Bridging visa 050 interview and security bond 2026: what case officers test

There is no fixed security bond figure for a Bridging visa (subclass 050) in the Migration Regulations 1994. Clause 050.224 says only that, if an authorised officer requires a security to ensure the applicant will abide by the visa conditions, that security must already have been paid. The amount is set by that officer in your case, and practitioner guidance commonly refers to sums running to several thousand Australian dollars — indicative only, and not a statutory figure.

The provisions described here come from the Migration Regulations 1994 and the Department of Home Affairs' Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3). Amounts, and the current commencement status of any provision, should be confirmed against the Department's official published text. This article is general information only and is not advice on an individual case.

What does a subclass 050 security bond cost, and who decides?

The Regulations fix no amount, no scale and no formula. Two consequences follow from that drafting.

• The bond is a security, not a fee. It exists to secure compliance with the conditions imposed on the visa. It is not the visa application charge, and the Migration Regulations 1994 fix no figure for it.
• The trigger is a request. Clause 050.224 is engaged only where an authorised officer requires a security. Where no request is made, nothing is payable; where a request is made and the money is not paid, the criterion is not satisfied and the visa cannot be granted.

In practice the authorised officer weighs the risk visible in the file. The factors that most often produce a bond request are the same ones the officer must assess for clause 050.223: a record of breaching visa conditions, no fixed address, and weak finances. The bond question and the compliance question are, in substance, one question.

Which clauses is the delegate testing at the interview?

Three decision-time criteria carry most of the weight, with two more sitting behind them.

Clause	Requirement	What the interview supplies
050.222	The applicant must have attended an interview with an authorised officer	The officer's own record of your answers
050.223	The Minister is satisfied the applicant will abide by the conditions imposed	Consistent, verifiable answers about address, money and plans
050.224	Any security required must already have been paid	Evidence the funds exist and payment can be made
050.221	The applicant still meets clauses 050.211 and 050.212 at the time of decision	Confirmation that the ground relied on is still live
050.225	Applicants aged 18 or over who hold or have held a bridging visa granted under s195A must meet public interest criterion 4022	Character and behaviour-code material

The test in clause 050.223 is worth quoting directly, because it explains why the interview feels repetitive:

"The Minister is satisfied that, if a bridging visa is granted to the applicant, the applicant will abide by the conditions (if any) imposed on it."

That is a prediction about future behaviour. A delegate can only make it from evidence about present circumstances, which is why the paperwork matters more than rehearsed answers.

Clause 050.222 is not universal. The exemptions cover applicants who already hold a bridging visa and are not seeking a change of conditions, cases where an interview cannot be arranged, and the citizenship review categories.

What evidence pack should you assemble before the interview?

The Regulations prescribe no document list. The delegate decides what is persuasive. The four groups below are arranged so that every item answers a clause rather than filling a folder.

Fixed address

Useful material includes a signed residential lease, or a signed letter from the person you are staying with confirming your name, the address and how long you have been there; utility, internet or phone accounts in your name at that address; and the full address, including unit number, plus a mobile number that is always switched on.

This matters because conditions 8505 (live at a specified address) and 8506 (notify change of address) can only work if there is an address to specify, and reporting conditions 8401 and 8402 need a place to tie you to. An applicant who cannot name a stable address reads as an absconding risk, which cuts directly against clause 050.223.

Bank deposits and day-to-day funds

Bring current statements in your name showing the balance and recent transactions. If someone else is covering your living costs, bring a signed letter from that person plus their statements or pay records. Note any regular obligations you must meet, such as rent, medication or children's costs.

The Regulations set no financial threshold for subclass 050, and they set no age or English requirement either. The delegate's concern is different: money pressure is what makes people breach conditions, typically by working while condition 8101 is in force or by failing to depart. Showing that you can live without working is the most useful thing this group does.

Community ties

Relevant documents include children's enrolment and school records, participation records with a community, cultural or faith organisation, letters or records showing ongoing medical treatment, and details of family in Australia with their status and address.

Ties are the second half of the clause 050.223 prediction. They give the officer reasons to conclude you will stay in contact rather than disappear.

Source of funds for the bond

Document where the money sits now, with a statement for that account. If a family member or friend is providing it, obtain a signed letter from them stating the amount, the source of their own funds, and whether the money is a gift or a loan, together with their statements or pay records. If it is a loan, record the repayment terms. Keep the transfer trail once the money moves.

The repayment point is not cosmetic. A repayment schedule that only works if you are employed is difficult to reconcile with a grant that carries condition 8101. Clause 050.224 requires payment, not a promise, and funds that appear at the last minute from an unexplained source invite exactly the doubt the bond was meant to remove.

How do you put the pack together, in order?

1. Identify the clause 050.212 ground you rely on.
2. Check that the ground is still live on the day you apply.
3. Choose the one address the delegate can put on the visa.
4. Print current statements for every account you will rely on.
5. Confirm who is providing the bond money.
6. Get that person's letter signed.
7. Move the bond funds into one account you control.
8. Photocopy every document and bring both sets.
9. Write down every condition mentioned at the interview before you leave.

Which conditions can be imposed, and which evidence answers them?

