Australian Bridging Visa C (BVC) - What Does it Mean and Advantages

Bridging visa C, commonly known as BVC, is a provisional visa that permits you to live in Australia for the duration when your request for a substantive visa is under process.

A Bridging visa C can be issued if you forward a request for a substantive visa in Australia but you do not possess a substantive visa or your substantive visa has expired. A BVC does not permit you to come back to Australia in case you depart.

What facilities do bridging visa C offers

A Bridging visa C permits you to live in Australia till the time any judgment is made on your request for a substantive visa.

In case you possess a valid substantive visa at the time your Bridging visa is issued, you are obliged to follow all the rules and regulations and every laws that are associated with that substantive visa. When your substantive visa turns invalid, the rules and regulations and laws of your BVC shall be applicable.

When do I need to have a Bridging Visa C

You must have a bridging visa to continue living in Australia in case your substantive visa expires earlier than the issue of a new substantive visa. If you are in Australia and do not have a valid visa, you are converted into an illegal non-citizen for that duration of time. Living in Australia as an illegal non-citizen can be a root of many troubles for you, for example:

• In case you are issued a permanent residence visa and soon after you wish to request for Australian citizenship, you might discover that you cannot do it as quickly as anyone else would have as you were an illegal non-citizen for a specific duration of time.
• In case your substantive visa request is denied and you depart from Australia and afterwards you make an application for a new visa at an Australian Immigration office situated outside Australia, you may discover that you have been barred from returning to Australia for specific period of time and you have to provide an explanation if you want it to be waived off.