How Do I Apply for a Bridging Visa A (Subclass 010) — ImmiAccount or Form 1005 Webform? (2026)
Match the channel to the one you used for your substantive visa: if you lodged that application through ImmiAccount, your Bridging Visa A (BVA, Subclass 010) must be lodged through ImmiAccount; if you lodged it by paper form, or you have applied for review of a decision on that application, you must use the Form 1005 webform. This follows the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Bridging visa A (BVA) (Subclass 010) page, as of the August 2026 official page, and the criteria in the Migration Regulations 1994. The BVA itself is free to apply for, and there is only one rule to resolve before you start: how did the substantive visa go in?
What follows is general information about how the lodgement channel works, not personalised advice about your case. Channel rules, forms and processing practices change, so confirm the current wording on the official page or with a qualified professional before you lodge.
Do I need to apply for a Bridging Visa A at all?
Usually no — most people never lodge one deliberately. Nearly all bridging visas are applied for automatically as part of applying for a substantive visa, and the department tells you if that happens. Before you do anything, check whether you already hold one using VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online).
A separate BVA application may be necessary where:
- your substantive visa application did not also constitute an application for a BVA
- you were granted a BVA or a Bridging Visa B (BVB) that has since ceased, and you meet the requirements for another BVA
- you are seeking a further BVA without work restrictions
- you have applied for judicial review
One exclusion matters if you are far along in the process: you cannot use a bridging visa while you wait for a citizenship application to be decided.
How do I apply: ImmiAccount or Form 1005 webform?
The official rule is stated as a single test — you must apply for the BVA in the same way you applied for your substantive visa, with review cases pushed onto the webform regardless of how the original went in.
| Your situation with the substantive visa | Channel for the BVA |
|---|---|
| Lodged online through ImmiAccount | ImmiAccount |
| Lodged by paper form | Form 1005 webform |
| Applied for review of a decision on the substantive visa application | Form 1005 webform |
| Applied for judicial review after a tribunal upheld the refusal | Form 1005 webform — the only channel |
This is the deciding point the rest of the article hangs on, and it is worth being precise about it: "paper form" and "review" are two separate triggers for the webform. If your substantive visa went in on paper, the webform applies even if nothing has been refused yet. If you have applied for review of a decision, the webform applies even if the original application was lodged online.
Assume an applicant lodged a partner visa application online and was refused, then applied to the tribunal for merits review. The original channel was ImmiAccount, but the review application moves the BVA lodgement onto the Form 1005 webform.
What if I am in review or judicial review?
Review changes the channel, and judicial review narrows it further. Where a merits review tribunal upholds the decision to refuse your substantive visa application and you apply for judicial review, you need a bridging visa to maintain lawful status during those proceedings, and you can only apply for it by webform. The Migration Regulations 1994 criteria in clause 010.211 reflect the same structure: one pathway covers a substantive visa application made in Australia that has not been finally determined, and separate pathways cover judicial review where the applicant held a BVA or BVB at the time and the proceedings are not yet complete.
Timing is the practical risk here. Because a BVA application must be in the same channel as the substantive visa or on the webform for review cases, lodging through the wrong channel does not move your case along — it leaves you without a valid application while your lawful status runs out.
Must I be in Australia when I apply — and when it is granted?
Yes, twice. You and anyone included in your application must be in Australia when the BVA application is submitted, and you and anyone included must also be in Australia when the decision is made. There is no offshore pathway in the "Apply from" requirement on the official page.
The second requirement is the one people miss: being in Australia at lodgement does not carry you through. If a decision is made while you are outside the country, that is a problem you cannot fix by re-entering on the BVA, because a BVA does not support return travel at all.
What documents should I have ready before I start?
Have these ready before you open either channel, because the webform does not let you top them up later:
- colour copies of the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates
- a national identity card, if you have one
- proof of change of name — a marriage or divorce certificate, change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or the relevant overseas authority, or documents showing other names you have been known by
- proof of hardship, if you are supporting a change to your visa conditions
- Form 956A (Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient) if someone receives your correspondence, or Form 956 if someone is giving you immigration assistance
If someone is giving you immigration assistance for payment, they must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person. Anyone can be appointed to receive documents on your behalf.
