Bridging Visa A (BVA): Subclass 010

A Bridging Visa A (BVA) keeps you lawful in Australia while the Department of Home Affairs decides an application you made in Australia for a substantive visa, such as a partner, skilled or student visa. It also covers any merits review of a refusal. Most people get a BVA automatically when they lodge their application. This page explains who gets one, when it starts and ends, and the rules on work and travel. For an overview of every bridging visa, see bridging visas explained.

Who can get a BVA

The key test is the visa you held when you lodged. You can generally get a BVA if:

• you made a valid application in Australia for a substantive visa that can be granted while you are in Australia;
• you held a substantive visa when you made that application;
• you are in Australia and not in immigration clearance; and
• your application has not been finally decided.

An application lodged online through ImmiAccount counts as made in Australia. If you lodged while you were overseas and have since arrived, get advice. If you did not hold a substantive visa when you lodged, for example because your visa had already expired, you will usually get a Bridging Visa C instead. If your last substantive visa was cancelled, you generally cannot get a BVA unless the cancellation was set aside on review.

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How you get a BVA

For most onshore visas, the application form also counts as an application for a BVA, so you do not need to do anything extra. A separate application on Form 1005 is used to:

• get a replacement BVA after an earlier one has ceased;
• ask for a BVA without work limits, if you have a compelling need to work;
• get a BVA while you seek judicial review of a refusal.

A BVA cannot be backdated, so if you think you need one and have not received a grant notice, act quickly.

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When a BVA starts

A BVA comes into effect when it is granted or, if you still hold a substantive visa, when that visa ends. Until then you are still on your current visa, and its conditions apply. You can hold a BVA that is not yet in effect.

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When a BVA ends

Event	When the BVA ends
Your substantive visa is granted	On grant
The Department refuses your application	35 days after the refusal
The Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) affirms the refusal	35 days after the ART decision
You withdraw your application or your review application	35 days after the withdrawal
Judicial review is completed or withdrawn	28 days after the proceedings end
You leave Australia while the BVA is in effect	Immediately

Some refusals end the BVA straight away, for example certain refusals on foreign policy or sanctions grounds. The 35 days run from the decision itself, so check your correspondence and act promptly.

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Work and study rights on a BVA

A BVA usually carries the same work and study conditions as the visa you held when you applied, such as no work (8101) or limited work (8104 or 8105). Conditions that cannot legally go on a BVA do not carry over.

Some applications give a BVA with no conditions at all, including:

• onshore partner visas (subclasses 820 and 801), except for a judicial review BVA;
• onshore aged parent and contributory aged parent visas (subclasses 804, 884 and 864), except for a judicial review BVA;
• skilled and business visas such as subclasses 186, 187, 189, 190, 491, 494, 188 and 888;
• protection visa applications, with some limits.

If your BVA stops you working, you can apply for a new BVA without that condition by showing a compelling need to work, which in practice means financial hardship. See applying for work rights on a bridging visa. A judicial review BVA cannot be used to lift a work condition.

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Travel on a BVA

A BVA does not let you return to Australia. If you leave while your BVA is in effect, it ends and cannot be brought back. Before you travel, apply for a Bridging Visa B and wait for it to be granted. If you still hold a substantive visa that allows travel, you can travel on that visa, but you may want a BVB in case it expires while you are away. See left Australia without a Bridging Visa B.

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If your application is refused

If the Department refuses your application, your BVA continues for 35 days. If you apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal within the review time limit, which is set out in your refusal letter and is usually shorter than 35 days, your BVA keeps you lawful until 35 days after the tribunal decides. If you lodge for review late, the application is treated as finally decided, so you cannot get a further BVA for it.

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Why staying lawful matters

Even a short gap without a visa can count against you later. It can affect the residence requirement for Australian citizenship and can create problems with future visa applications. Keep track of your visa dates and your BVA status in ImmiAccount or VEVO.

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What you should do now

• Check your grant notice: confirm your BVA conditions and when it comes into effect.
• Do not travel on a BVA: get a Bridging Visa B first.
• Check your review deadline: the time limit for ART review is in your refusal letter and is usually shorter than 35 days.
• Ask for work rights if you need them: apply on Form 1005 with evidence of financial hardship.