When an individual that is not a citizen of Australia remains inside the country with no valid visa, he or she is in violation of Australian law. Violating the law in this way may prevent the person from being allowed to enter the country of Australia in the future. For this reason, many people in this situation attempt to obtain a temporary visa known as a bridging visa.
Bridging visas are those that are used to make a non-citizen lawful when he or she would have otherwise not been lawful. These visas are necessary in a variety of situations. For example, if a non-citizen doesn’t have a visa, but it isn’t necessary for this person to be placed in immigration detention. Bridging visas are also used while an application for a substantive visa is being processed, or while arrangements are being made to leave the country of Australia.
Depending on the circumstances that necessitate the bridging visa, it will fall under a specific class. These various classes of visas have their own lengths of validity and other conditions. Bridging visas are available in classes A through E.
The Class A bridging visa is used in cases where an individual already holds a substantive visa and is applying for a new one. The Class B visa is used when an individual that has already been granted a bridging visa and is in the process of applying for a substantive visa has to travel out of Australia before their application has been processed. Class C visas are granted when the individual has no visa and cannot be found by officials. In order to qualify, the person must have submitted a valid application for a visa.
Class D applies to individuals that are either residing illegally in the country or will become illegal within three working days. This person must also be intending to apply for a new visa but hasn’t been able to complete the task. Finally, the Class E visa is used for people that have been found by a department and are in the process of making arrangements to leave the country, are waiting on an application decision, or have applied for a judicial review or merits review of a previous visa decision.