Navigating the Australian immigration system while waiting for a major visa decision can be stressful—especially when it comes to international travel. If you hold a standard Bridging Visa A (BVA), you have zero travel rights; leaving the country cancels your visa instantly. To travel, you must upgrade to a Bridging Visa B (BVB) (Subclass 020).

When the Department of Home Affairs issues a Bridging Visa B, they customize its travel permissions based on your personal circumstances. This results in two distinct setups: Single Entry and Multiple Entry bridging facilities. Choosing or receiving the wrong facility can leave you locked outside Australia.

1. Single Entry Bridging Visas: One Trip Only

A Single Entry BVB provides a highly targeted, restrictive travel clearance. It is designed to facilitate a specific, isolated journey outside Australia rather than ongoing international movement.

• How It Works: The visa permits you to pass through Australian border control outward exactly once, and re-enter the country exactly once.
• The Expiry Trigger: The absolute second you clear customs back into Australia, the single-entry travel facility is completely exhausted and ceases to exist.
• The Risk Factor: If you return to Australia and a family emergency or urgent business trip requires you to fly out again two weeks later, you cannot use that same visa. You must lodge a brand-new BVB application via ImmiAccount and pay another application fee ($190) to leave a second time.

2. Multiple Entry Bridging Visas: Continuous Travel Flexibility

A Multiple Entry BVB is built for fluid travel flexibility. It acts as an open, multi-use international passport during its active window, making it the ideal setup for corporate professionals, international students, or cross-border families.

• How It Works: You are permitted to leave and re-enter Australia an unlimited number of times within the designated travel validity window.
• The Defining Factor: The facility is bound strictly by an overarching calendar date (e.g., “Must not arrive after 31 December”). As long as your outbound and return flights fall inside that specified date range, you can enter and exit the country at will.
• When It Is Issued: Home Affairs typically grants multiple-entry privileges if your underlying substantive application (like a Partner Visa Subclass 820/801 or a Skilled Permanent Visa) has a long processing queue, or if you provide documented proof of ongoing business commitments or compassionate family situations offshore.

3. Side-by-Side Comparison: Single vs. Multiple Entry BVB

The Ultimate Travel Rule: Regardless of whether you hold a single or multiple entry BVB, your travel permissions are governed by the unyielding “Must Not Arrive After” date listed on your formal Visa Grant Notice. If you are physically outside Australia when that date passes, your BVB expires instantly, your rights are terminated, and you will be completely locked out of the country while your permanent visa application hangs in limbo. Always verify your status via VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) prior to heading to the airport.