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When Can I Travel Outside of Australia on a Bridging Visa? | Bell Legal

Australian Bridging Visas

In this article we talk about Bridging Visas A and Bridging Visas B.

When you apply for a visa while in Australia, you are automatically g ranted a bridging visa which will ‘bridge’ the gap between your current visa and a decision being made on your application.

Commonly you will be granted a Bridging Visa A, however if you’ve been granted a Bridging Visa C or E then different rules will apply to what we talk about in this article.

The bridging visa only becomes active when your current visa expires so it’s important to know the date because this will affect when you can travel outside of Australia – and if you can return.

A Bridging Visa A has no travel permit which means that you will be allowed to leave Australia but won’t be granted access back into the country on this visa.

To leave Australia, you need to apply for and be granted a Bridging Visa B before you leave. This visa is usually for a short duration and will allow you re-enter Australia.

If you leave Australia without a Bridging visa B and intend to return, then you will need to apply for and be granted another visa, which may be a visitor visa. Note however that a visitor visa does not permit you to work, so if you had work rights before, these will be lost until your bridging visa is reinstated.

This article is a summary only, based on a standard application without complexities and is not intended to be relied upon on as legal advice for your situation. For advice on your circumstances, please contact one of our lawyers in the Migration Team.