Onshore · Bridging visas
Bridging Visa C (BVC) — Subclass 030
A Bridging visa C is what you usually get when you apply for a visa from inside Australia after your last substantive visa has already ended. It keeps you lawful while the application is decided, but it is the most restrictive bridging visa: usually no work rights, and no travel at all.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Granted when
- You apply with no substantive visa
- Work rights
- Usually none, unless you show need
- Travel
- Not possible — no BVB available
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In the consultation I check how you came to be on a BVC, whether your application is likely to succeed, whether you can ask for permission to work, and what the safest next step is. Bring your grant notice, application receipt and visa history.
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Who gets a BVC
A Bridging visa C (subclass 030) is usually granted when you lodge a valid application for a substantive visa from inside Australia while you do not hold a substantive visa: for example, while you are on a Bridging visa E, or after an earlier visa ended. Whether an application can be lodged at all in that situation depends on your history and the visa you are applying for, so check before lodging.
Work rights
Most BVCs are granted with no permission to work. If you can show a compelling need to work, usually financial hardship, you can apply for a further BVC with work rights. The Department wants evidence: bank statements, rent and living costs, and why you cannot support yourself. Some applications, such as protection visas, are treated differently.
Why you cannot travel
A BVC does not allow travel, and you cannot get a Bridging visa B from a BVC. If you leave Australia, the BVC ends and you cannot return on it. Any time you spent unlawful before getting the BVC can also count against future visa applications.
If you are on a BVC and a family emergency overseas comes up, get advice before you book a flight. Leaving usually ends the application’s protection, and an earlier period of unlawful stay can lead to an exclusion period on future visas.
BVC compared with BVA
- BVA: you applied while holding a substantive visa. Work conditions often carry over. Travel is possible with a BVB. See Bridging visa A.
- BVC: you applied without a substantive visa. Usually no work. No travel.
- BVE: usually granted to people who are unlawful, or whose other bridging visas have ended, to resolve their status or make arrangements to leave.
If the application is refused
The BVC usually continues for a set period after a refusal, and during a review if you apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal in time. If it ends and you have nothing else, you become unlawful. See unlawful in Australia: what now.
General information only, current at October 2026; not advice on your own case. Outcomes depend on the Department’s assessment of each application; no registered migration agent can guarantee a result (Code of Conduct, Migration Agents Regulations). Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536.
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Can I work on a bridging visa C?
Usually not, unless the grant notice says so. You can apply for a further BVC with work rights if you can show a compelling need, usually financial hardship.
Can I travel on a bridging visa C?
No. Leaving Australia ends the BVC, and you cannot get a Bridging visa B from it.
Why did I get a BVC instead of a BVA?
Because you did not hold a substantive visa when you lodged your application. A BVA is only granted if you apply while you still hold one.
Does a bridging visa C cost anything?
No. It is granted with your substantive visa application. A further BVC to ask for work rights is also free to lodge.
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