Do I Get a Bridging Visa When I Apply for 190 Onshore in 2026?
Yes. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190) page, when you apply for the 190 you are granted a Bridging visa A (BVA). It does nothing while your current visa is still running: the BVA comes into effect only if that visa expires before the Department decides your 190 application, and it is what keeps you lawful in Australia during the wait.
What does a BVA actually do while my 190 is being decided?
It holds your lawful status open across the gap between two visas. The 190 page puts this under its "Stay lawful" guidance: you must hold a valid visa at all times while the Department processes your application, and the BVA is the visa that covers you if your current one runs out first. You do not apply for it separately, and the page states you will receive notification of the bridging visa grant.
What the BVA does not do is replace or shorten your existing visa. It sits behind it, unused, until the day that visa ends.
When does the BVA start — and does it matter if my visa is still valid?
Timing is the whole point. The official wording is conditional: if your current visa expires before the 190 is decided, the BVA comes into effect. If your existing visa is still valid on the day the decision arrives, the BVA never has to do its job — you simply move from your current visa to the outcome of the 190.
This is why the date on your current visa matters more than the date you lodged. Suppose an applicant holds a visa running to March 2027 and lodges a 190 in early 2026: nothing changes in 2026, and the BVA only becomes the operative visa if the 190 is still undecided when March 2027 arrives.
Do I get one? What you must be holding when you lodge onshore
A BVA only enters the picture if your application is valid in the first place. You can be in or outside Australia when you apply and when the decision is made, but not in immigration clearance. If you apply while in Australia, the 190 page requires you to hold one of:
- a substantive visa
- Bridging visa A (subclass 010)
- Bridging visa B (subclass 020)
- Bridging visa C (subclass 030)
Without one of those, the application will not be valid. There is an extra condition for holders of regional provisional visas: if you currently hold, or your last substantive visa was, a Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491) or Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494), you must have held that visa for at least 3 years at the time you apply.
Two other gates sit behind the lodging itself: you can only apply if you are invited (after a state or territory agency nominates you), and once invited you have 60 calendar days to apply — the page states this cannot be extended.
Why the official page says: don't ask to have your current visa cancelled
Because the two things you are trying to protect are the two things you would lose. The 190 page is explicit: do not ask to have the visa you currently hold cancelled. If it is cancelled, you will be staying in Australia unlawfully, and your BVA will cease.
People sometimes think cancelling a visa is a shortcut to "activating" the bridging visa. It is the opposite — cancellation removes both the visa you are on and the bridging visa waiting behind it.
Can I travel while the 190 is being processed?
You can leave, but the return trip is the risk. If you are in Australia, the Department says you do not have to tell it that you want to travel while your application is processed — a decision can be made while you are outside Australia. The condition attached is the important one: if you leave, make sure your visa allows you to return, and check VEVO to see whether you can return on your current visa.
The 190 page does not present travel as a feature of the BVA. Before booking anything, check VEVO and the conditions shown on your own visa grant notice, because the official page says that if you leave Australia you must make sure your visa allows you to return.
This article is general information based on the official page as published, not advice about your circumstances; your grant notice, your VEVO record and the latest official page are what you should rely on, and if your situation is out of the ordinary it is worth getting professional advice before you act on it.
What ends the BVA — and what happens at the decision
The BVA covers the processing period. It stops being the operative visa when the 190 is decided, and you are told the outcome in writing either way. If the visa is granted, you receive your visa grant number, the date the visa starts, and any visa conditions; the 190 is a permanent visa, and for citizenship purposes your permanent residency starts on the day the visa is granted if you are in Australia, or the day you enter Australia on it if you are outside. If the 190 is refused, you are told why and whether you have a right to a review of the decision, and the application charge is not refunded.
One more route to an early end: if the state or territory agency that nominated you withdraws your nomination after you have applied, your application becomes invalid.
Frequently asked questions
Do I automatically get a bridging visa when I lodge a 190 onshore?
Yes, if your application is valid. The Department's 190 page states that when you applied for the visa you were granted a Bridging visa A, and that you will receive notification of that grant. Validity onshore depends on holding a substantive visa or a subclass 010, 020 or 030 bridging visa when you apply.
When does my BVA actually start?
It comes into effect only if your current visa expires before the Department decides your 190 application. If your existing visa is still valid when the decision is made, the BVA never becomes the visa you are on.
Can I keep working while I am on the BVA?
The 190 page does not set out work conditions as part of the BVA; it describes the BVA as the visa that lets you stay in Australia while the new application is processed. Your own grant notification and VEVO record are where the conditions attached to your visa are recorded.
Can I travel overseas while my 190 is processing?
You do not have to notify the Department if you are in Australia and want to travel, and a decision can be made while you are outside the country. But you must make sure your visa allows you to return — check VEVO before you go.
What happens if I ask to have my current visa cancelled?
Don't. The official page warns that if your visa is cancelled you will be staying in Australia unlawfully and your BVA will cease, so you lose both the visa you were on and the bridging visa behind it.
How long does the BVA last?
It lasts as long as the Department is processing your 190 application — you can stay in Australia on it during that period. It ends with the decision, or earlier if the visa it replaced is cancelled.