A bridging visa for Australia is a temporary visa to bridge the otherwise visa-free period between two visa applications. There are different types of bridging visas, each with its own requirements, rights, and pros and cons. In this article, you can find more information about this temporary visa for Australia.
No career opportunities for highly educated women with a bridging visa
With a bridging visa, holders of another Australian visa that has expired or is about to expire, can still legally stay in the country. This prevents holders of an expired Australian visa to inadvertently end up in illegality. However, there is also a downside to bridging visas. For example, because of the limitations of bridging visas, highly educated women cannot pursue a career in Australia, despite years of experience in their country of origin. Retraining is made difficult as well. Students who remain in Australia on a bridging visa have to pay the international rate for tuition fees, resulting in them having to pay thousands of euros more than their fellow Australian students.
Bridging Visa A (BVA)
Bridging visas include the subclasses (BV) A through (BV) F, as well as the BVR. Starting with category A, visas are issued with increasingly stringent requirements for the lower categories, in alphabetical order. The Bridging Visa A (BVA) is meant for holders of a visa that is still valid, such as the visitors visa, who have to apply for a new visa with a different travel purpose, such as long-term studies in Australia.
The eVisitor visa is adequate for short-term study or education in Australia
The eVisitor visa Australia is suitable for a short stay of up to three months in the country. This visa for Australia cannot be extended and therefore is not suited for long-term study or education. The eVisitor visa Australia is sufficient for short-term study or education in Australia, with the exception of paramedical training, physician training and a few other studies. Furthermore, you need to meet all the requirements of the eVisitor visa before applying for your visa. The validity period of this short-stay visa in Australia is 12 months. During this period, you can make multiple trips that can each last up to three months. When making multiple trips within the same validity period, it does not matter if a holiday and attending a course intermingle, or if a holiday is planned first followed by a short course or vice versa. In this case, it is not necessary to apply for a bridging visa.
Bridging Visa R (BVR)
There is a world of difference between the BVA and the BVR. The BVA usually has the same requirements as the previous visa for that particular person. This visa in particular is required to wait for the outcome of a new visa application in the period during which the previous visa expired. On the other hand, the Bridging Visa R is meant for people in immigration detention who are waiting to be deported out of Australia, but for whom this is not yet possible. Thanks to the BVR, these people can be released from detention while they await their deportation.
Bridging Visas B, C and F (BVB, BVC and BVF)
The BVA automatically becomes a BVB when holders of a BVA request permission for a single trip to a country outside of Australia while awaiting the approval of their next visa for a longer stay in Australia. The BVC can be applied for if another long-term visa has been applied for on the basis of a bridging visa, but the bridging visa has expired and the final long-term travel purpose has changed. A new long-term visa application can only be submitted if the BVC has been issued first. It is usually not allowed to work with a BVC. However, it is possible for holders of bridging visas in all categories to apply separately for the right to work in Australia on one of these visas. Normally, this is only useful if applicants can prove they have severe financial problems. The BVC can also be applied for by visa applicants without legal status in Australia, provided that they have not been arrested before because of this status. The Bridging Visa F is only for victims of modern slavery or human trafficking and is almost never granted.
Bridging Visas D and E (BVD and BVE)
The BVD is only issued if the applicant, for a new visa for a new travel purpose, was unable to apply for the required visa because of certain circumstances. This can happen, for example, if at the moment of applying, no one was available for the required interview, if the visa fees have not been paid correctly or if the wrong application form was completed. One of the requirements is that these matters have to be solved within five working days. In this case, a BVC can only be applied for if someone holds a BVD. With a BVE, someone can stay legally in Australia while he or she is making arrangements to leave the country while an immigration issue is being resolved, or while he or she is waiting for a decision to be made regarding immigration. The BVE usually does not grant the right to work. With this temporary visa, it is possible to deviate from the usual validity of bridging visas. In theory, the BVE remains valid up to and including the 35th day after a decision has been made about the ongoing application of the next non-temporary visa.
Usually no bridging visa required
Travellers who go to Australia on holiday or for business do not, in most cases, require a bridging visa. Anyone who meets the requirements can easily apply for an eVisitor visa Australia online. With this visa, you can travel to the country multiple times in one year. Each stay in Australia may last up to three months. For most travellers, this is more than enough.
Please note: this news article about the visa for Australia is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the visa for Australia.