What ends your Bridging visa B in 2026 if your PR application is refused or withdrawn?
The events that end a Bridging visa B (subclass 020) in 2026 — refusal, withdrawal, review outcomes — and when the countdown starts.
A refused or withdrawn permanent residence application does not end your Bridging visa B (BVB, subclass 020) on the spot — it starts a countdown. According to the Department of Home Affairs' Bridging visa B (subclass 020) official page, a BVB granted on or after 19 November 2016 ends 35 calendar days after the refusal decision, after a merits review decision on the associated application, after a finding that the application is invalid, or after you withdraw the substantive or review application. Judicial review outcomes and withdrawals run on a shorter 28-day clock, and grants made before 19 November 2016 use 28 days across the board. Refusal and withdrawal are only two of the events listed below, and the less-discussed ones — invalidity, no jurisdiction, cancellation, and expiry of the travel period while you are offshore — catch people out just as often. This is general information about how the rules are published, not advice on your own circumstances; for a specific case, rely on the official page and, where the situation is complicated, a registered migration professional.
What actually ends a Bridging visa B?
The official page sets out a single list of outcomes, one of which will determine when your BVB ceases:
- your substantive visa application (in a PR context, the permanent visa you applied for) is refused;
- your merits review or judicial review is decided;
- you withdraw the application for the substantive visa, the merits review, or the judicial review;
- a merits review tribunal tells you it has no jurisdiction to consider your review application;
- the substantive visa associated with the BVB is granted to you;
- the Department cancels your BVB, or cancels the substantive visa you held when the BVB was granted.
The framing matters: these are cessation events, not a single "refusal rule". A BVB can also end through a mechanism that has nothing to do with a decision on your case — if you are outside Australia when the specified travel period on your BVB ends, the visa ceases, and you cannot return to Australia on a BVB that has ceased. A new BVB must be granted before you leave if you need to travel again.
How many days do you get after a PR refusal or withdrawal?
For a BVB granted on or after 19 November 2016, the count is 35 calendar days from the event itself. The official page expresses the trigger as the decision or action, not as the date you read the letter:
- the Department's refusal decision, or a decision by the merits review body (the official page names it the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, AAT) on the associated substantive visa application;
- a determination that your substantive visa application, or an application for AAT review, is invalid;
- the withdrawal by you of the substantive visa application or the AAT review application.
Suppose a skilled migration applicant whose BVB was granted in 2024 withdraws their points-tested application three weeks after lodging a review: on the published rule, the BVB runs 35 calendar days from the withdrawal. The same applicant, if the withdrawal had been of a judicial review application instead, would have 28 days.
Which outcomes give you only 28 days?
Judicial review is treated separately, and the shorter period applies regardless of when your BVB was granted, because the post-2016 rules state it explicitly:
- a judicial review body upholds the decision to refuse your substantive visa application — 28 calendar days;
- you withdraw a related judicial review application — 28 calendar days.
The same 28-day figure governs the whole pre-19 November 2016 list, where the page ties the count to the date the relevant event happens rather than to the date of the refusal decision: notification that the application is not valid, notification of refusal, withdrawal of the substantive application, notification that the merits review tribunal upheld the refusal, notification that the tribunal has no jurisdiction, withdrawal of a merits or judicial review application, and a judicial review body upholding the refusal.
| Event ending the BVB | BVB granted on or after 19 Nov 2016 | BVB granted before 19 Nov 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Substantive (PR) application refused | 35 calendar days from the refusal decision | 28 days from the date you are notified of the refusal |
| Merits review decision on the associated application | 35 calendar days from that decision | 28 days from the date the tribunal notifies you it upheld the refusal |
| Application, or AAT review application, found invalid | 35 calendar days from that determination | 28 days from the date you are notified the application is not valid |
| You withdraw the substantive or AAT review application | 35 calendar days from withdrawal | 28 days from withdrawal |
| Tribunal says it has no jurisdiction | Listed as a cessation event; the page directs you to VEVO for the exact date | 28 days from the date of that notification |
| Judicial review body upholds the refusal | 28 calendar days | 28 days from the date the judicial review body upholds the refusal |
| You withdraw a judicial review application | 28 calendar days | 28 days from withdrawal |
| Associated substantive visa is granted | BVB ends; you move onto that visa | BVB ends; you move onto that visa |
| BVB cancelled, or the substantive visa held at grant is cancelled | BVB ends | BVB ends |
What if the tribunal says it has no jurisdiction, or your application is invalid?
