Bridging Visa C (BVC) (030)

Similar to a Bridging Visa A (010), the purpose of a Bridging Visa C (030) is to allow you to stay in Australia lawfully if you have a pending application with the Department of Home Affairs and your most recently held visa has expired. The key difference between a BVA and a BVC is that you will be entitled to a BVA if you held a substantive visa at the time you applied for a subsequent substantive visa, whereas, if you were only holding a BVA when you applied for the subsequent substantive visa, then you will be entitled to a BVC instead of a BVA.

A BVC has fewer privileges than a BVA but most importantly, there is no provision to apply for a Bridging Visa B (BVB) if you are on a BVC and need to travel overseas.

In most instances there is no separate application for a BVC because the application for your subsequent substantive visa is also taken as a bridging visa application. However, an auto grant of a BVA is unlikely because of the nature of BVC requirements and it can take a few days for the BVC to be granted.

Once granted, the BVC operates in the same manner as a BVA and will keep you lawful in Australia while your substantive visa application is processed. As mentioned above, you will not be able to leave Australia regardless of the compelling and urgent need to travel because it is not possible to go backwards from a BVC to BVB.

It is also common for a BVC to be granted without any work rights. If this happens, you will need to make a new application for another BVC and request that the new BVC does not have work limitation.

Although there are no additional documents required for a BVC application because the requirements can be checked in the Home Affairs system, you will need to provide supporting documentation to show financial hardship if you have been granted a BVC with no work rights and are applying again for another BVC with that condition removed.

There is no fee associated with the initial BVC application or a subsequent BVC application to have the work limitation removed.