When Does My Bridging Visa A (Subclass 010) End — and Can I Come Back? (2026)
A Bridging visa A (BVA) (Subclass 010) ends in one of two ways: it stops immediately when one of four things happens — including you leaving Australia while it is in effect — or it runs out a fixed number of days after a decision on your substantive visa application. And no, you cannot come back on it: the Department of Home Affairs states plainly on its official Bridging visa A (BVA) (Subclass 010) page that the BVA does not support return travel to Australia, and that an in-effect BVA ceases upon departure. These rules come from the Department of Home Affairs and the Subclass 010 provisions of the Migration Regulations 1994. This is general information about how the rules are written, not personalised advice on your situation; for a decision about your own travel, treat the official page and a registered migration professional as the final word.
First question: is my BVA "in effect" right now?
Everything below depends on this, because a BVA only bites once it is in effect.
Home Affairs says a BVA comes into effect when it is granted (if your substantive visa has already ceased since you applied, or if the BVA is more beneficial than your current bridging visa), when your current substantive visa ceases, or when another bridging visa that is more beneficial than your current one ceases. While you still hold a substantive visa, you keep complying with that visa's conditions; the BVA conditions apply once the substantive visa ceases.
You can confirm your current status and conditions through VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online). The official page repeatedly directs holders there, including "to see if your BVA is in effect".
What makes a BVA end immediately?
Four situations, straight from the official page:
- You leave Australia while your BVA is in effect.
- You are granted the substantive visa you applied for — the bridging visa has done its job.
- You are granted another bridging visa (such as a Bridging visa B, Subclass 020) in relation to the same substantive visa application this BVA is associated with.
- Home Affairs cancels either your BVA or the substantive visa you held when the BVA was granted.
The second and third items are ordinary, expected transitions rather than problems: a granted substantive visa replaces the bridge, and a granted BVB replaces the BVA for travel purposes. The first and fourth are the ones that cost people their lawful status.
If no immediate trigger applies, when does the countdown start?
In all other situations, your BVA ceases after one of these outcomes: your substantive visa application is refused; your merits or judicial review is decided; you withdraw the substantive visa application, merits review or judicial review; or a merits review tribunal tells you it has no jurisdiction to consider your review application. Once you have been notified of an outcome, VEVO shows exactly how long you can stay.
For a BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016, the official page sets two clocks:
| Outcome | When the BVA ceases |
|---|---|
| Refusal decision, or a decision by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), on the associated substantive visa application | 35 calendar days after |
| A determination that the substantive visa application, or an AAT review application, is invalid | 35 calendar days after |
| You withdraw the substantive visa application or the AAT review application | 35 calendar days after |
| A judicial review body upholds the decision to refuse the substantive visa application | 28 calendar days after |
| You withdraw a related judicial review application | 28 calendar days after |
The 35-day period after a refusal also appears in the subclass 010 criteria in the Migration Regulations 1994. Note that the clock is tied to the date of the decision or withdrawal, not to the day you happen to read the email — VEVO is where the resulting date is recorded.
For a BVA granted before 19 November 2016, the official page uses a single 28-day period, counted from being notified that the substantive visa application is invalid or refused, from withdrawing it, from a merits review tribunal notifying you that it upheld the refusal or that it has no jurisdiction, from withdrawing a merits or judicial review application, or from a judicial review body upholding the refusal.
Can I leave Australia and come back on my BVA?
No. The official page is unambiguous: the BVA does not support return travel; if you leave on it while it is in effect you will not be able to return on it; and an in-effect BVA ceases upon departure. Departure is not a suspension — it is an end.
If you want to travel and return while your substantive visa application is still being processed, you need to have been granted a Bridging visa B (BVB) before you leave. Suppose an applicant books a flight home assuming the BVA will simply "pause" while they are away: on the official rules, the visa ends at the airport, and the substantive visa application they were waiting on is left without a bridging visa holding their lawful status.
There is also no extension route. Home Affairs states you cannot stay longer by extending a BVA; if you wish to stay longer you must apply for a new visa.
What to settle before you buy a ticket
- Check VEVO first, not your grant letter from months ago — the question is whether the BVA is in effect today.
- Decide what the trip is for. A one-way departure and an intended return are two different legal events, and only the first one is possible on a BVA — coming back requires a Bridging visa B granted before you leave.
- If you do apply for a BVB, expect it to end the BVA: being granted another bridging visa in relation to the same substantive visa application is one of the four immediate-cessation triggers. That substitution is the point of the BVB.
- Check each family member separately. Home Affairs assesses each member of the family unit's application and decides which bridging visa they can be granted, so one person's BVB does not cover another's BVA.
- Keep your details current. Changes of phone number, email, address or passport are among the things the official page asks you to report after applying, and notifications drive the cessation dates above.
One more boundary worth knowing: you cannot use a bridging visa while you wait for a citizenship application to be decided.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does leaving Australia always end my BVA?
It ends the visa if the BVA is in effect at the moment you depart. A BVA that is in effect ceases upon departure from Australia, and you will not be able to return on it. VEVO is the place to confirm whether your BVA is currently in effect before you travel.
What happens to my BVA if I am granted a Bridging visa B?
Your BVA ends immediately, because being granted another bridging visa in relation to the same substantive visa application is one of the four immediate-cessation triggers listed by Home Affairs. The BVB is the visa that allows travel and return while the substantive application is processed.
How long can I stay after my substantive visa is refused?
For a BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016, it ceases 35 calendar days after the refusal decision, or after an AAT decision on the associated substantive visa application. A shorter 28-calendar-day period applies where a judicial review body upholds the refusal, or where you withdraw a related judicial review application.
Is the 35-day period the same for older BVAs?
Not necessarily. For a BVA granted before 19 November 2016, the official page sets a 28-day period counted from notification of invalidity or refusal, withdrawal, a merits review tribunal upholding the refusal or finding no jurisdiction, withdrawing a review, or a judicial review body upholding the refusal.
Can I extend my BVA if I need more time?
No. Home Affairs states you cannot stay in Australia longer by extending this visa; you must apply for a new visa if you wish to stay longer. Any bridging visa option needs to be assessed against your current circumstances and the official criteria.
Does it cost anything to hold or apply for a BVA?
The official page lists the cost as free. Most bridging visas are applied for automatically as part of applying for a substantive visa, and Home Affairs will tell you if that happens; VEVO confirms whether you already hold one.