Do I Automatically Get a Bridging Visa A (Subclass 010) When I Apply for an Australian Visa in 2026?
In most cases, yes: a Bridging visa A (BVA) (Subclass 010) is applied for automatically as part of lodging a substantive visa application in Australia, and the Department of Home Affairs will tell you when that happens. As of the August 2026 version of the Department of Home Affairs Bridging visa A (BVA) (Subclass 010) official page, nearly all bridging visas are applied for automatically along with the substantive visa, and the first thing the page tells applicants to do is check whether one has already been issued using VEVO. The automatic grant is not universal, though — the same page lists four situations in which you have to lodge a BVA yourself, and those are the cases where people end up unlawful without realising it. This article is general information for people working out their own situation; it is not personalised advice, and where your circumstances are uncertain the current official page or a qualified professional should be your final reference.
How do I check whether I already have a Bridging Visa A?
Use VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) before you do anything else. The official page repeats this instruction at three separate points — before you apply, when checking whether family members are covered, and when checking work conditions — which tells you how central it is to the whole process.
VEVO matters because a BVA can exist without you ever having filled in a form for it. If your substantive visa application automatically carried a BVA application with it, the grant will usually have been recorded in the system rather than explained to you in person. VEVO also shows whether the BVA is in effect or still waiting in the background, and that distinction changes what you are allowed to do next.
When does a BVA start, and why does the timing matter?
A BVA comes "into effect" in one of three ways: when it is granted (if the substantive visa you held has already ceased, or if the BVA is more beneficial than a bridging visa you currently hold), when your current substantive visa ceases, or when another bridging visa that is more beneficial than your current one ceases.
This is the part that trips people up. If you still hold a substantive visa when the BVA is granted, you keep living under that visa's conditions — the BVA sits dormant behind it. The BVA's conditions only take over once the substantive visa ends. So the honest answer to "am I covered?" is often "yes, but not by the BVA yet."
Conditions are not generic. You will be told which ones apply when you are granted the visa, and your grant letter will set out anything affecting work.
In which four situations do I have to apply for a BVA myself?
The official page is explicit that a separate application may be necessary in four cases:
| Situation | Why the automatic route does not cover you |
|---|---|
| Your substantive visa application did not also constitute an application for a BVA | The automatic BVA is bundled into the substantive application; if that bundling did not happen, nothing was lodged on your behalf |
| You were granted a BVA or a Bridging visa B (BVB) but it has ceased, and you now meet the requirements for another BVA | A bridging visa that has ended cannot be revived — you need a fresh grant |
| You are seeking a further BVA without work restrictions | This is a new decision about conditions, not a continuation of the old grant |
| You have applied for judicial review | A review pathway has its own bridging visa requirements |
One more exclusion sits outside this list: you cannot use a bridging visa while you wait for a citizenship application to be decided. If citizenship is what you are waiting on, a BVA is not the answer.
Can I work while on a Bridging Visa A?
It depends entirely on the conditions attached to your grant, which you can confirm in VEVO or in your grant letter. Some BVAs allow work; others carry a work-prevention condition or work restrictions.
If your BVA does not let you work, or restricts your work, you can apply for another BVA that does allow work. For that application you will usually have to demonstrate financial hardship, and the department will assess your circumstances against that claim. If you do not meet the requirements for work but are still eligible for a BVA, you will be granted a new BVA carrying the same work prevention or restriction condition as before.
There are two situations where a new work-permitting BVA is not available, and both apply only where your current BVA prevents or restricts work: either it was granted because you applied for judicial review of the substantive visa decision, or you have applied for a protection visa. As a hypothetical illustration: suppose someone on a BVA with a no-work condition, granted after a tribunal decision they have taken to judicial review, wants to take a job — on the official page, that person cannot be granted a new BVA that lets them work.
How long does a BVA last, and when does it stop?
