Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
Bridging Visa A vs Bridging Visa E
A Bridging Visa A is granted to a person who lodges a valid onshore application while holding a substantive visa, and it carries that visa’s conditions, usually with work rights, with a Bridging Visa B available for travel. A Bridging Visa E is the visa the Department grants to a person who has become unlawful, to regularise their status while they arrange to leave, apply for another visa or pursue review; it carries no work rights unless granted on financial hardship, no travel at all, reporting conditions in many cases, and a record of unlawfulness behind it. The A is the bridging visa of someone who kept their status in order; the E is the one for someone who did not, and the difference between them is almost always the date the application was lodged.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - When granted
- A valid onshore application lodged while a substantive visa is held · To an unlawful person, on application, to regularise status while they depart, apply or seek review
- Work
- Usually the earlier visa’s work rights; a no-work condition can be lifted on hardship · None unless granted on financial hardship; working without it is a breach
- Travel
- Apply for a Bridging Visa B before leaving; return on it · None; leaving ends the visa with no return
- Conditions
- Those of the visa held at lodgement · Often reporting, residence and no-work conditions; a short validity
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About the CPD →Side by side
| Bridging Visa A | Bridging Visa E | |
|---|---|---|
| When granted | A valid onshore application lodged while a substantive visa is held | To an unlawful person, on application, to regularise status while they depart, apply or seek review |
| Work | Usually the earlier visa’s work rights; a no-work condition can be lifted on hardship | None unless granted on financial hardship; working without it is a breach |
| Travel | Apply for a Bridging Visa B before leaving; return on it | None; leaving ends the visa with no return |
| Conditions | Those of the visa held at lodgement | Often reporting, residence and no-work conditions; a short validity |
| Section 48 | Not engaged by the lodgement | Usually already engaged, limiting what can be lodged |
| Watch out | Inherits 8503 if the earlier visa carried it | The unlawful period is declared on every later application, here and abroad |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
A Bridging Visa A is granted to a person who lodges a valid onshore application while holding a substantive visa, and it carries that visa’s conditions, usually with work rights, with a Bridging Visa B available for travel. A Bridging Visa E is the visa the Department grants to a person who has become unlawful, to regularise their status while they arrange to leave, apply for another visa or pursue review; it carries no work rights unless granted on financial hardship, no travel at all, reporting conditions in many cases, and a record of unlawfulness behind it. The A is the bridging visa of someone who kept their status in order; the E is the one for someone who did not, and the difference between them is almost always the date the application was lodged.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
Bridging Visa A or Bridging Visa E — which is better?
A Bridging Visa A is granted to a person who lodges a valid onshore application while holding a substantive visa, and it carries that visa’s conditions, usually with work rights, with a Bridging Visa B available for travel. A Bridging Visa E is the visa the Department grants to a person who has become unlawful, to regularise their status while they arrange to leave, apply for another visa or pursue review; it carries no work rights unless granted on financial hardship, no travel at all, reporting conditions in many cases, and a record of unlawfulness behind it. The A is the bridging visa of someone who kept their status in order; the E is the one for someone who did not, and the difference between them is almost always the date the application was lodged.
What is the main difference between the Bridging Visa A and the Bridging Visa E?
When granted: Bridging Visa A — A valid onshore application lodged while a substantive visa is held; Bridging Visa E — To an unlawful person, on application, to regularise status while they depart, apply or seek review. Work: Bridging Visa A — Usually the earlier visa’s work rights; a no-work condition can be lifted on hardship; Bridging Visa E — None unless granted on financial hardship; working without it is a breach. Travel: Bridging Visa A — Apply for a Bridging Visa B before leaving; return on it; Bridging Visa E — None; leaving ends the visa with no return.
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