Waiting on your 189, 190, 491 or 186 decision in 2026? How to travel on a Bridging visa B
How a Bridging visa B lets you leave and re-enter Australia while your skilled or employer PR application is still being decided.
If your 189, 190, 491 or 186 application is still being processed and you are holding a Bridging visa A, the visa you leave on is not the one you fly back on. The Bridging visa B (BVB) (Subclass 020) is the bridging visa that carries a travel facility: the Department of Home Affairs' Bridging visa B (BVB) (Subclass 020) page lists among the things you can do with it "leave and return to Australia in the defined travel period" while your substantive visa application is being processed. It has to be granted before you depart, not applied for once you are already away.
This is general information about how the rules are written, not advice about your own circumstances; where your specific situation matters, the official page and any professional advice you take should be what you rely on.
What does a BVB actually give you while your PR application is on foot?
It gives you two things and nothing more: lawful stay in Australia until the substantive visa application is finally determined, and permission to leave and re-enter within a defined travel period. It is a temporary visa, and it does not improve, accelerate or prejudice the 189, 190, 491 or 186 application behind it.
Your obligations follow the visa you are actually on. While you still hold a substantive visa, you must keep complying with that visa's conditions; the BVB conditions apply once the substantive visa ceases. In all cases you must comply with Australian laws, the conditions of the visa you currently hold, and the conditions of the BVB once it comes into effect. The grant letter tells you which conditions were imposed.
Do you qualify for one?
The official page sets four gates, and they are cumulative:
- you must be in Australia when you apply;
- you must already hold a Bridging visa A (BVA) or a Bridging visa B (BVB);
- you must have applied in Australia for a substantive visa that can be granted while you are in Australia;
- you must be in Australia at the time of grant.
The Migration Regulations 1994 reinforce the middle two: clause 020.211 requires you to hold a BVA or BVB when the application is made, and clause 020.221 requires you to still hold one when the decision is made. The regulations also require you to satisfy public interest criterion 4021 (the passport criterion) and clause 020.213, that your return would not be contrary to the public interest.
One exclusion is worth noting before you plan anything: a bridging visa cannot be used while you are waiting for a citizenship application to be decided.
What counts as a "substantial reason" for the trip?
This is the part of a BVB application that is genuinely assessed rather than simply checked. Under the regulations, the reason for leaving and re-entering Australia must be substantial, and the department's procedural guidance treats "substantial" as meaning real, actual, important and of genuine value or significance — not merely convenient.
The guidance gives indicative examples: visiting a seriously ill family member, attending a significant family event such as a wedding or funeral, and travel connected with employment, business or education. The list is not exhaustive, and where the travel is sudden — a death in the family, for instance — a decision-maker is expected to weigh whatever information is available rather than refuse automatically for lack of formal documents. The reverse also holds: a trip described only as a holiday, with nothing behind it, is the weakest kind of case.
Two common misconceptions are worth clearing up. The BVB criteria contain no financial capacity test and no employer or sponsorship requirement. And the assessment is discretionary — the guidance itself states that policy is not legally binding, so a longer or shorter travel facility is possible in an individual case.
How long is the travel facility, and what happens if it runs out?
The travel facility may be granted for single or multiple travel and is valid until a specified date. You are told when that period ends at grant, and the visa is digitally linked to your passport rather than issued as a label.
The deadline that matters is departure-side. If the facility has ended, or does not have enough validity left to cover the journey you are planning, you need to apply for and be granted a new BVB before leaving Australia. And if you are outside Australia when the specified travel period ends, the visa ceases — a ceased BVB cannot be used to return.
The procedural guidance adds a distinction that is easy to miss: the travel facility can be shorter than the visa itself, and once it ends you may still remain lawfully in Australia but can no longer depart and re-enter. For some categories, including the skilled migration stream that covers the 189, 190 and 491, policy guidance suggests a travel facility of up to 12 months, but that is guidance rather than an entitlement, and the department's current published settings should be treated as the reference point.
What if the decision arrives while you are overseas?
