Highlights
- Bridging visa holders wait in anxiety as their visas expire
- Bridging visas cannot be extended or renewed offshore
- BVB holders stranded offshore advised to apply for new visas after restrictions are lifted
Mr Singh went to India on a Bridging B visa (BVB) to visit his ailing father in the northern state of Punjab in the month of March.
He had hoped to spend some time with his father and return to Australia last month. But little did he know that a pandemic would force the government to swiftly close its borders, separating him from his wife and four-year-old daughter and leaving his future in indefinite limbo.
“My bridging visa expired on April 30. When I wrote to the Home Affairs for an extension, I was told that BVBs can’t be extended offshore. So as of now, I have no option left but to wait for the Australian government to lift border restrictions, so I can return to my life and loved ones,” says Mr Singh.
The 40-year-old who runs a transport business in Sydney is now urging the government to let people with families in Australia to return on compassionate grounds.
I am imploring the government to please look into each case on its merits so people like us whose families are in Australia can return because it is heartbreaking to tell your four-year-old child why her dad cannot return home despite her pleas- Pirthi Pal Singh
BVB is a temporary visa that allows applicants to leave Australia during a specified period, while their application for a new substantive visa is being processed.
If a BVB expires while the visa holder is outside the country, the Department of Home Affairs has no legal provision to grant an extension.
In a statement to SBS Punjabi, the Department said the only recourse available to applicants whose bridging visas have expired because they were unable to return due to the pandemic, is to “lodge a new visa application when the temporary travel restrictions are lifted.”
According to the government data, there were 216,141 people on bridging visas in Australia as of December 2019.
BVB holder Jarnail Singh's (second left) visa is due to expire in July this year. Source: Supplied
Mark Glazbrook, the CEO of an Adelaide-based migration consultancy says bridging visa holders whose visas have expired can apply for a visitor visa when the government allows them to return.
“We are seeing a lot of BVB holders who are stuck outside the country while their application is under process onshore, their families and jobs are here. They have no choice, but to apply for a visitor visa to be able to return to the country at some stage,” says Mr Glazbrook.
Pardeep Dahiya another BVB holder whose visa expired while he was still in India says he has no other option but to wait for the borders to reopen.
“The Department is saying that we can apply for a visitor visa when the borders open, but there is no guarantee that they will grant us the visa,” says Mr Dahiya who had gone to India in February to get married.
“If the borders had not closed, we could have easily returned to our lives and getting a permanent residency in Australia could have been a real possibility. But now we have nothing else to do but live through the endless cycle of wait,” he adds.
Mr Glazbrook says while there is recourse available, the uncertainty surrounding fresh visa grants to BVB holders post COVID-19 cannot be overlooked.
Bridging visa holders anxious to return to Australia Source: Pixabay
“Given the number of people stuck offshore, it is likely that the Department would have to encounter this as a long-term issue where they may have to process a large number of visitor vis. But let’s just hope they will be reasonable and would grant those visas to allow these people to return to their homes, work and in some cases their families,” he says.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.
SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments. News and information is available in 63 languages at
