Do I qualify for a Bridging visa B while waiting for my 820/801 decision in 2026?
Yes — but only if your Partner visa (subclass 820/801) application was made in Australia and you are physically in Australia at both the moment you apply and the moment the Bridging visa B (BVB) (subclass 020) is granted. Those two location requirements decide more 820/801 cases than anything else in the criteria. As of August 2026, the Australian Department of Home Affairs official page for Bridging visa B (BVB) (Subclass 020) states that applicants must be in Australia when they apply, must already hold a BVA or a BVB, must have applied in Australia for a substantive visa that can be granted while they are in Australia, and, if they meet all eligibility requirements, must be in Australia at the time of grant. What follows is general information about how the published criteria fit together, not personalised advice about your own case, so read it alongside the current official page and get professional input before you commit to travel.
What a BVB actually does while an 820/801 is pending
A BVB is the travel permission layer on top of the bridging visa you already hold. If your onshore partner application leaves you on a Bridging visa A (BVA), that visa generally keeps you lawful in Australia but does not give you a way to leave and come back. The BVB exists precisely to close that gap: the official page describes it as a temporary visa that lets you leave and return to Australia within the defined travel period while your substantive visa application is being processed.
The link to your 820/801 matters here. The same page requires that you have applied in Australia for a substantive visa that can be granted while you are in Australia. An onshore partner application fits that shape; an offshore partner application, such as one made under the 309/100 route, does not, because the requirement is about both where you lodged and whether the visa can be granted to someone in Australia.
Why "lodged in Australia" is the first thing to check
Before you look at travel reasons or documents, confirm two things about the underlying application. First, that the 820/801 application was validly made in Australia. Second, that it has not been finally determined. The official page frames the eligibility test around a valid application for a substantive visa that is either still awaiting final determination, or was refused but is now the subject of a judicial review application made within the prescribed timeframe where those proceedings have not finished.
This is why the "pending" part of the question is about status, not speed. A long wait is not itself a criterion; being within a live, undetermined application is.
Do I have to be in Australia twice over?
Yes, at two distinct points. You must be in Australia when you apply for the BVB, and you must be in Australia when the decision is made and the visa is granted. The official page lists both. There is also a related requirement on the same page: you must already hold a BVA or a BVB. So the sequence for a typical 820/801 applicant is to be onshore, holding a BVA, still within an undetermined application, and to apply from inside Australia.
A hypothetical makes the failure mode obvious. Suppose an applicant lodges an onshore 820/801, receives a BVA, then travels overseas on that BVA without a BVB. Once outside Australia, they cannot satisfy the "be in Australia when you apply" requirement for a BVB, and the BVA does not carry return travel rights. The travel decision has to be made before departure.
What else has to be true
Beyond the location and bridging visa requirements, the official page sets out several further criteria. You must have held a substantive visa. You must have made a valid application for a substantive visa, in the still-pending or under-judicial-review sense described above. You must provide a reason for travel and attach supporting documents explaining why you need to depart and return while the substantive visa is being considered, or while you are waiting for the outcome of a judicial review. You must meet the character requirement. There is no age limit: the page states you can be any age to apply.
If my 820 is refused, am I still eligible?
Possibly, but the clock matters. The official page explains that a refusal does not automatically end BVB eligibility if the application has gone to review. For Administrative Appeals Tribunal review, you must apply within the prescribed timeframe, and if you have applied within that timeframe you may not need a further bridging visa at all. For judicial review, the page gives a specific figure: the timeframe for applying is 35 days from the date of the Tribunal's decision. It also warns that failing to apply for judicial review within the statutory timeframes may affect your eligibility to apply for a further bridging visa.
Separately, the Migration Regulations 1994 and the Department's PAM3 guidance describe the BVB as ceasing a set number of days after certain decisions, with different end points depending on whether the matter ended at the Tribunal or in court. Treat the current official publication as the authority on how long any travel facility runs.
What counts as a substantial reason to travel
The official page requires substantial reasons for wanting to travel, supported by documents. It does not publish a fixed list, and the assessment turns on the evidence you attach rather than on the label you give the trip.
The practical reading is that you should be able to show both why the trip is genuinely necessary and why it has to happen while your 820/801 is still being processed. Documents that establish the event or obligation — medical or funeral paperwork, employment or business commitments, education-related requirements — are the kind of material that turns a stated reason into a supported one. A reason offered without any supporting documents is the weakest version of an otherwise valid case.
Once granted: what the BVB requires of you
The official page sets expectations for holders. You must stay lawfully in Australia until your substantive visa application is finally determined, or, if the matter was granted on the basis of a judicial review, until those proceedings are completed. You must leave and return to Australia within the defined travel period while your substantive visa application is being processed. You may work only if your BVB permits it.
That last point is worth flagging for partner visa applicants who are working: work rights are not automatic on a BVB. Whether you can keep working depends on the conditions attached to the visa you are granted.
Where 820/801 applicants most often trip over the rules
The recurring problems follow from the structure above. Applying from outside Australia, because the trip was booked before the BVB was considered. Letting the underlying BVA or BVB lapse, since the criteria require you to hold one. Applying after the partner application has already been finally determined, or after a review deadline has passed. And submitting a travel reason with no documents behind it. None of these are hidden traps; each one maps directly onto a criterion on the official page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply for a BVB if my 820/801 was lodged onshore but I am currently overseas?
No. The official criteria require you to be in Australia when you apply for the BVB and in Australia at the time of grant. If you are already outside Australia, you cannot satisfy the application requirement, and the BVA does not itself provide a right to return.
Do I need to hold a BVA or a BVB before applying?
Yes. The Department of Home Affairs official page lists holding a BVA or a BVB as a requirement, and it applies both when you apply and when the decision is made. If your bridging visa has ceased, the BVB criteria are not met.
My 820 was refused and I lodged a review. Am I still eligible?
You may be, provided the review was lodged within the prescribed timeframe. For judicial review, the official page specifies 35 days from the date of the Tribunal's decision, and notes that applying outside the statutory timeframe may affect eligibility for a further bridging visa.
Is there an age limit or a health requirement for a BVB?
The official page states you can be any age to apply, and lists the character requirement as a criterion. It does not set out a separate health test for this visa, though the published criteria are the place to confirm what applies to you.
Can I keep working if I leave Australia and come back on a BVB?
Only if your BVB permits it. The official page states you can work "if your BVB permits", so work rights depend on the conditions attached to the visa you are granted rather than on holding a BVB as such.
How long can I stay outside Australia on a BVB?
You must leave and return within the defined travel period specified for your visa while your substantive application is processed. The official page does not publish a single standard length, so the travel facility granted in your own case is the controlling figure.