is the strongest case.
Does being on a 482 waiting for 186 change the test?
No. The BVB criteria are written around the bridging visa you hold and the state of your substantive visa application, not around which skilled or sponsored subclass you are waiting for. What changes is the evidence: you still need a substantial, documented reason to leave and return.
What if my PR application was refused while I was overseas on a BVB?
A refusal can bring your entitlement to remain to an end. Whether you can still return depends on whether you apply for review or judicial review within the prescribed timeframe — 35 days from the date of the Tribunal's decision for judicial review, per the Department's page — and on whether the proceedings are unfinished.
Do I need a new BVB if I already have one and it is about to expire?
The criteria require you to hold a BVA or BVB at both application and decision, so a further application is made on the same footing as the first. If you have applied for tribunal review within the prescribed timeframe, the Department notes you may not need a further bridging visa at all.
Can family members travelling with me get a BVB?
The regulations for Subclass 020 list no separate secondary criteria: every applicant must satisfy the primary criteria. In practice each family member's own position — their bridging visa, their pending application and their travel reason — has to stand on its own.
Is there a fee or a guaranteed processing time I should plan around?
The Department's public page does not publish a fee or service standard here, and no figures should be assumed. Plan on the basis of your own travel dates and the documentary evidence you can assemble, not on an assumed turnaround.