Recently, I came across clients who are currently on various types of bridging visa and ask me what other options they have apart from waiting for the Department to make a decision on their visa applications.

Inactive Bridging Visa

Bridging visa A is granted automatically for most people once they have submitted visa applications in Australia.

Bridging visa A will not be active until the expiry of the current visa. For example, if you are holding a student visa that expires on 1 July 2023, your bridging visa A will not be active before the expiry and you will need to comply with the visa conditions of your current visa.

If the bridging visa has not been activated, then the visa applicant is free to apply for all other visas the person is eligible for.

Active Bridging Visa

Once the bridging visa becomes active, then the bridging visa holders will have very limited visa options if they choose to apply for another visa while they are holding a bridging visa.

Below are some of the visas available for bridging visa holders:

• Subclass 189 Employer Nomination Scheme
• Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated
• Subclass 491 Skilled work Regional (Provisional)
• Subclass 482 Temporary Skill Shortage
• Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional)
• Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme
• Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate (only available to holders of Bridging Visa A and B)

Note

Subclass 500 Student Visa is not on the list.

Bridging Visa Loop

Many of you who have had a consultation with me would know that I always think there are two vicious cycles in Australian migration law.

The first one is the endless student visa. The other one is the endless bridging visa.

It is best not to apply for a visa that you are not eligible for nor rely on the operation of a bridging visa to achieve certain migration goal. Although the inefficient visa appeal system allows you to practically drag your status in Australia for years, it also reduces your prospect of successfully obtaining a skilled migration visa (e.g. 189/190/491) as you receive less points for migration after 33 years old. Not to mention the age cut off is 45 years old for many skilled visas.

Questions?

This article intends to provide a super quick and easy insight into the bridging visa and visa available for bridging visa holders. However, in practice things can be a lot more complicated.

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