Do I Need a Separate Bridging Visa A (Subclass 010) While My Australian PR Application Is Pending? (2026)
Whether a pending 189, 190, 491 or 186 application auto-grants a Bridging visa A (010), and the four cases needing your own.
If you have lodged an onshore permanent residence application — a Skilled Independent (subclass 189), Skilled Nominated (subclass 190), Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491) or Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) — you do not normally need to lodge a Bridging visa A (BVA) (Subclass 010) yourself. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official page Bridging visa A (BVA) (Subclass 010), nearly all bridging visas are applied for automatically as part of applying for a substantive visa, and the Department tells you when that happens; a separate application is needed only in four defined situations. This article reflects that official page as at August 2026, together with the visa criteria in Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994. It is general information only and is not advice on your own circumstances — your position should be confirmed against the official page, your grant letter and your VEVO record.
Do you automatically get a BVA when you lodge a PR application?
In most cases, yes. The Department's official page states that nearly all bridging visas are applied for automatically as part of applying for a substantive visa, and that it will tell you if this happens.
The common eligibility criteria on the same page reflect why this works for most onshore PR applicants: you must hold or have held a substantive visa, you must be in Australia when you apply, and you must have made a valid application for a substantive visa that has not been finally determined — or, if that application has been refused, have applied for judicial review of the decision within the prescribed timeframe while those proceedings are not yet completed. There is no age limit, and you must meet the character requirement. The visa itself is free.
The practical check is VEVO. Both the eligibility and step-by-step sections of the official page direct applicants to check whether they already hold a BVA and what conditions attach to it before doing anything else.
When does the BVA actually come into effect?
A BVA does not necessarily govern your stay from the day it is granted. The official page sets out three triggers for when a BVA comes "in to effect":
- 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;
- your current substantive visa ceases;
- another bridging visa that is more beneficial than your current bridging visa ceases.
This produces the two-stage pattern that catches people out. If you still hold a substantive visa when the BVA is granted, you must continue to comply with that substantive visa's conditions; the BVA conditions only apply once the substantive visa ceases. So a 190 applicant still on a valid student or 482 visa keeps observing those conditions until they expire, at which point the BVA takes over.
When do you have to apply for a BVA yourself?
The official page lists four situations in which a separate BVA application may be necessary:
- your substantive visa application did not also constitute an application for a BVA;
- you were granted a BVA or a Bridging visa B (BVB) but it has ceased, and you meet the requirements for another BVA;
- you are seeking a further BVA without work restrictions;
- you have applied for judicial review.
The judicial review case has its own rule. If a merits review tribunal upholds the refusal of your substantive visa application and you apply for judicial review, you need to apply for a bridging visa to maintain lawful status during those proceedings, and you can only do so by webform.
Because a separate application takes time to process, the official page advises lodging early so there is enough time for the bridging visa to be decided while you remain lawful.
Which channel do you use — ImmiAccount or webform?
How you apply depends on how you applied for the substantive visa. The official page is explicit: you must apply for the BVA in the same way you applied for your substantive visa.
- If you applied for the substantive visa through ImmiAccount, you must apply for the BVA through ImmiAccount.
- If you applied by paper form, you must submit Form 1005 by webform.
- If you have applied for review of a decision on your substantive visa application, you must submit Form 1005 by webform.
You, and anyone included in the application, must be in Australia both when the BVA application is submitted and when it is granted. Documents listed on the page include colour copies of the current passport pages showing photo, personal details and issue and expiry dates, a national identity card if you have one, and proof of change of name where relevant; if you are asking for different conditions, you also provide proof of hardship. If you apply by webform you must attach everything before submitting, because documents cannot be added afterwards.
What happens to work rights while the PR application is decided?
Whether you can work depends on the conditions on your BVA, which are set out in your grant letter and visible in VEVO. The official page confirms that if your BVA does not let you work, or restricts your work, you can apply for another BVA that does allow work, and that you will usually have to demonstrate financial hardship. If you do not meet the work requirement but remain eligible for a BVA, the Department will grant a new BVA carrying the same work prevention or restriction condition as the previous one.
There are two hard exclusions. You cannot be granted a new BVA allowing work if your current BVA prevents or restricts work and either your current BVA was granted because you applied for judicial review of the substantive visa decision, or you have applied for a protection visa.
The Department's Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) records that applicants for skilled and employer nomination subclasses — including 186, 189, 190 and 491 — are among those granted a BVA with no conditions, but the conditions that bind you are the ones notified to you, and the official page remains the reference for how they are applied.
What ends a BVA, and how long do you have if the PR application is refused?
A BVA 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) in relation to 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, for a BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016, it 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 your withdrawal of the substantive application or AAT review. It ceases 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds the refusal, or you withdraw a related judicial review application. For a BVA granted before 19 November 2016, the official page sets a 28-day period across the corresponding events.
There is no extension mechanism. The page states you cannot stay longer by extending the BVA; you must apply for a new visa.
Can you travel overseas while the PR application is being processed?
Not on a BVA. The official page states that the BVA does not support return travel to Australia, and that a BVA in effect ceases upon departure. If you want to travel and return while the substantive visa application is being processed, you need to have been granted a BVB before you leave. Your visa is digitally linked to your passport rather than labelled in it.
What about family members on the same PR application?
If you and your family applied together for a substantive visa in Australia, you may also have applied together for a BVA — check each person's status in VEVO. If you apply separately for a BVA, you can include members of the family unit in that application provided they are included in your substantive visa application. The Department assesses each family member's application and decides which bridging visa they can be granted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to lodge anything to get a BVA after my 189 or 190 application?
Usually not. The Department's official page states that nearly all bridging visas are applied for automatically as part of applying for a substantive visa, and that the Department tells you when this happens. Confirm what has been granted by checking VEVO rather than assuming.
My BVA was granted, but my previous visa is still valid. Which conditions apply?
While your substantive visa is still in force, you must continue to comply with its conditions. The conditions of the BVA apply only once the substantive visa ceases, unless the BVA was granted because your substantive visa had already ceased or because it is more beneficial than your current bridging visa.
My BVA stops me from working. Can I get one that allows work?
You can apply for another BVA that lets you work, and the official page says you will usually have to demonstrate financial hardship. If you cannot meet the work requirement but are still eligible, you will be granted a new BVA with the same work restriction as before.
How long can I stay if my PR application is refused?
For a BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016, it ceases 35 calendar days after the refusal decision or the relevant AAT decision, and 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds the refusal. VEVO shows the exact date once you have been notified of the outcome.
Can I leave Australia and come back on my BVA?
No. A BVA does not support return travel, and a BVA in effect ceases when you depart Australia. You would need to be granted a BVB before leaving if you intend to return while the substantive application is processed.
Does it cost anything to apply for a BVA?
No. The official page lists the cost of a Bridging visa A as free, and there is no age restriction on who can be granted one.