Both are cessation events, but they are not interchangeable in the published text. For BVBs granted on or after 19 November 2016, an invalidity determination is given an express 35-day period, while a no-jurisdiction notification appears in the general list of cessation events without a separate day count in that section — the page instead directs holders to VEVO once an outcome is notified. For BVBs granted before 19 November 2016, both sit in the 28-day list measured from notification. Because the two are drafted differently, the practical check is the same in every scenario: read the outcome notification, then read the cease date shown for your visa.
Does a refusal end your BVB while you are overseas?
Not by itself, but travel can end it earlier than a decision does. A BVB carries a specified travel period; if that period ends while you are outside Australia, the visa ceases and you cannot use it to return. A ceased BVB is not revalidated by coming back to the border. If the travel facility has ended, or does not have enough validity left to cover the trip you plan, a new BVB must be applied for and granted before you leave Australia.
What happens if you take the refusal to judicial review?
The existing BVB does not carry you through that step. If a merits review tribunal upholds the refusal and you apply for judicial review, the official page says you must apply for a new bridging visa to maintain lawful status during the proceedings, and that application can only be made by webform. Two related limits follow: you cannot apply to change the conditions on a BVB at all (a Bridging visa A is the route if you need different conditions), and you cannot change the conditions on a bridging visa granted on the basis of a judicial review application.
Can you extend a BVB after the outcome?
No. The page states directly that you cannot stay longer by extending this visa; if you want to remain, you must apply for a new visa. The BVB exists to keep you lawful until the substantive application is finally determined — or, for a BVB granted on judicial proceedings, until those proceedings are complete. It is not a holding visa you can roll forward after the outcome, and it cannot be used while waiting for a citizenship application to be decided.
How do you confirm your exact end date?
VEVO. The official page says that once you have been notified of an outcome, you can see in VEVO exactly how long you can stay in Australia. Treat that displayed date as authoritative over any mental arithmetic, particularly where the outcome is a no-jurisdiction notification or an old pre-2016 grant, where the published day counts are expressed from notification dates rather than from the date of the decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my BVB end on the day my PR application is refused?
No. For a BVB granted on or after 19 November 2016, the visa ends 35 calendar days after the refusal decision, not on the date of the decision itself. For BVBs granted before that date, the count is 28 days from the date you are notified of the refusal. VEVO shows the exact cease date once the outcome has been notified.
What if I withdraw my PR application instead of waiting for a refusal?
Withdrawal is a cessation event in its own right. A BVB granted on or after 19 November 2016 ends 35 calendar days after you withdraw the substantive visa application or an AAT review application; a BVB granted earlier ends 28 days after the withdrawal. Withdrawing a judicial review application gives 28 days.
Why is the judicial review period shorter than the refusal period?
The official page applies 28 calendar days where a judicial review body upholds the refusal, or where you withdraw a related judicial review application. It is a separate track from the 35-day refusal and merits review track, and the distinction is set out in the subclass 020 rules rather than derived from the refusal rule.
Do I need a new bridging visa if I go to judicial review after the tribunal upholds the refusal?
Yes. The official page states that 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. That application can only be made by webform, and you cannot change the conditions on a bridging visa granted on the basis of a judicial review application.
Can my BVB end even if no one has refused or withdrawn anything?
Yes. The BVB also ceases if the associated substantive visa is granted, if the Department cancels the BVB or the substantive visa you held when the BVB was granted, or if you are outside Australia when the specified travel period on the BVB ends. In the travel case, you cannot return on the ceased BVB.
Can I extend my BVB after an outcome so I have more time to arrange things?
No. The official page says you cannot stay longer by extending this visa and that you must apply for a new visa if you wish to stay. The BVB's function is to keep you lawful until the substantive application is finally determined, or until judicial proceedings are complete where it was granted on that basis.