Does a Bridging Visa A (Subclass 010) Still Require the Character Test in 2026?
Yes — Home Affairs still lists a character requirement for Bridging visa A (Subclass 010). What it means, and what happens if you fail.
Yes. A Bridging visa A (BVA) (Subclass 010) still carries a character requirement in 2026. The Australian Department of Home Affairs lists "meet character requirement" among the eligibility criteria on its official Bridging visa A (BVA) (Subclass 010) page, as at the August 2026 version of that page. It is one of the very few conditions left on a visa that is free, open to any age, and granted mainly to keep you lawful while a substantive visa application is decided. This article explains how the published rules fit together; it is general information rather than advice on your own circumstances, and the only reliable check for an individual case is the Department's current published requirements or advice from a registered migration professional.
Why does a short-term bridging visa carry a character requirement at all?
Because a bridging visa is still a visa, and lawful status in Australia is not a right that comes without conditions. A BVA exists to keep you lawfully in Australia until your substantive visa application is finally determined, or — where it is granted in connection with judicial proceedings — until those proceedings are complete. While it is in effect you hold a visa, you may hold work rights depending on your conditions, and the obligations listed on the Department's page apply to you: comply with all Australian laws, comply with the conditions of your current visa, and comply with the conditions of the BVA once it comes into effect.
Character sits at the front of that arrangement, not the end of it. The Department does not set the requirement aside merely because the visa is temporary or transitional; it is listed alongside the other eligibility criteria you must meet to be granted the visa in the first place.
What the official page says, and what the Regulations say
The Department's BVA page sets out "common eligibility criteria": you must hold or have held a substantive visa, you must be in Australia when you apply, you must have made a valid substantive visa application that has not been finally determined (or have applied for judicial review within the prescribed timeframe), you can be any age, and you will need to meet the character requirement. The page also points to Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994 for the full set of criteria.
The criteria for Subclass 010 in Schedule 2 are where the picture gets more precise: the visa itself carries no specific age, English, health, funds, or character public interest criterion, and the common public interest criteria (4001, 4005, 4007, 4020) and special return criteria (5001, 5002, 5010) are not attached to the BVA. So the two sources read differently: the Regulations do not attach a character public interest criterion to the visa, while the Department's official page states plainly that you need to meet the character requirement.
For a reader, the practical conclusion is the one to act on: the Department's official page is the current statement of what you will be asked to satisfy, and it names character. Do not read "temporary and free" as "not screened."
| What the BVA itself generally does not require | What the BVA does require |
|---|---|
| No specific age limit — any age may apply | You hold or have held a substantive visa |
| No specific English, health or funds criterion attached to the visa | You apply while in Australia |
| No separate criteria for family members — every applicant must meet the primary criteria | A valid substantive visa application not finally determined, or judicial review within the prescribed timeframe |
| — | You meet the character requirement |
That last row on family members matters more than it looks. Because Subclass 010 has no separate secondary criteria, each person included in the application must satisfy the primary criteria in their own right. The Department states that it assesses each member of the family unit's application and decides which bridging visa they can be granted — so a family member is not carried along on the main applicant's character assessment.
What happens if you do not meet the character requirement?
There are two distinct paths, and they lead to different places.
The first is refusal. If the BVA is not granted, there is no bridge: you have applied for a substantive visa, but nothing keeping you lawful while it is decided. The Department does not grant a BVA simply because an application is on foot, and the criteria must be met at the time of decision.
The second is cancellation. A BVA in effect ends immediately if the Department cancels either the BVA or the substantive visa you held when the BVA was granted. That is a hard stop rather than a taper — the visa ends on the cancellation, not at the end of a notice period.
Procedurally, decision-maker guidance records that further information can be requested where the material is insufficient, that an applicant should be given an opportunity to respond before a decision is made on adverse information, and that a person whose BVA has ceased may be considered for a Bridging visa E (Subclass 050/051). Whether any of that applies in a given case, and on what terms, should be confirmed against the Department's current published guidance.
How long do you actually have once a decision goes against you?