What happens after I submit — can I still add documents?
The answer differs by channel, and it is the sharpest difference between them.
- ImmiAccount: if you did not attach all documents when you applied, attach them as soon as possible in ImmiAccount.
- Webform: you must attach all documents before you submit. You cannot attach extra documents after submission.
The department will tell you when it has received your application and documents, and it may ask for more information later — respond in the way the request letter asks. The official page also states that it does not give updates on application processing times, so the instruction is to wait to be contacted. Submitting early is what protects you: you need to hold a valid visa while both the bridging visa and the substantive visa application are being processed.
What should I know once the visa is granted?
A BVA comes "into effect" when it is granted (if your substantive visa has ceased since you applied for the BVA, or the BVA is more beneficial than your current bridging visa), when your current substantive visa ceases, or when another bridging visa more beneficial than your current one ceases. If you still hold a substantive visa when the BVA is granted, you must keep complying with that visa's conditions; the BVA conditions apply once the substantive visa ceases.
The grant notice tells you your visa grant number, the start date, and any conditions. Your visa is digitally linked to your passport, so you get no label. Work rights depend on the conditions imposed — if your BVA does not let you work or restricts work, you can apply for another BVA that allows work, which usually requires demonstrating financial hardship.
For travel, a BVA in effect will cease when you depart Australia, and you cannot return on it. If you need to travel and come back while the substantive visa application is being processed, you must be granted a BVB before you leave.
A BVA ends immediately if you leave Australia while it is in effect, you are granted the substantive visa you applied for, you are granted another bridging visa (such as a BVB) in relation to the same substantive visa application, or the department cancels your BVA or the substantive visa you held when the BVA was granted.
Otherwise, for a BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016, the visa ceases 35 calendar days after a refusal decision or an Administrative Appeals Tribunal decision on the associated substantive visa application, a determination that the application or AAT review application is invalid, or you withdraw the substantive or AAT review application. It ceases 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds the refusal decision, or you withdraw a related judicial review application.
You cannot extend a BVA to stay longer; you must apply for a new visa.
What if I make a mistake or my details change?
Tell the department as soon as you can and complete Form 1023 (Notification of incorrect answers). After you apply, you also need to report changes such as a new phone number, email, address or passport, the birth of a child, or if you want to withdraw your application. If you applied for your substantive visa online, upload your written notification or forms to ImmiAccount; if you applied by paper form, send your documents to the office assessing your visa application, as shown in the Contact Us section of your acknowledgement letter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Bridging Visa A granted automatically with my substantive visa application?
In most cases, yes — nearly all bridging visas are applied for automatically as part of applying for a substantive visa, and the department tells you if this happens. A separate BVA application may be needed where the substantive application did not also constitute a BVA application, a previous BVA or BVB ceased and you qualify for another, you seek a further BVA without work restrictions, or you have applied for judicial review. Check VEVO first.
Can I use the Form 1005 webform if I lodged my substantive visa online?
Only if you have applied for review of a decision on that substantive visa application. Otherwise, the rule is that you must apply in the same way you applied for the substantive visa, so an ImmiAccount substantive application means an ImmiAccount BVA application.
Can I upload extra documents after submitting the webform?
No. If you apply by webform you must attach all documents before you submit, and you cannot attach extra documents afterwards. ImmiAccount is the more forgiving channel: documents you did not attach at lodgement can be added later, as soon as possible.
Can I lodge a Bridging Visa A from outside Australia?
No. You and anyone included in your application must be in Australia when the application is submitted, and you and anyone included must also be in Australia when the decision is made. A BVA also does not support return travel, so leaving Australia while it is in effect ends the visa.
How much does a Bridging Visa A cost?
The official page lists the cost as free. The same page warns that if you are paying someone for help with your visa, they must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person.
Can I travel overseas while my Bridging Visa A is in effect?
Not on the BVA itself. A BVA that is in effect ceases when you depart Australia and does not support return travel. If you want to travel and return while your substantive visa application is being processed, you must be granted a Bridging Visa B before you leave.
How long does it take to get a decision?
The official page states that the department does not give updates on application processing times, so applicants are told to wait to be contacted. This is why the guidance stresses submitting early — you need to hold a valid visa while both applications are processed.