Is a Bridging Visa A (Subclass 010) the Same as a Grant of the Visa I Applied For? (2026)
No — a Bridging Visa A (Subclass 010) only keeps you lawful while your substantive visa application is decided. Here is what it does and does not give you.
No. A Bridging Visa A (BVA) (Subclass 010) is not a decision on the visa you applied for, and it is not a step towards it. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Bridging visa A (BVA) (Subclass 010) page, the only thing this visa lets you do is stay lawfully in Australia until your substantive visa application is finally determined — or, where the BVA was granted in connection with judicial proceedings, until those proceedings are complete. The same page states that your BVA ends immediately once you are granted the substantive visa you applied for. In other words, the two are opposites in timing: the BVA exists only while the other application is undecided, and it disappears the moment that application succeeds. The official page was last checked for this article as at August 2026.
What does a Bridging Visa A actually give me?
It gives you lawful status, and nothing more. Home Affairs describes the subclass as a temporary visa whose listed benefit is staying lawfully in Australia while the associated substantive visa application, merits review or judicial review is on foot. Whether you can work, and what else you may or may not do, is not set by the visa class itself — it is set by the conditions attached to your particular grant, which you are notified about and which are recorded against your visa.
The underlying legal design is the same. Under the Migration Regulations 1994, subclass 010 sits in the bridging visa family, and the subclass is framed around keeping a person lawful while a separate application is decided rather than around conferring the rights of the visa being sought. Regulations are amended over time, so the wording currently published by the Federal Register of Legislation is the version to rely on.
Two other basics from the official page: the visa is free, and you and anyone included in the application must be in Australia both when the BVA application is submitted and when it is granted.
If it isn't the visa I applied for, where did it come from?
In most cases you did not ask for it separately. Home Affairs 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. A separate BVA application may instead be necessary where:
- your substantive visa application did not also count as 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.
A granted BVA is not always active straight away. It comes into effect when it is granted (if your substantive visa has ceased since applying 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 that is more beneficial than your current bridging visa ceases. If you still hold a substantive visa when the BVA is granted, you must keep complying with that substantive visa's conditions; the BVA conditions apply only once it ceases. And a bridging visa cannot be used at all while you are waiting for a citizenship application to be decided.
What does a BVA not give me, even while it is in effect?
It does not give you travel rights, an extension, or an indication of the outcome. Home Affairs states plainly that the BVA does not support return travel to Australia, and that you cannot stay longer by extending it — you must apply for a new visa. It also says nothing about prospects: a BVA is granted because an application is undecided, not because that application is likely to succeed.
| Event | What happens to the BVA |
|---|---|
| You are granted the substantive visa you applied for | The BVA ends immediately |
| You leave Australia while the BVA is in effect | The BVA ends immediately, and you cannot return on it |
| You are granted another bridging visa (such as a BVB) for the same substantive visa application | The BVA ends immediately |
| Home Affairs cancels the BVA, or the substantive visa you held when the BVA was granted | The BVA ends immediately |
When does a BVA end if my application is refused?
It continues briefly, then stops. For a BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016, Home Affairs says the visa ceases 35 calendar days after a refusal decision or an Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) decision on the associated substantive application, after a determination that the substantive or AAT review application is invalid, or after you withdraw the substantive application or AAT review application.
The period is shorter for judicial review: the BVA ceases 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds the refusal decision, or after you withdraw a related judicial review application. For a BVA granted before 19 November 2016, the official page sets a 28-day period after notification of invalidity or refusal, withdrawal, a merits review tribunal upholding the refusal or finding it has no jurisdiction, withdrawal of a merits or judicial review application, or a judicial review body upholding the refusal. Once you have been notified of an outcome, your exact departure date is shown against your visa record.
Can I work, travel or include my family while I hold one?
Work depends entirely on your conditions. Home Affairs says you might be allowed to work depending on the conditions on your BVA, and that your grant letter and your visa record show this. If your BVA does not let you work, or restricts work, you can apply for another BVA that does — but you will usually have to demonstrate financial hardship, and your circumstances are assessed. You cannot be granted a new work-permitting BVA if your current BVA was granted because you applied for judicial review, or if you have applied for a protection visa.
Travel requires a different visa. Leaving Australia while an in-effect BVA is held ends that BVA on departure, and you cannot come back on it. To travel and return while the substantive application is being processed, you need to have been granted a BVB before you leave. Family members can be covered: if you applied together for the substantive visa, you may also have applied together for the BVA, and if you apply separately you can include members of the family unit who are included in your substantive visa application — each person is assessed individually.
While you hold the visa, you must comply with all Australian laws and with the conditions of the current visa, and once the BVA is in effect, with its conditions as well. You also need to notify the department of changes such as a new phone number, email, address or passport, the birth of a child, or a decision to withdraw the application.
One caveat on all of the above: this article describes how the subclass works in general terms and is not advice about any individual's circumstances, nor a prediction of any application outcome. Conditions and dates turn on your own grant, so the official page and any professional advice you choose to obtain should be treated as the final reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Bridging Visa A the same as getting the visa I applied for?
No. A BVA is a temporary visa that lets you stay lawfully in Australia until your substantive visa application is finally determined, or until associated judicial proceedings are complete. Under the Home Affairs official page, the BVA ends immediately once the substantive visa is granted, at which point that visa's own conditions govern your stay.
Does a Bridging Visa A mean my application is likely to be approved?
It carries no signal about the outcome. A BVA is granted because an application has been made and is not yet finally determined, and in most cases it is applied for automatically as part of that substantive visa application. It is also granted in connection with refusals that have gone to merits or judicial review, so holding one says nothing about which way the decision will go.
Can I leave Australia and come back on a Bridging Visa A?
No. Home Affairs states that the BVA does not support return travel to Australia, and that a BVA which is in effect ceases on departure. If you want to travel and return while your substantive visa application is being processed, you must have been granted a Bridging visa B (BVB) before you leave.
Can I work while holding a Bridging Visa A?
That depends on the conditions on your grant, which are set out in your grant letter and recorded against your visa. If your BVA prevents or restricts work, you can apply for another BVA that permits it, usually by demonstrating financial hardship; you cannot take that route if your BVA was granted because you applied for judicial review, or if you have applied for a protection visa.
How long can I stay after my substantive visa application is refused?
For a BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016, it ceases 35 calendar days after the refusal, an AAT decision, an invalidity determination, or your withdrawal of the substantive or AAT review application. Where a judicial review body upholds the refusal, or you withdraw the judicial review application, the period is 28 calendar days. BVAs granted before 19 November 2016 follow a 28-day period after the events listed on the official page.
Can I extend my Bridging Visa A to stay longer?
No. Home Affairs states you cannot stay longer by extending this visa and that you must apply for a new visa if you wish to remain in Australia. Whether another visa is available to you depends on your circumstances and on the visa options open at the time.
Can my partner or children be on the same Bridging Visa A?
They can be covered if they are part of the same substantive visa application. If you applied together for the substantive visa, you may also have applied together for the BVA; if you apply separately, you can include members of the family unit who are included in your substantive visa application. Each family member's application is assessed separately, and the department decides which bridging visa each person can be granted.