The officer selects the combination that fits the risk profile. The table covers the conditions listed for subclass 050 and the material that answers each one.

Condition	What it does	Evidence that answers it
8101	No work	Funds or family support that remove the need to work
8104	Limitation on work, commonly expressed as weekly hours	Pay records and employer details where work is allowed
8116	Work limitation, generally for protection-related applicants	Records of any employment arrangement
8201	Study limitation; guidance refers to study of up to three months	Enrolment records and course dates
8207	No study	Confirmation that no study is intended
8303	Not engage in disruptive activities	A consistent account of your activities and plans
8401 / 8402	Report at specified times and places, or to a specified person	A working phone, a fixed address, a transport plan
8501 / 8511	Maintain adequate health insurance / provide evidence of it	Current insurance documents
8505	Live at a specified address	A verified fixed address
8506	Notify change of address	Current contact details
8507	Pay costs of detention	Records of any detention cost arrangements
8508	Make arrangements to depart	A departure plan with dates
8509	Pay security	The bond funds and their source
8510	Provide evidence of identity	Passport or identity documents
8512	Provide evidence of a departure ticket	Booking or itinerary evidence
8548	No further stay	Confirmation of your intended pathway
8564 / 8566	Comply with / sign a code of behaviour	A signed code where one is offered

What makes a delegate say no?

Five grounds recur, in rough order of frequency in practice.

1. The clause 050.212 ground is not made out — no valid substantive application on foot, no judicial review or administrative appeal running, no departure arrangements. The Regulations require the applicant to meet the requirements of subclause (2), (3), (3A), (4), (4AAA), (4AA), (4AB), (5), (5A), (5B), (6), (6AA), (6A), (7), (8) or (9).
2. Clause 050.223 is not satisfied — a history of breaching conditions, a criminal record, or finances so thin that the officer expects a breach.
3. The interview under clause 050.222 fails — the applicant does not attend, or cannot give a consistent account.
4. The security required under clause 050.224 is not paid.
5. Character or health criteria are not met, including public interest criterion 4022 where clause 050.225 applies.

Three of those five are evidence problems rather than legal problems. A written pack that pins down address, money, ties and bond funds answers the second and the fourth before the officer has to ask.

Assume an applicant who has been unlawful for several weeks, is staying with a relative, has a few hundred dollars in the bank and no departure date. On those facts the officer is being asked to predict, under clause 050.223, that this person will live at an address, report when told, and not work. The same file with a signed letter from the relative, statements covering the expected period, and a confirmed departure booking asks the officer to predict something much easier to believe.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the security bond for a Bridging visa 050 in Australia?

There is no fixed amount in the Migration Regulations 1994, and no published scale. The authorised officer who requires the security sets the figure in the individual case, and practitioner guidance commonly refers to amounts in the several-thousand-dollar range. Treat any figure as indicative and confirm the current position against the Department's published guidance.

Who decides whether a bond is required at all?

Clause 050.224 is engaged only where an authorised officer requires a security for compliance with the visa conditions. If no request is made, no bond is payable. If a request is made and the security has not been paid, the criterion is not met and the visa cannot be granted.

Do I have to attend an interview for subclass 050?

Clause 050.222 requires an interview with an authorised officer unless an exemption applies. The exemptions cover applicants who already hold a bridging visa and are not seeking a change of conditions, cases where an interview cannot be arranged, and the citizenship review categories. Where the interview does proceed, it is the main source of the findings the delegate needs for clause 050.223.

What happens if I cannot pay the bond?

The application cannot succeed on clause 050.224, because the security must already have been paid when a request has been made. This is a distinct criterion from clause 050.223, so strong evidence about address and community ties will not cure an unpaid security. Preparing the funds and documenting their source before the interview is the only way to remove this ground.

Does subclass 050 come with work rights?

Condition 8101 (no work) is one of the conditions listed for subclass 050 and is common on grants to applicants awaiting judicial review or ministerial intervention. Clauses 050.212(6A) and (8) are grounds that refer to a compelling need to work. Whether work is permitted depends on the conditions attached to the individual grant.

Can my partner or children be included in my application?

Subclass 050 has no separate secondary criteria. Every person included must satisfy the primary criteria in clauses 050.211 and 050.212. Clauses 050.212(4AA) and (4AB) provide a route for certain family members of a judicial review or citizenship review applicant, but each applicant still needs their own evidentiary support.

Is there an English, age, health or financial requirement?

The Regulations set no specific age or English requirement for subclass 050, and no express financial threshold. Health and character are nonetheless relevant: an applicant's health, criminal record or financial position can lead the delegate to conclude, under clause 050.223, that the conditions will not be observed. Clause 050.225 imposes public interest criterion 4022 on applicants aged 18 or over who hold or have held a bridging visa granted under s195A.

How long does a subclass 050 visa stay in force?

It depends on what the visa is bridging. Guidance refers to 35 days after a substantive visa application is finally determined, 28 days after judicial review proceedings end, and 35 days after an administrative appeal decision, with the Minister specifying a date where the visa is granted to arrange departure. Where the holder is in criminal justice detention, the visa ceases on unconditional release, bail, completion of sentence or escape.

References

Federal Register of Legislation — Migration Regulations 1994