Bridging visa processing times and costs explained

The official sources do not publish a specific processing time for bridging visas in Australia. The Department of Home Affairs publishes median processing times for key visa categories, but bridging visas are not among them. What the sources do establish is that bridging visa applications are exempt from the subsequent temporary application charge, and that processing times for substantive visas vary widely depending on the visa category and the completeness of the application. If you are waiting on a bridging visa, the practical answer is that you must check your ImmiAccount for status updates and refer to the processing times for the substantive visa you have applied for, because the bridging visa is tied to that application.

What the official sources say about bridging visa processing times

The Department of Home Affairs publishes a visa processing times page that gives median processing times for key visa categories. The categories listed are Skilled (Permanent), Partner (Provisional/Temporary), Skilled (Temporary), Student, Visitor, and Working Holiday Maker. Bridging visas do not appear in that table.

The page also states that processing times are available for most visas, except for three categories: visas closed to new applications, family visas that are capped and queued, and visas with too few decisions in the month to provide a reliable indicator. Bridging visas are not explicitly named in that exception list, but they are also not listed in the median processing time table.

What the sources do tell you is that processing times vary for reasons including whether all necessary supporting documents were submitted, whether the application was lodged online or on paper, how quickly you respond to requests for further information, how long it takes to receive information from external agencies (particularly relating to health, character and national security), the complexity of the application, and changes to Ministerial Directions.

For a bridging visa specifically, the relevant processing time is effectively the processing time of the substantive visa application it accompanies. The Department advises applicants to check the visa processing times guide for the specific visa subclass they applied for, and to submit all necessary supporting documents at the time of applying to help process applications as quickly as possible.

Median processing times for key visa categories

The table below shows the median processing times published by the Department for July 2026. These are the most recent figures in the official guidance. They are medians, not guarantees, and they apply to the visa categories shown, not to bridging visas.

Visa Category	Median Processing Time (July 2026)
Skilled (Permanent)	8 months
Partner (Provisional/Temporary)	23 months
Skilled (Temporary)	98 days
Student	21 days
Visitor	Less than 1 day
Working Holiday Maker	5 days

The Department notes that these times vary between different visas within each category, and in some cases it may take longer for those visas to be finalised. The Visitor figure combines subclasses 600, 601 and 651, and the Working Holiday Maker figure combines subclasses 417 and 462.

For Partner visas specifically, the Department states that applications are processed according to Ministerial Direction 117, with highest priority given to onshore Partner visa applications for subclasses 820 and 801. Lower priority is given to offshore applications for the Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) and Partner visas (subclasses 309 and 100), and those lower-priority applications are likely to experience longer processing times.

Bridging visas and the subsequent temporary application charge

The subsequent temporary application charge is a charge that applies to certain temporary visas. It is payable by each person in an application and is based on their individual visa history. The charge is payable in addition to any other visa charges that apply at the time of lodgement.

Crucially, the Department states that this charge is not paid for bridging visa applications, nor for criminal justice or enforcement visa applications, nor for permanent visa applications. So if you are applying for a bridging visa, the subsequent temporary application charge does not apply to you.

The charge applies only to the temporary visas listed in Table 1 of the Department’s guidance. That table includes the Temporary Activity (subclass 408), Training (subclass 407), Skills in Demand (subclass 482), Student (subclass 500), Student Guardian (subclass 590), and Visitor (subclass 600) visas.

How the subsequent temporary application charge is calculated

If you are applying for one of the temporary visas in Table 1 while in Australia, the charge is calculated through a four-step process. The charge applies only if all four conditions are met.

Step 1: Are you in Australia applying for a visa of a kind specified in Table 1? If no, the charge is $0.

Step 2: Do you hold, or was the last substantive visa you held, a visa of a kind specified in Table 2? If no, the charge is $0.

Step 3: Did you apply for a visa specified in Table 2 when you were in Australia? If no, the charge is $0.

Step 4: Do any of these situations apply? If yes to any, the charge for the applicant is $0:

• The Table 2 visa was for a new-born child, born after the primary applicant applied for the visa.
• The Table 2 visa was granted by operation of law.
• The Table 2 visa was granted as a result of the Minister exercising ministerial intervention powers.
• The Table 2 visa was granted without the applicant making an application.
• The Table 2 visa was a student visa you were required to apply for because an education provider defaulted and was no longer able to deliver a course.

If none of those situations apply, the subsequent temporary application charge applies to the applicant.

Table 2 lists the previous visas that count towards the charge. These include the Training and Research (subclass 402) visa, Training (subclass 407), Temporary Activity (subclass 408), Working Holiday (subclass 417), Domestic Worker - Diplomatic and Consular (subclass 426), Occupational Trainee (subclass 442), Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457), Work and Holiday (subclass 462), Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482), Skills in Demand (subclass 482), Student (subclass 500), Student Guardian (subclass 590), Foreign Affairs or Defence Sector (subclass 576), Visitor (subclass 600), Medical Treatment (subclass 602), and Medical Treatment (Long Stay) (subclass 685).

The Department gives a worked example. Fritz applies for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa in his home country and pays the base application charge. While in Australia, he applies for a further Visitor visa; he does not pay the subsequent temporary application charge because the visa he holds was applied for outside Australia. He then applies for a third Visitor visa while in Australia. This time he pays the subsequent temporary application charge because he is in Australia, the visa he holds counts towards the charge, and that visa was applied for while he was in Australia. The total becomes the base application charge plus the subsequent temporary application charge.

The Department notes that if Fritz had left Australia before the expiry of the first Visitor visa he applied for while in Australia, and applied for a further Visitor visa outside Australia, the subsequent temporary application charge would not have applied.

What to do next

If you are waiting on a bridging visa, check your ImmiAccount for status updates and to confirm whether you have provided all supporting documents. The Department advises that you should not contact them if your application is still within the standard processing time, as they cannot provide further updates on progress.

For the substantive visa you have applied for, use the visa processing times guide to see recently decided applications. That tool is a guide only and is not specific to your application.

Verify the current fees and charges on the official visa pricing table, because the subsequent temporary application charge is calculated per applicant and depends on individual visa history. The Department’s examples are general illustrations only, and you should consult the visa pricing table to verify which charges apply to you.