This is the scenario that trips up PR applicants, because the timing is not yours to control. A BVB ceases on the first of a closed list of events: the substantive visa application is refused; a merits or judicial review is decided; you withdraw the substantive application, the merits review or the judicial review; a merits review tribunal tells you it has no jurisdiction; the substantive visa associated with the BVB is granted; or the BVB or the substantive visa you held when the BVB was granted is cancelled.
For a BVB granted on or after 19 November 2016, the visa ends 35 calendar days after a refusal decision or an Administrative Appeals Tribunal decision on the associated substantive application, after a determination that the application or AAT review application is invalid, or after you withdraw the substantive application or AAT review. It ends 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds the refusal, or after you withdraw a related judicial review application. For a BVB granted before 19 November 2016, the shorter 28-day period applies across the listed events.
Consider a hypothetical: an applicant with a 190 in process holds a BVB whose travel facility ends on 30 September and stays overseas past that date. The BVB has ceased on 30 September regardless of whether a decision has been made, and there is no bridging visa to re-enter on. A BVB cannot be extended — staying longer means applying for a new visa. Once an outcome is notified, VEVO shows exactly how long you can remain in Australia.
Can you keep working when you get back?
Work rights on a BVB are inherited rather than granted. You may work if the substantive visa you held or the visa you applied for allows work; if both carry work restrictions, you cannot work on a BVB. The grant letter states the conditions, and VEVO records them.
There is no "compelling need to work" pathway on a BVB. If you hold a BVB that does not permit work and want the conditions changed, the official route is to apply for a BVA and, as part of that process, demonstrate financial hardship. The procedural guidance notes that where a person holds a 457 or 482 and applies for a subsequent visa of that kind, an employer-limiting condition may be imposed.
Can your partner or children travel with you?
Family members who applied with you for the substantive visa in Australia can be included in a single BVB application, provided they are members of the family unit. That means one form and one visa application charge, but each member must individually meet the requirements for a BVB.
The official page also frames inclusion as a test rather than a default: only family members with substantial reasons for travelling should be included. Anyone who does not need to travel can stay in Australia on their current bridging visa.
What does it cost, and how is the grant issued?
The official page records that concessions apply in limited circumstances, and that from 1 July 2026 a lower visa application cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application, recognised by the valid passport issued by one of the listed countries. Where the lower cost is not recognised at lodgement, the department refunds the difference. The official page does not publish a general figure, so the amount payable should be confirmed against the official page at the time you apply.
The mechanics are otherwise simple: you and anyone included must be in Australia both to make a valid application and to be granted the visa, and the visa is digitally linked to your passport with no label issued. If you have applied for judicial review and wish to travel, a separate BVB application is required, it can only be made by webform, and the conditions on a BVB granted on the basis of a judicial review application cannot be changed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I just leave Australia on my Bridging visa A and come back?
No. A BVA does not carry a travel facility, so departing ends the lawful stay it provides. The BVB is the bridging visa that lets you leave and return within a defined travel period, and it must be granted before you go.
Do I need a new BVB for every trip?
Only if the travel facility has ended or does not have enough remaining validity to cover the journey. A facility granted for multiple travel can cover several trips within its dates, but once it expires — or if you are offshore when it expires — you need a fresh grant before departing again.
Does applying for a BVB affect my 189, 190, 491 or 186 application?
No. The BVB sits alongside the substantive application; it keeps you lawful and gives you a travel facility while that application is finally determined. It does not change your claims, your points, your nomination or the outcome.
What happens if my visa is refused while I am overseas?
For a BVB granted on or after 19 November 2016, the visa ends 35 calendar days after the refusal decision or an AAT decision on the associated application, and 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds the refusal. Once you are notified of an outcome, VEVO shows exactly how long you can stay.
Can I work when I return on a BVB?
Only if the substantive visa you held or the visa you applied for permits work. If both carry work restrictions, the BVB will not permit work, and changing that means applying for a BVA and demonstrating financial hardship.
Can I include my partner and children in my BVB application?
Yes, if they applied with you for the substantive visa in Australia and are members of the family unit — one form and one charge cover the group. Each person must still satisfy the BVB requirements individually, and only those with substantial reasons to travel should be included.
Is a BVB a step towards permanent residence?
No. It is a temporary visa whose function is to preserve lawful status and provide a travel facility during processing. Permanent residence comes only from the grant of the substantive visa.