A BVA lets you stay lawfully in Australia until your substantive visa application is finally determined, or, where it was granted in connection with judicial proceedings, until those proceedings are complete.
It ends immediately if you leave Australia while it is in effect, if you are granted the substantive visa you applied for, if you are granted another bridging visa (such as a BVB) for the same substantive visa application, or if the department cancels either the BVA or the substantive visa you held when the BVA was granted.
Otherwise, an outcome decides when it ceases: refusal of the substantive visa application, a decision on merits or judicial review, withdrawal of the substantive visa, merits review or judicial review application, or a merits review tribunal telling you it has no jurisdiction. For a BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016, it ceases 35 calendar days after a refusal decision or AAT decision on the associated substantive visa application, a determination that the application or AAT review application is invalid, or your withdrawal of the substantive visa application or AAT review application. It ceases 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds the refusal, or you withdraw a related judicial review application. For BVAs granted before 19 November 2016, the official page lists a 28-day period across a longer set of trigger events.
Travel is the sharp edge here. A BVA does not support return travel: if you leave Australia while it is in effect, it ceases on departure and you cannot come back on it. To travel and return while your substantive visa application is being processed, you need to have been granted a BVB before you leave.
If I do need one, how do I apply?
You apply in the same way you applied for the substantive visa. If the substantive visa went in through ImmiAccount, the BVA goes through ImmiAccount. If you applied by paper form, or if you have applied for review of a decision on your substantive visa application, you complete and submit Form 1005 by webform; the official page also states that judicial review applicants can only apply for a bridging visa by webform.
Practical points from the official page:
- The visa is free, but you and anyone included in the application must be in Australia both when the application is submitted and when it is granted.
- You must hold or have held a substantive visa, and have made a valid substantive visa application that has not been finally determined — or have applied for judicial review within the prescribed timeframe, with those proceedings unfinished. You must also meet the character requirement; there is no age limit.
- Documents include colour copies of your current passport pages showing photo, personal details and issue and expiry dates, a national identity card if you have one, and proof of any change of name. If you are asking to change your conditions, include proof of hardship.
- Lodge early. The department does not give processing-time updates, and the official page's own advice is to submit early so there is enough time for the bridging visa to be processed while you remain lawful.
What if my family applied with me?
If you applied together for a substantive visa in Australia, you may also have applied together for a BVA — check each family member in VEVO rather than assuming. If you apply separately, you can include members of the family unit in your BVA application provided they are included in your substantive visa application. Each family member's application is assessed individually, and the department decides which bridging visa each person can be granted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I automatically get a Bridging Visa A when I apply for a visa in Australia?
In most cases yes: nearly all bridging visas are applied for automatically as part of applying for a substantive visa, and you will be told when this happens. Confirm the grant in VEVO rather than assuming it.
How do I know if my BVA has actually started?
A BVA comes into effect when it is granted (if your substantive visa has already ceased or the BVA is more beneficial), when your current substantive visa ceases, or when a more beneficial bridging visa ceases. Until then, you remain on your substantive visa's conditions.
When do I have to apply for a BVA myself?
When your substantive visa application did not also constitute a BVA application, when a previously granted BVA or BVB has ceased, when you are seeking a further BVA without work restrictions, or when you have applied for judicial review.
Can I travel overseas on a Bridging Visa A?
No. A BVA in effect ceases when you leave Australia and cannot be used to return. You need to be granted a BVB before you depart if you intend to come back while your substantive visa application is being processed.
How much does a Bridging Visa A cost, and where do I lodge it?
It is free. You lodge it the same way you lodged the substantive visa — through ImmiAccount for online substantive applications, or by webform using Form 1005 if you applied on paper or have applied for review of a decision.
How long do I have to stay after my visa is refused?
For a BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016, it ceases 35 calendar days after the refusal or AAT decision, an invalidity determination, or your withdrawal. It ceases 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds the refusal or you withdraw the judicial review application.