Check which visa is in effect today
Open your current grant letter and check VEVO. Note the visa subclass, travel facility, expiry, permitted stay and conditions. Then read the pending application's visa page for its application and decision-location requirements. Some visas require you to be in or outside Australia at a particular stage; the fact that ImmiAccount accepts an application does not settle your travel plan.
If you still hold a substantive visa that permits departure and return, check that its travel permission covers the whole journey. If you are relying on a bridging visa to remain lawful while another application is decided, the travel rules are different. Do not assume that a pending application keeps a ceased visa alive.
Check the in-effect visa in VEVO · Official bridging-visa travel guidance
Check Bridging visa B before departure
Home Affairs says a Bridging visa B (BVB) is the bridging visa that can allow a holder to leave and re-enter Australia while a substantive visa application is processed. Its grant specifies a travel period, which may allow single or multiple travel. You must have the BVB granted before leaving if you need that permission; applying for one is not itself travel authority.
Home Affairs says that departing with another type of bridging visa in effect causes that bridging visa to cease. If a BVB's travel period ends while you are outside Australia, the BVB ceases and cannot be used to return. A separate current substantive visa may have its own travel permission, so check your actual visa record rather than treating every pending applicant alike.
Travel while a visa is processed · BVB eligibility and travel period · Bridging visa travel
Read the current application route and grant conditions
The BVB page says applicants generally need to hold a Bridging visa A or B, have an eligible substantive visa application made in Australia, and be in Australia when applying and when the BVB is granted. Home Affairs suggests applying no more than three months and at least two weeks before intended travel; a last-minute application may not be decided before departure. These are published general instructions, not a guarantee of a grant by a flight date.
If Home Affairs grants the BVB, compare its travel period with both the outward and return legs. If the period is too short or has ended, the official page says a new BVB must be granted before leaving. Check each accompanying person's own visa and travel permission.
Official BVB application and travel rules · Verify your current visa
A visitor visa still has visitor conditions
Home Affairs says a person awaiting a substantive or permanent visa decision may be able to apply for another visa to enter Australia for a genuine holiday or family visit. That is a separate application with its own eligibility and conditions, not automatic entry because the earlier case is pending. A Visitor visa does not permit work, even if the pending application is for a work or permanent visa.
Home Affairs says visitor study or training can be up to three months, but it specifically advises someone waiting for a Student visa not to travel on a Visitor visa for the purpose of commencing their studies. If the reason for travel is to start a course, check the Student visa and provider timing instead of treating a visitor grant as a substitute.
Official visitor guidance while waiting · Visitor 600 starting guide → · Student 500 starting guide →
Watch ImmiAccount and check where you must be
Travel does not remove the need to answer requests or keep passport and contact details current. Check ImmiAccount while away, including any health, character or document deadline. Before leaving, read the exact pending subclass page to see whether you must be in or outside Australia when Home Affairs decides it; this varies by visa and stream.
A new passport may need to be linked to an existing application or visa, and an ETA cannot transfer to a new passport. If your current visa, bridging visa or decision-location rule is unclear, get case-specific help from an authorised person before travelling. MyAusVisa cannot calculate your lawful status from a general checklist.
Manage an application after lodging · New passport steps → · Who may help with a visa case
Make a private travel-permission check
- Record each traveller's current visa and the application awaiting a decision.
- Read the current grant and VEVO travel permission, stay, expiry and conditions.
- If relying on a bridging visa, check whether a BVB has already been granted and whether its travel period covers the return.
- Read the pending visa's location-at-decision rule and any live ImmiAccount requests.
- Resolve any mismatch with Home Affairs or qualified help before making a non-refundable booking.
Keep grant numbers and travel documents on your own device; this website does not need them.
Official travel-while-waiting overview · VEVO for visa holders