What each bridging visa does
Home Affairs describes the bridging visas this way:
| Visa | What Home Affairs says it does |
|---|---|
| Bridging visa A (010) | Lets you stay in Australia after your current substantive visa ceases while a substantive visa application is processed. |
| Bridging visa B (020) | Lets you leave and return to Australia once while your application for a substantive visa is processed. |
| Bridging visa C (030) | Lets you stay lawfully in Australia until a decision is made on your substantive visa application. |
| Bridging visa E (050 and 051) | Lets you stay in Australia lawfully while you make arrangements to leave or finalise your immigration matter. |
Whether you can work or travel depends on the conditions in your grant letter, which VEVO also shows. Each Home Affairs visa page, linked below, sets out how that bridging visa starts and ends. The timing matters for lending because a bridging visa has no fixed end date: it lasts until the decision on the application behind it.
Get your loan roadmap
Answer a few questions and see the documents, cash, timeline and tax points that apply to your situation, worked out on screen straight away. Free, about two minutes.
How brokers say lenders treat bridging visas
The two brokers describe it differently:
- One (figures as at July 2026) says most mainstream banks decline, and that specialist and non-bank lenders consider the file case by case, lending "often" between 60% and 80% of the value. It adds that the lender looks at what you applied for, what stage it is at, and your employment, savings and credit.
- The other (updated 17 April 2026) says a bridging visa A or B can be accepted for up to 80% of the property value, up to 95% if your partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and that bridging visas C, D and E are assessed case by case. It says it mainly helps people who are applying for permanent residency.
On a $650,000 purchase, the difference between those loan sizes looks like this:
| Maximum loan | Loan | Deposit towards the price |
|---|---|---|
| 80% | $520,000 | $130,000 |
| 70% | $455,000 | $195,000 |
| 60% | $390,000 | $260,000 |
Stamp duty, state surcharges, the foreign investment fee and legal costs sit on top. None of this predicts a result for a particular applicant, and a decline from one lender says little about the next, one broker notes. See questions to ask a mortgage broker.
Who might still qualify
Brokers describe the files they see most often: applicants with a permanent residency application under way, such as a partner visa or an employer-nominated visa, a larger deposit, stable employment and clean credit, or a co-borrower who qualifies in their own right. These are broker observations about their own files, not lender rules.
If your substantive application is a partner visa, see partner visa home loans. If it is a student visa, see student visa home loans.
What you can buy on a bridging visa
The ATO says a temporary resident includes someone who lives in Australia, has applied for a permanent visa and holds a bridging visa that lets them stay until that application is finalised. Treasury's guidance defines it the same way. Foreign persons, including temporary residents, are generally banned from buying established dwellings from 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2029, and can still apply for approval to buy new dwellings or vacant land.
Treasury's residential real estate page lists joint tenants buying with a spouse who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident as not needing to apply. It names joint tenants only, so ask a solicitor about any other title structure. The 2026-27 application fee for a new dwelling priced from $75,000 to $1 million is $15,600. If your status changes between contract and settlement, state revenue offices decide what applies to the surcharge, so check the table on the temporary visa page. The sister guide to state surcharges covers the foreign buyer side.
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
Is a bridging visa A treated the same as a bridging visa B?
Home Affairs says the B lets you leave and return to Australia once while your application is processed. One broker says lenders can accept an A or a B up to 80% and treats C, D and E case by case. Lenders do not publish this in detail, so ask the lender about your exact visa.
Do I count as a foreign person while on a bridging visa?
If you live in Australia, have applied for a permanent visa and hold a bridging visa allowing you to stay until it is decided, the ATO and Treasury treat you as a temporary resident. If you applied for a temporary visa, the ordinary-residence test in Treasury's guidance is the starting point, and a solicitor can confirm.
Can my citizen partner buy alone and keep the loan joint?
One broker's partner visa page says some lenders accept a citizen or permanent resident spouse as sole owner with both spouses on the loan, but the spouse not on title would owe the debt without owning the property. Ask a solicitor about your rights, and ask the lender whether it accepts your visa and the structure.
What happens to a loan application if my bridging visa ends?
A bridging visa ends in the ways set out on its Home Affairs visa page, and the substantive visa decision changes your position. A lender asked for approval will want to know the position at settlement. Raise it early, and see home loans while waiting for permanent residency.
Sources
- Bridging visa A (subclass 010), Department of Home Affairs
- Bridging visa B (subclass 020), Department of Home Affairs
- Bridging visa C (subclass 030), Department of Home Affairs
- Bridging visa E (subclasses 050 and 051), Department of Home Affairs
- Residential real estate, Foreign investment in Australia (Treasury)
- Foreign person definition and the ban on established dwellings, Australian Taxation Office
- Guidance Note 2: Key concepts (v5, 12 December 2025), Treasury
- Guidance Note 6: Residential land (v5, 1 July 2026), Treasury
- Schedule of Fees (v8, 1 July 2026), Treasury
- Bridging visa home loans, Hunter Galloway (broker page, figures as at July 2026)
- Bridging visa mortgage, Home Loan Experts (broker page, updated 17 April 2026)
- Partner visa home loans, Hunter Galloway (broker page, updated 7 October 2026)
Checked 7 October 2026.
Expat Finance is an independent guide. It is not a lender, mortgage broker or credit provider, it does not hold an Australian credit licence, and it does not give credit, legal, tax or migration advice. It is not affiliated with any bank, the ATO or the Foreign Investment Review Board. General information only, not legal, tax, migration or financial advice.