Applying for Subclass 190 Onshore in 2026: Which Visa Must You Hold?
Applying for the Subclass 190 onshore in 2026? You must hold a substantive visa or a BVA, BVB or BVC — otherwise the application is not valid.
If you lodge a Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) application while you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or one of three bridging visas: Bridging visa A (BVA, subclass 010), Bridging visa B (BVB, subclass 020) or Bridging visa C (BVC, subclass 030). Hold anything else — or no visa at all — and your application will not be valid. This is the requirement published on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' "Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190)" page, as at the July 2026 version of that official page.
Validity is a threshold question. It concerns whether your application can be accepted at all, not whether you would qualify on your points, your occupation or your nomination. That is why the visa you hold on the day you lodge matters more than almost anything else in the file.
What counts as a substantive visa?
The official page draws the line at "a substantive visa" without listing subclasses: whatever its subclass, a substantive visa meets this requirement. For the 190 onshore rule, what matters is that the visa you hold is substantive rather than a bridging visa, and that it is actually in effect on the day you apply.
The test is applied at the moment of lodgement. If your substantive visa has ceased and the bridging visa associated with your next application has begun, the question becomes which bridging visa you now hold.
Which bridging visas are accepted, and which are not?
Only three bridging subclasses appear on the official list.
| What you hold when you apply in Australia | Result for an onshore 190 application |
|---|---|
| A substantive visa | Satisfies the requirement |
| Bridging visa A (BVA, subclass 010) | Satisfies the requirement |
| Bridging visa B (BVB, subclass 020) | Satisfies the requirement |
| Bridging visa C (BVC, subclass 030) | Satisfies the requirement |
| Any other bridging visa | Not listed — does not satisfy the requirement |
| No visa in effect | Does not satisfy the requirement |
There is one further location condition: you can be in or outside Australia when you apply and when the application is decided, but you cannot be in immigration clearance.
What if your current or last substantive visa is a 491 or 494?
Holding a Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491) or a Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494) does not exempt you from the onshore rule, but it adds a separate condition: if you currently hold, or your last substantive visa was, a 491 or a 494, you must have held that visa for at least three years at the time you apply.
In practice this means a 491 or 494 holder can meet the "what you hold" test and still fail on timing. Check both before you lodge.
Does holding the right visa make the application valid?
No. It removes one ground of invalidity; several others remain.
- You must be invited. You cannot apply unless the Department invites you, and it invites you only if a state or territory government agency has nominated you following your Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect.
- Your nomination must stand. If the nominating state or territory agency withdraws your nomination after you have applied, your application becomes invalid.
- You must declare a suitable skills assessment at the time of invitation. Ordinarily the assessment must have been obtained in the three years before the date of your invitation, or within any shorter period stated on it. Following the decision in Thapa v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2021] FCCA 686, delegates will accept a suitable skills assessment obtained within the 60-day invitation period; the official page records that the Minister administers the Regulations in accordance with that decision while reserving the right to argue in a court that Thapa was wrongly decided.
- You must not be in immigration clearance at the time of application or decision.
What else has to be true at the time you apply?
The visa-holding rule is only one part of the picture. The official page also requires you to have been under 45 when invited, to be able to score the points required (the EOI threshold is 65 points, and your invitation may state a higher score), to have at least competent English at the time of invitation, to have a nominated occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list, and to meet health, character, debt and Australian values statement requirements. The page does not publish a fixed visa application charge for the main applicant and directs applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator.
How do you check what you hold before you lodge?
Read the subclass on your most recent visa grant notification or in your ImmiAccount, not what you assume you are on. People often describe themselves by the application they have pending rather than by the visa currently in effect, and those are different things once a bridging visa has started. If you are relying on a bridging visa, confirm the subclass number — 010, 020 or 030 — before you pay and submit.
This article describes how the published rules read in general terms and is not advice about your individual circumstances; where your history is unusual, the current official wording and, if needed, a registered professional's opinion are what you should rely on.
Common questions
Can I apply for the 190 onshore while holding a Bridging visa A?
Yes. Bridging visa A (BVA, subclass 010) is one of the three bridging visas listed on the official page, so it satisfies the visa-holding requirement for an onshore application. You still need to meet the other validity requirements, including a current invitation.
Are Bridging visas B and C also accepted?
Yes. Bridging visa B (subclass 020) and Bridging visa C (subclass 030) are listed alongside BVA on the Department's 190 page. All three are treated the same way for the purposes of lodging onshore.
What if I hold a different type of bridging visa?
The official page lists only subclasses 010, 020 and 030. Any other bridging visa is not on that list, so an onshore application lodged while holding it would not meet the published requirement. Check your subclass before lodging.
I hold a 491 — when can I apply for the 190 onshore?
You must have held that 491 for at least three years at the time you apply. The same three-year condition applies if your last substantive visa was a subclass 494, even if you now hold a different visa or a bridging visa.
My state nomination was withdrawn after I applied. What happens?
Your application becomes invalid. Validity depends on the nomination continuing, so the withdrawal ends the application regardless of how strong your points, English or skills assessment are.
Does a valid application mean the visa will be granted?
No. Validity is a gateway, not a decision on the merits. The Department still assesses invitation, points, age at invitation, English, skills assessment, occupation listing, health, character, outstanding government debt and the Australian values statement.
Can I lodge while in immigration clearance?
No. The official page states you can be in or outside Australia when you apply and when the application is decided, but not in immigration clearance.
My skills assessment was issued after my invitation — is that fatal?
Not necessarily. Delegates will accept a suitable skills assessment obtained within the 60-day invitation period, following Thapa. Outside that window, the assessment must have been obtained in the three years before the date of your invitation, or within any shorter validity period stated on it.