Bridging visas come with mainly five distinctly differently variations.
Types A and B are the Casper the Friendly Ghost variety, there to lend you a helping hand. They often have permission to work and even the BVB variety will allow you to leave Australia and re-enter. How nice. They exist because you've done the right thing and applied for your next substantive visa before the last one expired. Well done.
The C version is a little creepier having definitely spent a little time on the dark side. It enjoys punishing you for not doing what the DIBP expected of you. BVC is given to you as you failed to lodge your visa application before your last substantive visa expired. It can be found everywhere in Australia as quite often people don't apply when they should.
On the BVC you may remain in Australia until your visa application is decided but you are trapped here with no permission to leave and re-enter and no ability even to apply for it. They also come with no permission to work and if you need to, there is a requirement need to prove your almost at the point of knocking of the Salvation Army's door for your nightly feed and sleeping arrangements.
The D variety however is a rarely sighted but is essentially a reluctant sleeping Casper. It hibernates in the shadows and is only woken when some disaster has struck you being unable for some reason to lodge your application before your substantive via expires in the next three working days.
The BVD actually begrudgingly assists you not to have a record of unlawfulness which is handy when applying for citizenship later but it is so rare case officers probably themselves do not know they exist. They last for only 5 workings days before they vaporize back to the realm of obscurity. It doesn't like being disturbed and you can only call them out twice in your lifetime for after that they refuse to materialise.
E's are the worst. Your karma has ensured they exist because you been a bad person by ignoring the immigration laws of Australia.
BVE's do not appear automatically because of a visa application. They must summoned and conjured into reality by the control freaks in the DIBP Compliance Section. The BVE's have serious dark-side attitudes. You know the types, those that dream of having real power but since they can't they make sure your life becomes miserable too.
Your fate will temporarily be in their hands and they will enjoy making sure you understand this. They may even whisper to you in the dead of night to remind you of your appointment with the DIBP next day. BVE's are given to either deport you or to let you stay here on a short leash while your application is decided. You will have to grovel for permission for just about everything except the right to breath and eat.
Of course there is always more to say about Bridging visas and more of them exist than the most common mentioned above, but I wouldn't want to give nightmares to those who may be depending upon them as I write.
Sleep well.
