Can I Apply for 190 Visa Onshore in 2026 With a Bridging Visa?
Yes — but only if the bridging visa you hold is a Bridging visa A (BVA, subclass 010), Bridging visa B (BVB, subclass 020) or Bridging visa C (BVC, subclass 030). According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) official page (as of the July 2026 official page), if you are in Australia at the time you apply you must hold a substantive visa or one of those three bridging visas; otherwise your application will not be valid. Holding some other bridging visa subclass, or no visa at all, does not meet this requirement.
Which bridging visas are accepted, and which are not?
The official rule is a closed list. At the moment you lodge, your visa status must fit into one of four boxes:
| Your status when lodging in Australia | Accepted for a valid 190 application? |
|---|---|
| A substantive visa (for example a valid temporary or provisional visa) | Yes |
| Bridging visa A (BVA), subclass 010 | Yes |
| Bridging visa B (BVB), subclass 020 | Yes |
| Bridging visa C (BVC), subclass 030 | Yes |
| A bridging visa of any other subclass | No |
| No current visa | No |
Two details are easy to miss. First, the test is applied at the time you apply — a bridging visa that only comes into effect later does not cure an application lodged while you held nothing. Second, the subclass number matters more than the label; a "bridging visa" that is not 010, 020 or 030 is outside the list, so an onshore 190 lodged on it will not be valid.
What does "not valid" actually cost you?
An invalid application is not a refusal on the merits — it is an application that the department does not accept for processing. Practically, that means the time, the nomination effort and the visa application charge are spent on something that never gets assessed. This is why the visa-holding check belongs at the front of your preparation, not after you have assembled your documents.
There is a second way validity can be lost after lodgement. The official page states that if the state or territory agency that nominated you withdraws your nomination after you have applied, your application becomes invalid.
One more location rule: you can be in or outside Australia when you apply and when the decision is made, but you cannot apply while in immigration clearance.
If your last substantive visa was a 491 or 494, does an extra rule apply?
Yes, and it catches many regional applicants who have since moved onto a bridging visa. If you currently hold, or your last substantive visa was, a Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491) or a Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494), you must have held that visa for at least 3 years at the time you apply.
The 3-year period is measured at the date of application, not at the date of invitation. Suppose an applicant held a 491 for two years and eight months, then moved onto a BVA while waiting for another matter to resolve: a 190 application lodged that month would fail the 3-year requirement even though the bridging visa itself is on the accepted list.
Does a valid bridging visa mean you can lodge a 190?
No. The visa-holding rule is only the validity gate. The subclass 190 is an invitation-only, points-tested visa, and the official page sets out what must be in place:
- An invitation. You can only apply if the department invites you. You start by submitting an expression of interest (EOI) in SkillSelect.
- State or territory nomination. You must be nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency; the department will only invite you if you are nominated. Each agency has its own criteria for who it nominates.
- A suitable skills assessment. At the time of invitation you must declare you have a suitable skills assessment for your nominated occupation, and you must provide a copy with your application. It must have been obtained in the 3 years before the date of your invitation (or, if the assessment was for a shorter period, that period must not have passed). Delegates will now accept a suitable skills assessment obtained within the 60-day invitation period, following the decision in Thapa v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2021] FCCA 686.
- Age. You must be under 45 when you are invited. You can still apply if you turn 45 after the invitation; if you turn 45 after submitting your EOI but before the invitation, you will not be invited.
- Points. You must be able to score 65 points or more; your invitation will state the score you must reach, which may be higher than 65 depending on your EOI claims.
- English. At the time of invitation you must have at least competent English.
- Occupation, health, character, debt and values. Your occupation must be on the relevant skilled occupation list for the 190; you and any family members who apply with you must meet the health requirement, and family members aged 16 years and over who apply with you must also meet the character requirement; any debt to the Australian Government owed by you or your family members (including those who do not apply with you) must be repaid or arranged to be repaid; and applicants aged 18 or over must sign the Australian Values Statement.
What about cost and processing time?
The official page does not publish a single fixed base amount for the main applicant — it directs applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator for the main applicant's charge, and notes a separate charge for each family member who applies with you, plus possible costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
What the page does specify:
- A second instalment may be charged for any applicant aged 18 or over who has less than functional English. It is payable only if asked, and only if the visa is going to be granted. The second instalment charge for family members is listed as AUD 4,885.
- From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application. Eligibility is recognised through the valid passport used in the application, and family members are also eligible based on the primary applicant's passport. The listed countries are the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
For processing times, the official guidance is to use the visa processing time guide tool, which shows times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to any one application. The department lists five reasons actual times vary: whether your application was complete with all supporting documents, how quickly you respond to requests for more information, how long required checks take, how long external agencies take on health, character and national security information, and — for permanent migration — how many places are available in the migration program.
This article is general information drawn from the official page and is not personalised migration advice; visa rules and policy settings change, so treat the official page as the authoritative source and get advice on your own circumstances before you rely on any of it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I lodge a 190 onshore if my bridging visa is not a BVA, BVB or BVC?
No. The Department of Home Affairs lists only subclass 010, 020 and 030 as acceptable bridging visas for an onshore 190 application, alongside holding a substantive visa. Any other bridging visa subclass means the application will not be valid.
Does the rule test my visa status when I'm invited or when I lodge?
When you lodge. The official wording requires you to hold a substantive visa, BVA, BVB or BVC "at the time you apply", so a status change between invitation and lodgement can change whether your application is valid.
I'm on a bridging visa now, but my last substantive visa was a 491. Am I affected by the 3-year rule?
Yes. If your last substantive visa was a subclass 491 or 494, you must have held it for at least 3 years at the time you apply for the 190, even if your current bridging visa is an accepted one.
Can a valid onshore application become invalid later?
Yes. If the state or territory agency that nominated you withdraws your nomination after you have applied, your application becomes invalid under the official criteria.
Do I still need an invitation and state nomination if I'm already in Australia?
Yes. The 190 is invitation-only: you submit an EOI in SkillSelect, a state or territory government agency may nominate you, and only then will the department invite you to apply. Being onshore does not replace any of those steps.
Can I include my family in an onshore 190 application?
Yes. You can include members of the family unit when you lodge, or add them after lodgement but before the decision. Family members who apply for the visa with you must meet the health and character requirements; family members not accompanying you to Australia must also meet the character requirement, and might also need to meet the health requirement if we ask them to.