Can I Work on a Bridging Visa C While Waiting for My 189, 190 or 491 in 2026?
Yes — a Bridging visa C linked to a subclass 189, 190 or 491 application generally carries no work restriction, and this article explains the limits.
Yes. According to the Department of Home Affairs Bridging visa C (subclass 030) visa page, current as at August 2026, the initial BVC granted when you lodge a substantive visa application does not let you work — unless the substantive visa applied for is one of a listed set, and that set includes the Skilled — Independent visa (subclass 189), the Skilled — Nominated visa (subclass 190) and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491). Where your BVC was granted in association with one of those applications, no initial work restriction is imposed. This is general information about how the rule is framed, not advice tailored to your circumstances; what governs you is the condition record attached to your own grant, which you can read in VEVO.
Which subclasses sit on the unrestricted list?
The list published on the Home Affairs page is short and closed:
| Subclass | Visa name |
|---|---|
| 132 | Business Talent visa |
| 186 | Employer Nomination Scheme visa |
| 187 | Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa |
| 188 | Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa |
| 189 | Skilled — Independent visa |
| 190 | Skilled — Nominated visa |
| 489 | Skilled — Regional (Provisional) visa |
| 491 | Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa |
| 494 | Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa |
| 888 | Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa |
Anything outside that list attracts the default position: the initial BVC prevents you from working. The regulation-level material for subclass 030 under the Migration Regulations 1994 describes the default as condition 8101 and describes the outcome for these subclasses as a grant to which no such condition attaches, which is why the practical difference turns on the subclass you applied for rather than on your occupation, employer or finances.
How do I confirm what is actually on my grant?
Use VEVO. Home Affairs notifies you of the conditions that apply when the BVC is granted, and VEVO is the record both of your visa details and of the conditions attached to it. In practice this matters most where your circumstances are layered — for example, you were holding a student or temporary skilled visa, applied for a 190, and were granted a BVC while still holding that other visa.
Conditions do not necessarily bite the moment the BVC is granted. A BVC comes into effect when it is granted, or when your current substantive visa ceases, or when another bridging visa more beneficial than your current one ceases. If you hold a substantive visa when the BVC is granted, you must keep complying with that visa's conditions until it ceases; only then do the BVC conditions apply. Someone moving from a student visa with its own work limitation to a 190-linked BVC therefore stays bound by the student condition until that visa ends, and gains the unrestricted position afterwards.
What if my BVC does say I cannot work?
If your BVC prevents or restricts work, the avenue is to apply for another BVC that permits it. Home Affairs states this is one of the situations where a separate BVC application — rather than an automatic grant — may be necessary, alongside applying for judicial review.
To be considered, you have to demonstrate you are experiencing financial hardship. The department assesses your circumstances against your claim that you need to work; if you do not meet the requirements for work but are still eligible for a BVC, you will be granted a new BVC carrying the same work prevention or restriction condition as the previous one. The BVC itself is free, and you and anyone included in the application must be in Australia both when it is submitted and when it is granted.
Does this change if my application is refused and I go to judicial review?
Yes, and this is the part that catches people out. The Home Affairs guidance for subclass 030 treats a BVC granted for judicial review as a different assessment from the initial grant. It states that where a SkillSelect visa applicant is granted a BVC for judicial review, that visa will not initially allow work, and that a further BVC application supported by evidence of financial hardship is needed to be considered for work rights. For applicants who are neither Protection nor SkillSelect applicants, a BVC granted for judicial review will not allow work even if the previous BVC did. A Protection visa applicant in that position can only get a new work-permitting BVC if the last BVC held allowed work.
An application for a BVC in the judicial review context can only be made by webform. Because these are separate grants assessed against separate criteria, anyone heading into review should confirm the current published position before assuming work rights continue.
Can I travel overseas while waiting, and come back?
No. The BVC does not support return travel to Australia. A BVC that is in effect ceases when you depart, and Home Affairs states it cannot grant a Bridging visa B to a BVC holder for the purpose of travelling and returning while the substantive application is processed. If you leave and hold no other visa permitting return, you would need to apply for and be granted a substantive visa before returning, and there is no guarantee a visa will be granted.
When does the BVC end after a decision?
For a BVC granted on or after 19 November 2016, it ceases 35 calendar days after a refusal decision or an Administrative Appeals Tribunal decision on the associated substantive application, after a determination that the substantive application or AAT review application is invalid, or after you withdraw the substantive application or the AAT review application. It ceases 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds the refusal decision, or after you withdraw a related judicial review application. For a BVC granted before 19 November 2016, the period is 28 days across the equivalent events. VEVO shows exactly how long you can remain once you have been notified.
Certain events end the BVC immediately regardless of those periods: leaving Australia while it is in effect, being granted the substantive visa you applied for, being granted another bridging visa in relation to the same substantive application, or cancellation of either the BVC or the substantive visa you held when the BVC was granted.
Family members who applied with you for the substantive visa may have been granted a BVC together with you. Each member of the family unit is assessed individually and can be granted whichever bridging visa they qualify for, so each person's conditions need to be checked separately in VEVO.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to apply separately to get work rights on a BVC for a 189, 190 or 491?
No. The initial BVC granted alongside one of those applications falls within the unrestricted list and carries no work prevention condition. A separate BVC application is only relevant where you are seeking a further BVC without work restrictions, or where you are applying in connection with judicial review.
My BVC record shows a "no work" condition but I applied for a 190 — what should I check?
Check that the bridging visa is associated with the 190 application rather than an earlier or different substantive application, and read the condition record in VEVO. If the details do not match what you lodged, the grant record is the document that needs clarifying before you start work.
Do 489 and 494 applicants get the same treatment?
Yes. Both the Skilled — Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489) and the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494) appear on the same list as 189, 190 and 491, along with subclasses 132, 186, 187, 188 and 888.
Can my partner work on the BVC granted with my skilled visa application?
Not automatically. Family members who were included in the substantive application may have been granted a BVC in the same application, but each person's eligibility and conditions are assessed and decided individually, so each adult's VEVO record has to be read on its own terms.
How long can I stay in Australia if my 189 is refused?
For a BVC granted on or after 19 November 2016, it ceases 35 calendar days after the refusal decision is notified, giving you that window to arrange departure or another visa. VEVO shows the precise date once you have been notified, and there is no option to extend the BVC itself.
Does it cost anything to apply for a further BVC on financial hardship grounds?
No, the BVC itself is free. The requirements are that you must demonstrate financial hardship and that you and anyone included in the application are in Australia when the application is submitted and when it is granted.