The answer depends on when your BVA was granted and what kind of decision ended the process.
| Situation | When the BVA ceases |
|---|---|
| BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016 — refusal of the substantive visa, or a determination that the application or AAT review is invalid, or withdrawal | 35 calendar days after |
| BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016 — a judicial review body upholds the refusal, or you withdraw the judicial review application | 28 calendar days after |
| BVA granted before 19 November 2016 — notified of invalidity or refusal, withdrawal, tribunal notification of no jurisdiction, or judicial review upholding the refusal | 28 days after |
| You leave Australia while the BVA is in effect | Immediately — and you cannot return on it |
| The substantive visa is granted, another bridging visa is granted for the same application, or the BVA or associated substantive visa is cancelled | Immediately |
The Regulations also refer to an exception: where the substantive visa is refused because public interest criterion 4003 or 4003A is not met, the 35-day period may not apply. Confirm the current position with the Department's published guidance before relying on any particular window.
Note also that you cannot extend a BVA to buy more time. The Department's page is explicit that staying longer requires applying for a new visa.
Does a character problem on the bridging visa sink the substantive visa too?
They are separate decisions, but they are linked in timing. The BVA has no independent life: it exists to bridge you to a decision on the substantive application. If that application is refused, the BVA ceases on the timetable above. If the BVA is cancelled, the bridge collapses while the substantive application may still be on foot. And a character issue that affects the substantive application runs on its own track, because those public interest criteria are assessed against that visa, not against the bridging visa.
Suppose an applicant holds a BVA while a partner visa application is being processed, and the BVA is cancelled. The partner application does not disappear, but the applicant no longer holds a bridging visa and the lawful basis for remaining in Australia while it is decided has to be re-established. That is the practical asymmetry of a bridging visa: it gives you time, but nothing more durable than that.
Work rights, financial hardship, and what the bridging visa does not give you
A BVA does not automatically restore full rights. Whether you can work depends on the conditions attached to your grant, which your grant letter sets out and which can be checked in VEVO. If your BVA prevents or restricts work, you can apply for another BVA that allows work, but you will usually have to demonstrate financial hardship, and the Department assesses your circumstances against that claim. If you do not meet the work requirements but are still eligible for a BVA, you may be granted a new BVA carrying the same work restriction.
There are also limits that catch people out: you cannot use a bridging visa while waiting for a citizenship application to be decided, and you cannot travel and return on a BVA. Leaving Australia while it is in effect ends it on departure; returning requires a Bridging visa B (Subclass 020) granted before you go.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Bridging visa A still have a character requirement in 2026?
Yes. The Department of Home Affairs lists "meet character requirement" as an eligibility criterion on its official Bridging visa A (Subclass 010) page as at August 2026. The criteria in Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994 do not attach a separate character public interest criterion to the visa, so the two sources read differently — but the Department's page is the current statement of what you must satisfy.
Does the BVA require English, health or funds?
The published criteria for Subclass 010 record no specific English, health or funds requirement for the bridging visa itself, and the Department's page lists no age limit and records the visa as free. The character requirement is the one that remains, and it is listed on the Department's official page.
Do my partner or children have to meet the character requirement too?
Yes. Subclass 010 has no separate secondary criteria, so every person included in the application must satisfy the primary criteria in their own right. The Department states that it assesses each member of the family unit's application and decides which bridging visa that person can be granted.
What happens if my BVA is refused or cancelled?
If it is refused, you have no visa keeping you lawful while the substantive application is decided. If it is cancelled, the BVA ends immediately rather than running to a set date. Decision-maker guidance notes a Bridging visa E (Subclass 050/051) may be considered where a BVA has ceased, subject to the Department's current published guidance.
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, an invalidity determination, or withdrawal of the application or AAT review. It ceases 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds the refusal or you withdraw the judicial review. For BVAs granted before 19 November 2016, the period is 28 days after the relevant notification or withdrawal.
Can I travel overseas and come back on a BVA?
No. A BVA in effect ceases as soon as you leave Australia, and you cannot return on it. To travel and come back while your substantive visa application is being processed, you need to be granted a Bridging visa B (Subclass 020) before you depart.