Which Bridging Visa Do I Get While My Partner Visa 820/801 Is Decided in 2026?
You get one bridging visa, not two. If you lodge the Partner visa (subclass 820) and the Partner (Permanent) visa (subclass 801) together onshore, the Department of Home Affairs grants a single Bridging visa C (BVC) (Subclass 030), and that one visa is what keeps you lawful while both applications are decided. This follows from the Department of Home Affairs' official Bridging visa C (BVC) (Subclass 030) page and its PAM3 policy guidance on Subclass 030, read together with the Migration Regulations 1994. The rest of this page explains which application that single BVC attaches to, when it starts and stops working, and what it does and does not let you do. It is general information about how the rules fit together rather than advice on your own situation: your grant notice and VEVO record are what actually govern you, and where your circumstances are unusual the Department's current published guidance is the thing to check.
Do I get a bridging visa for the 820 and another one for the 801?
No. Two partner applications, one BVC.
The Department's official page states that nearly all bridging visas are applied for automatically as part of applying for a substantive visa, and that a BVC may be granted where you have made a valid application in Australia for a substantive visa but do not already hold one. The PAM3 guidance on Subclass 030 addresses the partner visa combination directly: when an applicant applies for both the 820 and the 801, only one BVC is granted.
The underlying regulation points the same way. Subclause 030.212(2) requires that the applicant not hold a substantive visa, has made a valid application in Australia for a substantive visa, and that the application has not been finally determined — the test is about the existence of a pending onshore application, not about how many related applications you filed.
Practically, that means you should expect to see a single BVC in VEVO even though your ImmiAccount shows two partner visa applications running at the same time.
Why is the single BVC tied to the 801 rather than the 820?
Because the 801 is the application the BVC's visa period is associated with.
This is the part that surprises people. The PAM3 guidance states that when the 820 and 801 are lodged together, the BVC granted is associated with the 801 application, not the temporary 820. The reason matters for how long your lawful status can run: the 820 is a temporary visa that is decided first, while the 801 is the permanent stage that is decided later, so attaching the bridging visa to the later application is what lets the same BVC cover the whole waiting period.
This comes from the Department's policy guidance rather than from the public-facing visa page, so it is worth confirming how it has been applied in your case against the Department's current published guidance and your own VEVO record.
When does the BVC actually start keeping me lawful?
Only when it comes "into effect," which may be later than the grant date.
Under the Department's official page, a BVC comes into effect when it is granted, or when your current substantive visa ceases, or when another bridging visa that is more beneficial than your current one ceases. If you still hold a substantive visa when the BVC is granted, you must keep complying with that visa's conditions; the BVC's conditions only start to apply once the substantive visa ceases.
So if you lodged your partner applications while still on, say, a student or visitor visa, your BVC may sit in the background unused until that visa ends. From that point on, the BVC is the visa whose conditions you must meet.
What ends the BVC, and what happens when my 820 is granted?
Departure, cancellation, and the grant of the associated visa end it immediately; refusals give you a short tail.
The official page lists the events that end a BVC immediately: you leave Australia while it is in effect; you are granted the substantive visa you applied for; you are granted another bridging visa in relation to the same substantive visa application the BVC is associated with; or the Department cancels either the BVC or the substantive visa you held when it was granted.
For BVCs granted on or after 19 November 2016, the visa instead ceases 35 calendar days after a refusal decision or an Administrative Appeals Tribunal decision on the associated application, after a determination that the application or AAT review is invalid, or after you withdraw the substantive application or AAT review. It ceases 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds a refusal, or after you withdraw a related judicial review application. The official page directs holders to VEVO to see the exact date that applies to them.
The 820 grant needs one extra step of explanation. Because the BVC is associated with the 801, the PAM3 guidance describes the 820 grant as causing the BVC to cease while it remains within its visa period, so it can be reactivated once the 820 itself ceases. The guidance frames this as a general feature of BVCs: a BVC can cease and come back into effect more than once within its visa period. Again, treat this as policy guidance to verify against current official information rather than as something you can assume happens automatically in your file.
Can I work, and can I travel overseas on the BVC?
Expect no work rights at first, and no return travel at all.
On the official page, the initial BVC granted when you apply for a substantive visa will not let you work unless the substantive visa applied for is one of a listed set — subclasses 132, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 489, 491, 494 and 888. Partner visas are not on that list. If your BVC does not let you work, you can apply for another BVC that does, but you will have to demonstrate that you are experiencing financial hardship; if you do not meet that test and are still eligible for a BVC, you will be granted a new one carrying the same work restriction as before.
Travel is stricter. The BVC does not support return travel to Australia, and a BVC that is in effect ceases when you depart. The Department also states that it cannot grant you a Bridging visa B (BVB) allowing travel and return while your substantive visa application is being processed. If you leave without another visa that permits return, you will need to be granted a substantive visa before you can come back, and there is no guarantee of that.
Assume an applicant lodges the 820 and 801 while holding no substantive visa, receives the single BVC with a no-work condition, then travels overseas without applying for anything else: the BVC ceases on departure, and there is nothing to re-enter on. That is the trap worth planning around.
What about my partner, children or other family members?
Each person's bridging visa is assessed on its own, but family members can be included.
The official page says that if you and your family applied together for a substantive visa in Australia, you may also have applied together for a BVC, and you should check in VEVO whether family members already hold one. If you apply for a BVC separately, you can include members of the family unit in that application if they are included in your substantive visa application, and the Department assesses each family member's application and decides which bridging visa they can be granted.
The regulations reinforce this: Subclass 030 has no separate secondary criteria, so every applicant has to satisfy the primary criteria rather than riding on someone else's eligibility.
How long can I stay, and can I extend the BVC?
You stay until the associated application is finally determined, and you cannot extend the visa.
The Department describes the BVC as letting you stay lawfully in Australia until your substantive visa application is finally determined, or, where it is granted in association with judicial proceedings, until those proceedings are complete. It is also explicit that you cannot stay longer by extending this visa — you must apply for a new visa if you want to remain.
The BVC itself costs nothing; the official page lists the cost as free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to lodge a separate application to get the BVC?
Usually not. The Department's official page says nearly all bridging visas are applied for automatically as part of applying for a substantive visa. A separate application might be necessary where you are seeking a further BVC without work restrictions, or where you have applied for judicial review.
Will the BVC last until my 801 is decided, or only until the 820?
The Department's PAM3 guidance states that the single BVC granted on a combined 820/801 application is associated with the 801 application. Because rules and their application can change, confirm the association and the end date shown for you in VEVO and in the Department's current published guidance.
My 820 was granted — have I lost my BVC permanently?
Not necessarily. The PAM3 guidance says the BVC ceases when the 820 is granted but stays within its visa period, and can be reactivated after the 820 ceases. Check your own record in VEVO and confirm against current official guidance.
How long do I have to stay if my partner visa is refused?
For a BVC granted on or after 19 November 2016, it ceases 35 calendar days after the refusal decision or AAT decision, after an invalidity determination, or after you withdraw. Where a judicial review body upholds the refusal, it ceases 28 calendar days later. VEVO shows the exact date.
Can I travel overseas while my 820/801 is pending?
Not on the BVC. It does not support return travel and ceases when you depart Australia, and the Department states it cannot grant you a BVB for travel and return while your substantive visa application is being processed.
Where do I check my BVC conditions?
In VEVO. The Department's official page points holders to VEVO to see exactly how long they can stay after being notified of an outcome, and to see the conditions that apply. You will also be notified about the conditions when the BVC is granted.