How to Apply for a Bridging Visa E to Stay Lawfully While Resolving Your Immigration Status

What does a Bridging Visa E let you do?

A Bridging Visa E (BVE) subclass 050 is a temporary visa used to keep eligible people lawful in Australia while they deal with their immigration status. It can apply while you make arrangements to leave Australia, apply for a substantive visa, seek merits or judicial review of a visa or citizenship decision, or seek ministerial intervention.

The BVE does not give you an indefinite right to remain in Australia. It is valid until a specified date, for a particular period, or until a specified event occurs. It can also end earlier if the Department grants you a substantive visa or cancels the BVE.

Who can apply for a Bridging Visa E?

At the time you apply, you must be an unlawful non-citizen, a BVE subclass 050 holder or a Bridging Visa D subclass 041 holder. You must also have a qualifying reason connected with departure or resolution of your immigration status.

You can be any age. If you are under 18, the Department instructs you to apply on an application with your parent or guardian. You must also meet the applicable character requirement.

You and every person included in the application must be in Australia both when the application is lodged and when the BVE decision is made.

Can you apply before your current visa expires?

No, not simply in anticipation of becoming unlawful. The Department states that a BVE application cannot be made in anticipation of becoming unlawful. If your substantive visa remains in effect, you should consider the other visa options available to you and apply for a BVE only when the relevant BVE eligibility requirements are met.

In some cases, lodging a valid substantive visa application in Australia also results in an application for a BVE. The Department will tell you if that applies, so you should not lodge an unnecessary duplicate application.

What documents should you prepare?

The documents depend on why you need the BVE. For identity, the Department asks for colour copies of the pages of your current passport showing your photograph, personal details, issue date and expiry date. You should also provide a national identity card if you have one and evidence supporting any change of name.

If you are waiting for an immigration matter to be resolved, provide details and supporting documents for relevant visa applications, merits review proceedings, judicial review proceedings or ministerial intervention requests.

If you are applying because you are arranging to leave Australia, provide details of when you intend to leave, where you are going, your current passport or other travel document, and your ticket.

The Department will tell you if a police certificate is required. It may also request health examinations or biometrics after you apply.

Do documents need to be translated?

All documents that are not in English must be translated into English. Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. A translator outside Australia does not have to be accredited, but each translation must include the translator's full name, address, telephone number, qualifications and experience in the language. The Department says documents for this application do not need to be certified.

How do you apply for a BVE?

The Department identifies online application as the preferred method. You can apply online if the BVE online application is available to you and you do not already have an undecided BVE application.

If you cannot make the application through ImmiAccount, use Form 1008 – Application for Bridging visa E – subclass 050. The official form instructs applicants who cannot use ImmiAccount to send the completed form to the postal address of the nearest relevant Department office. The Department's BVE instructions state that a paper application should be posted to the Australian Visa and Citizenship Office nearest to you and that an interview may be required.

Do not use the Department's online webform for Bridging Visas A, B and C for a BVE application; that webform specifically excludes Bridging Visa E applications.

How much does a Bridging Visa E cost?

There is no fee for a Bridging Visa E application.

How long does a BVE application take?

The Department does not publish one fixed processing period that applies to every BVE application. It directs applicants to its visa processing time guide for an indication based on recently decided applications and warns that this is only a guide, not a processing time for an individual case.

An application can take longer if it is not completed correctly, required documents are missing, further information is needed, or the Department needs additional time to verify information.

Can you work on a Bridging Visa E?

A BVE does not automatically give every holder permission to work. Your visa grant letter tells you whether you are permitted to work, and you can check your current visa conditions through VEVO. Working when your BVE does not permit it can result in cancellation of the visa, detention and removal from Australia.

If your BVE does not allow work, there are limited circumstances in which you may be able to apply for another BVE with permission to work. The Department gives financial hardship, where a person cannot meet reasonable living expenses, as an example of a circumstance it may assess. Different requirements apply to people pursuing judicial review or ministerial intervention, and special rules apply to protection visa applicants.

Form 1008 states that, generally, a BVE holder seeking another bridging visa without work restrictions needs evidence of a compelling need to work because of financial hardship. The applicable rules depend on the person's immigration circumstances, so do not begin work unless your current visa conditions permit it.

What happens if you leave Australia on a BVE?

A Bridging Visa E ends immediately when you leave Australia. It does not provide a right to leave and re-enter Australia. If you depart, you cannot return on that BVE and would need another substantive visa to return.

If you leave Australia after lodging a BVE application but before a decision, you will also fail the requirement to be in Australia when the BVE is granted. If your circumstances instead require travel while another visa application is pending, the rules for other bridging visas differ; for example, see the separate guide to applying for a Bridging Visa B for travel.

What happens after you apply?

The Department will tell you when it receives your application and documents. It states that it cannot provide application status updates and applicants should wait to be contacted.

You may be asked for health examinations, biometrics, character documents or other information. If you applied online, add missing or requested documents through ImmiAccount. If you applied on paper, send additional documents to the office where the application was lodged.

If you make an error in the application, notify the Department as soon as possible using Form 1023, Notification of incorrect answers. You must also tell the Department about relevant changes such as a new phone number, email address, residential address or passport.

What happens if the BVE is granted?

The Department gives the outcome in writing. A grant notice states your visa grant number, the date the BVE starts and the conditions attached to it. Keep a copy of the grant letter and check your current visa details and conditions through VEVO. The separate Helpydo guide explains how to check your visa expiry, work rights and conditions in VEVO.

If the application is refused, the Department will tell you why and whether you have a right to seek review of the decision.

Can you extend a Bridging Visa E?

A BVE cannot simply be extended. If you cannot leave Australia or resolve your immigration matter before the specified date, period or event attached to your BVE, the Department says you will need to apply for a new BVE if eligible or consider another visa option.

The Department's Immigration Status Resolution Service can assist people who do not hold a valid visa and BVE holders with information about visa options, the consequences of available choices, arrangements to leave Australia and referrals to other services where necessary.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not apply merely because your substantive visa will expire in the future; the BVE subclass 050 eligibility rules must already be met.
• Do not assume a BVE automatically gives you permission to work. Check the conditions in your grant letter or VEVO first.
• Do not leave Australia believing the BVE will remain valid. It ends immediately on departure.
• Do not omit your supporting evidence for the immigration matter or planned departure that forms the basis of the application.
• Do not provide untranslated non-English documents.
• If using Form 1008, provide your actual residential address in Australia. The form states that a post office box is not acceptable and failure to provide a residential address makes the application invalid.
• Do not use the Bridging Visa A, B or C online webform to lodge a BVE application.