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Bridging Visa C – BVC subclass 030: What the Bridging visa C lets you do
A BVC allows you to remain lawfully in Australia until a decision is made on your substantive visa application.
You must comply with any conditions on your BVC when it is in effect.
You need a bridging visa to remain lawful in Australia until a final decision is made on your new substantive visa application. If you are in Australia without a visa, you become an unlawful non-citizen for that period of time. Being an unlawful non-citizen in Australia can cause problems for you, such as:
Bridging Visa C – BVC subclass 030: Cost
There is no charge for a BVC application.
Bridging Visa C – BVC subclass 030: Who could get this Bridging visa C
You might have automatically applied for a BVC if you applied for certain substantive visas and:
The department of immigration and border protection will let you know if this happens.
You can apply separately for a BVC after you have applied for a substantive visa in Australia if:
Further criteria must be satisfied for the BVC to be granted.
Bridging Visa C – BVC subclass 030: Including family in your application
If you and your family have applied together in Australia for a substantive visa in Australia, you might have also applied together for a BVC. However, each member of the family will have to meet the requirements for a BVC in their own right.
If you apply separately for a BVC, you can include the following people in your visa application:
For detailed information regarding who you can include in your application see including family members in your application.
Bridging Visa C – BVC subclass 030: How to apply
You will have automatically applied for a BVC if you applied in Australia for a certain type of visa when you were not the holder of a substantive visa. In this case, you do not need to lodge a separate application for a Bridging visa. This includes most visas that can be granted while you are in Australia except for medical treatment visas, visitor visas, resident return visas, bridging visas, enforcement visas and criminal justice visas.
If you need to apply for a BVC separately, there are two options available to you, depending on how you applied for your associated substantive visa. These are outlined below.
Note: you and anyone included in your application must be in Australia when the BVC application is both lodged and granted. Emailed and faxed applications will not be accepted unless you have been specifically permitted to do so by your case officer.
You can apply online using ImmiAccount if you have applied for your substantive visa through ImmiAccount and a primary decision has not yet been made on that application.
Note: You cannot apply online if you have made an application for merits or judicial review.
If online lodgement is not available, you can complete the following form:
Send the application form with all necessary documents to the Australian office that is processing your associated substantive visa application.
There is more information to help you prepare your application, which gives advice about certifying and translating documents into English, communicating with us, using a migration agent, authorising another person to receive information from us, and receiving assistance with your application.
Bridging Visa C – BVC subclass 030: After you have applied
You will receive written advice when a decision is made on your BVC application.
If you are granted a BVC you will also receive advice about any conditions that might be on it.
Note: Contact the department of immigration and border protection if you do not receive a letter advising of the BVC decision within seven working days of the date that you lodged your online application for a substantive visa as there might be a technical error.
You can provide more information to us, in writing, at any time until a decision is made on the application. If you want to correct information you provided, use:
Send the form with all necessary documents to the relevant visa and citizenship office in Australia that is processing your associated substantive visa application.
The department of immigration and border protection could also ask you for more information. You will have to respond by a set date. After that date, they can make a decision about your application using the information that they have.
If you applied online, you can provide additional information, including Form 1023, using ImmiAccount.
If another person gives the department of immigration and border protection information that could result in you being refused a visa, they will usually give you the opportunity to comment on the information.
You might also be interviewed by us. If you are asked to attend an interview in person, bring your passport or other identification and any requested documents to the interview.
Bridging Visa C – BVC subclass 030: Report changes in your circumstances
You must tell the department of immigration and border protection if your circumstances change. This includes a new residential address, a new passport, or a pregnancy, birth or death in your family.
You can use the following forms:
Send the form(s) with all necessary documents to the relevant visa and citizenship office in Australia that is processing your associated substantive visa application.
If you applied online, you should update your details using ImmiAccount where possible.
Bridging Visa C – BVC subclass 030: Withdrawing your application
You can withdraw the application at any time before the department of immigration and border protection make a decision about it. To do this, send them a letter or email to ask for the withdrawal. Your request must include your full name, date of birth, and the date of your application. If you know it, you should also include the number the department of immigration and border protection gave you when you applied — this could be a file reference number, client ID, or a Transaction Reference Number.
Everyone included in the application who is 18 years of age or older must sign the letter of withdrawal or send a separate email or letter.
Bridging Visa C – BVC subclass 030: Visa decision
If the visa is granted, the department of immigration and border protection will send you a letter to tell you:
You will not have a visa label placed in your passport.
If the visa is not granted, the department of immigration and border protection will send you a letter or email to tell you:
Bridging Visa C – BVC subclass 030: How long your visa lasts
Usually, a BVC comes into effect as soon as it is granted or when your current substantive visa ends.
A BVC will end immediately if any of the following situations occur:
Your BVC will end:
o a decision (either by the department or the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) in relation to your associated substantive visa application
o a determination that your application is invalid (either the substantive visa application or an application for review by the AAT)
o withdrawal of your application (either the substantive visa application or an application for review by the AAT).
o a judicial review body upholds the decision to refuse your substantive visa application,
o you withdraw a related judicial review application.
Your BVC will end 28 days after the date that one of the following happens:
Bridging Visa C – BVC subclass 030: What the Bridging visa C lets you do
A BVC allows you to stay in Australia until a decision is made on your substantive visa application.
The initial BVC that is granted to you when you apply for your substantive visa will not allow you to work, unless the substantive visa you have applied for is one of the following Skill Select visas:
If your BVC does not let you work in Australia or has restrictions on working, you can apply for another BVC that lets you work. To be considered for a BVC that lets you work, you will usually have to demonstrate that you are in financial hardship.
the department of immigration and border protection will assess your circumstances in relation to your claim that you need to work. If you do not meet the requirements for work, and you are still eligible for a BVC, the department of immigration and border protection will grant you a new BVC with the same work prevention or restriction condition that was on your previous BVC.
If you are a SkillSelect visa applicant and you apply for a BVC for judicial review of the decision to refuse your substantive visa application, you can be granted a new BVC that allows you to work.
If you are a Protection visa applicant and you apply for a BVC for judicial review of the decision to refuse your substantive visa application, you can only be granted a new BVC that allows you to work if the last BVC granted to you allowed you to work.
If you are not a Protection or SkillSelect visa applicant and you apply for a BVC for judicial review of the decision to refuse your substantive visa application, you can only be granted a new BVC that will not allow you to work, even if your last BVC allowed you to work.
A BVC lets you temporarily stay in Australia. It will usually end when you leave Australia.
the department of immigration and border protection recommend that you do not leave Australia until your substantive visa application is decided, because a BVC holder cannot be granted a Bridging visa B (BVB) which allows you to leave and return to Australia.
If you have an urgent need to travel outside Australia, you should contact your case officer to discuss your options.
If you leave Australia and you do not hold another visa that allows you to return, you will have to apply for and be granted a substantive visa before you can return to Australia. There is no guarantee that you would be granted a visa.
Bridging Visa C – BVC subclass 030: Your obligations
You must comply with all Australian laws and visa conditions.
You must tell the department of immigration and border protection if your circumstances change. This includes a new residential address, a new passport, or a pregnancy, birth or death in your family.
You can use the following forms:
Send the form(s) with all necessary documents to the relevant visa and citizenship office in Australia that is processing your associated substantive visa application.
If you applied online, you should to update your details using ImmiAccount where possible.
Source: The Australian Department of Home Affairs (www.homeaffairs.gov.au). Please visit www.border.gov.au to get updated information.