Bridging Visa B Changes from 1 November 2026: What Protection Visa Applicants Need to Know

General information only. It is not migration advice for your circumstances.

Planning an overseas trip while your protection visa matter is unresolved? New Bridging Visa B rules could affect your ability to leave and return to Australia.

From 1 November 2026, new restrictions will prevent certain permanent Protection (Class XA) visa applicants, including people pursuing merits or judicial review, from making a valid application for a Bridging Visa B (BVB) or satisfying its grant requirements.

The changes are introduced by the Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026.

Importantly, this is not a blanket removal of Bridging Visa B for every visa applicant. The restrictions target the protection-visa circumstances described in the legislation.

The changes at a glance

• Protection application pending: Where a valid Protection (Class XA) visa application remains pending, the new restrictions prevent access to a new BVB application.
• ART review ongoing: The restrictions also cover protection refusals under ongoing ART merits review.
• Court proceedings ongoing: Relevant judicial review of a decision relating to a valid Protection (Class XA) application is covered, including appeal proceedings.
• BVB application lodged before 1 November 2026: These amendments do not apply to a valid application made beforehand. Existing requirements still need to be met.
• BVB already granted: The amendments do not automatically cancel it. Its existing conditions and travel period still matter.
• Other visa applicants: BVB remains available outside the affected protection-visa categories, subject to the applicable eligibility requirements.

What exactly is changing?

There are two separate legal checks when applying for a visa:

1. Can you make a valid application?
2. Do you satisfy the requirements for the visa to be granted?

These amendments change both.

New provisions in Schedule 1 restrict when a person can validly apply for a BVB. Corresponding changes in Schedule 2 exclude Protection (Class XA) applications from the relevant grounds for grant and introduce a further protection-related check at the time of decision.

For an affected applicant, this is therefore not simply a requirement to provide a stronger reason for travel.

An urgent family matter or other substantial travel reason does not, by itself, overcome the new application and grant restrictions.

Does an ART review or court case avoid the restriction?

No—not where your circumstances fall within the new provisions.

The restrictions extend beyond protection applications awaiting an initial Department decision. They also cover relevant unresolved protection matters at the merits-review and judicial-review stages.

The legislation expressly includes judicial-review proceedings and proceedings on appeal, where applicable.

If your protection refusal is under review, the fact that your case remains active does not, by itself, preserve access to a new BVB.

For assistance with an eligible Tribunal matter, see our information about visa refusal reviews and ART representation. If court proceedings are involved, discuss travel and its consequences with the lawyer handling your case.

What if I also have another visa application pending?

Another pending visa application does not automatically solve the problem.

The new provisions do more than prevent a BVB from being linked to a Protection (Class XA) application. They also exclude applicants who have the specified unresolved protection application or judicial-review circumstances.

The Government's Explanatory Statement expressly explains that the changes are intended to operate even where more than one substantive visa application is under consideration.

Do not assume that linking a BVB request to a different visa application avoids the restriction.

I applied for my BVB before 1 November. What happens now?

The saving provision states that these amendments apply to visa applications made on or after commencement.

Accordingly, a valid BVB application made before 1 November 2026 is not subject to these new amendments, even if the Department decides it after that date.

However:

• An application started or saved online is not necessarily a validly lodged application.
• An earlier application is not a guarantee of approval.
• The requirements otherwise applicable to that application still need to be satisfied.

Keep your lodgement acknowledgement and obtain advice if there is uncertainty about the application's validity or timing.

Will my existing BVB be cancelled?

Not automatically because of these amendments.

They do not introduce an automatic cancellation of BVBs already granted.

Nevertheless, holding a BVB does not mean you can travel indefinitely. Before departure, check:

• Whether the visa remains in effect.
• The end date of its travel facility.
• Whether it permits the proposed journey.
• Whether any decision or development in your underlying visa matter affects it.

If you later need a new BVB, that new application will be assessed under the rules applicable when it is made.

Do not confuse lawful stay with permission to return

A bridging visa allowing you to remain lawfully in Australia is not necessarily a visa that lets you travel overseas and return.

In particular, a Bridging Visa A does not provide a return travel facility.

Do not leave Australia assuming that a pending visa application, an ART review or a court case will allow you to return. Check your grant notice, VEVO, and the Home Affairs BVB guidance before making travel arrangements.

A separate change: upfront ART protection-review fees

The same regulations also introduce an upfront ART protection-review fee, initially $1,863.50, from 1 November 2026, subject to the applicable exemptions.

This is a Tribunal review fee—not a BVB application fee. Refund provisions apply in specified circumstances.

The ART's official announcement explains the payment arrangements, exemptions and treatment of earlier review applications.

Before you book your flight

The most important questions are not simply whether you hold a bridging visa or have a genuine reason to travel. They are which visa matter your bridging visa relates to, when your BVB application was validly made, and whether your visa permits the proposed return.

Before committing to travel:

1. Check your current visa and travel conditions.
2. Confirm the status of every relevant visa application or review.
3. Obtain advice about how the new restrictions apply to your circumstances.
4. Do not withdraw a protection application or review merely to try to regain travel access without understanding the consequences.

You can book a consultation with iExcel Group to discuss your visa position before making travel arrangements.

General information only, based on legislation checked on 31 October 2026. Individual circumstances, application validity and review proceedings require case-specific advice.