Australia has closed the Bridging visa B route for people waiting for a Protection visa decision. From 1 November 2026, Protection visa applicants can no longer apply for, or be granted, a Bridging visa B (BVB) to leave Australia and return while their case is undecided.

The change was confirmed in an immigration alert published on 9 November 2026, and follows the Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026, which were registered on 31 October 2026. The Department of Home Affairs states the position on its Protection visa page.

Who is affected by the change?

The restriction applies to people with an undecided application for a Protection visa (subclass 866), including people seeking merits review of a refusal at the Administrative Review Tribunal or judicial review of a Protection visa decision. It applies even if the person also holds another substantive visa application.

A Bridging visa B must now be applied for together with a valid application for a substantive visa other than a Protection (Class XA) visa. A person with a Protection visa application that has not been finally determined cannot make a valid BVB application or be granted one.

What happens if a protection applicant travels?

The explanatory statement to the regulations says a Protection visa applicant who does not hold a substantive visa will not be entitled to a bridging visa with a travel facility, and that if they leave Australia they will not be able to re-enter.

Home Affairs has said it will still process Bridging visa B applications lodged before 1 November 2026. But a person whose existing BVB travel facility has expired cannot apply for another one or ask for permission to travel.

A Bridging visa A, which many applicants hold while they wait, does not help here: it generally ceases when its holder leaves Australia and does not give permission to return.

Other changes in the same package

The same set of regulations introduced an upfront fee for most reviews of Protection visa refusals at the Administrative Review Tribunal. The fee is AUD 1,863.50, payable when the review application is lodged, and applies to decisions made on or after 1 November 2026.

The regulations also allow the Minister to impose conditions 8564 and 8566 on some Bridging visa E grants. Condition 8564 concerns criminal conduct and condition 8566 concerns a code of behaviour.

What applicants should do

Anyone with a Protection visa application in progress should check the official Department of Home Affairs pages before making any travel plans, as the rules have changed and the position is now that travel outside Australia while a Protection visa application is undecided will, in most cases, mean the person cannot return. People affected by the change should seek advice from a registered migration agent or migration lawyer about their own circumstances.

The measures were announced by the Minister for Home Affairs, Tony Burke, in a National Press Club address on 17 September 2026, as part of a wider package of migration changes. The Bridging visa B restriction and the Tribunal fee are now in force, while other measures in the package, such as limits on non-meritorious protection claims, still need legislation and no bill has been introduced.