Can You Leave Australia While Your Subclass 151 Application Is Pending in 2026?
Yes, you can physically leave Australia while your Subclass 151 (Former Resident) application is pending — but if you applied inside Australia and you are outside the country at the moment the decision is made, the visa cannot be granted. That is the whole risk in one sentence, and it comes from the Department of Home Affairs' Former Resident visa (Subclass 151) page, which states plainly that the Department cannot grant the visa if an onshore applicant is outside Australia at decision time. The same location requirement sits in clauses 151.411 and 151.412 of the Migration Regulations 1994. This article is general information about how the published rules fit together, not advice about your own case — your circumstances, your current visa and your travel dates all matter, so treat the official page and a qualified professional as the final word.
Why does your location on decision day matter so much?
The rule is a location rule, not a travel ban. The Department's page sets it out twice: in its travel section ("we can't grant you the visa if you are outside of Australia") and again in the visa outcome section ("If you apply in Australia, we can't grant the visa if you are outside Australia when we make our decision"). The Regulations express it as a condition of grant: an applicant who was in Australia at the time of application must be in Australia at the time of grant.
Practically, this means an overseas trip is a bet that you will be back before the decision lands. Nothing in the official material gives you a decision date you can plan around: the Department points applicants to its visa processing time guide tool, describes it as a guide only and not specific to your application, and asks applicants not to call or email for progress updates while a case is within standard processing times.
The Department also asks you to tell it if you want to travel outside Australia while the application is processed — it says it needs to know, precisely because of the location rule above.
What visa do you need in order to come back?
The official page's wording is deliberately open: "If you leave Australia, make sure you have a valid visa to return." It does not require that returning visa to be a bridging visa — any visa that lawfully permits your re-entry satisfies that sentence.
Where the two common bridging visas differ is in what the page describes them as doing:
| Bridging visa | How the official page describes it |
|---|---|
| Bridging visa A (BVA) | Granted if you held a substantive visa when you applied; it starts when your current visa expires and lets you stay in Australia while the new application is processed |
| Bridging visa B (BVB) | The one described as allowing you to leave and re-enter Australia until this visa is finalised |
Read together, the page treats BVA as the visa that keeps you lawfully in Australia and BVB as the one tied to leaving and coming back. Because the grant cannot happen while you are offshore, a BVB is only useful if you actually return before the decision is made — it does not move the location requirement out of the way.
On the mechanics: Subclass 151 is a paper application (Form 47SV, lodged with the Department's Sydney office), but after you receive your acknowledgement letter you can import the application into ImmiAccount, and ImmiAccount is listed as a way to apply for a Bridging visa (BV).
Does cancelling your current visa change the picture?
Yes, and only for the worse. The Department's "stay lawful" guidance says that if you held a substantive visa when you applied, you were granted a BVA, which will start if your current visa expires before the decision. It then warns: do not cancel your current visa. If you do, you will be in Australia unlawfully, you will not be eligible for a BVA, and you will not be eligible for a BVB — the visa that allows travel and re-entry until the Subclass 151 is finalised.
So the chain is simple: cancelling your existing visa removes the bridging visas you would otherwise rely on, including the one that makes a round trip possible.
What if you applied from outside Australia instead?
The mirror image applies. The Department's page says that if you applied outside Australia, you must be outside Australia when the decision is made, and it tells applicants not to arrange travel to Australia until they have been told in writing that the visa has been granted.
| Applied in Australia | Applied outside Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you can apply | In or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance | Same |
| Where you must be at decision | In Australia | Outside Australia |
| Travel guidance | Tell the Department; make sure you have a valid visa to return | Do not travel to Australia until granted in writing |
What should you check before booking a trip?
- Do you have a visa that lets you re-enter? If not, a BVB applied for through ImmiAccount is the route the official page links to travel.
- Can you realistically be back before the decision? There is no published date you can rely on, and the Department does not provide progress updates within standard processing times.
- Have you cancelled or are you about to cancel your current visa? Don't — it removes both BVA and BVB eligibility.
- Have you told the Department you intend to travel? Its travel section asks for this.
- Are your contact details current? The page lists changes to phone number, address or passport as things you must report after applying; missed requests for health examinations, biometrics or further documents are an obvious way to slow a case down while you are away.
Does leaving Australia mean the application is refused?
The official page does not say that. It says the visa cannot be granted while an onshore applicant is outside Australia, and it separately describes what happens on refusal (you are told why, and whether you have a review right, and the application charge is not refunded). The published rule is about where you are when the decision is made, not about an automatic penalty for travelling.
What changes once the visa is granted?
Everything above stops mattering. The Subclass 151 is a permanent visa: you become a permanent resident on the day you get it, and you can travel to and from Australia as many times as you like for five years from the date of grant, as long as that travel facility remains valid. After it expires you would need a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to come back as a permanent resident, and VEVO is the tool the Department names for checking when your travel period ends.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I travel overseas while my onshore Subclass 151 application is being processed? You can, but the Department cannot grant the visa if you are outside Australia when it makes its decision, so you must be back in Australia at that moment. The Department also asks you to tell it that you intend to travel.
Do I need a Bridging visa B to leave and come back? The official page describes the BVB as the bridging visa that allows you to leave and re-enter Australia until the Subclass 151 is finalised; its broader instruction is simply to make sure you have a valid visa to return. You can apply for a bridging visa through ImmiAccount after importing your paper application.
Is a Bridging visa A enough for travel? A BVA is described as letting you stay in Australia while the new application is processed, not as a travel facility. The travel-and-return wording on the page is attached to the BVB instead.
What happens if I cancel my current visa before the trip? You would be in Australia unlawfully, and you would not be eligible for either a BVA or a BVB — including the BVB that would otherwise let you leave and re-enter while the application is decided.
I applied from outside Australia — can I visit while I wait? No. Applicants who applied outside Australia are told not to arrange travel to Australia until the Department has advised in writing that the visa has been granted, because it cannot grant the visa if you are in Australia at decision time.
Will my trip be refunded or my fee returned if things go wrong? The official page states only that the application charge is not refunded if the application is refused. It sets out no travel-related refund or compensation.
How long will the decision take? The Department publishes a visa processing time guide tool for this visa and describes it as a guide only, based on recently decided applications rather than your own case.