Last updated: 30 March 2026

Bridging Visa A: Work Rights, Conditions and Key Rules

The Bridging Visa A (BVA) is the visa that keeps your stay in Australia lawful while the Department of Home Affairs processes a new visa application. For most applicants on the skilled migration pathway — people who applied for a 189, 190, 491, 186, or 485 before their current visa expired — the BVA is what they hold during the waiting period.

Understanding your BVA is not optional. The conditions it carries, the work rights it grants, and the rules that can cause it to cease without warning all have real consequences. This page explains how the BVA is granted, what it allows you to do, the conditions that apply, and the travel rule that is most commonly misunderstood.

How Is the Bridging Visa A Granted?

The BVA is granted automatically in most cases. You do not need to lodge a separate application for it. When you lodge a valid application for a substantive visa while you are in Australia and hold a valid substantive visa at the time of lodgement, the Department grants a BVA to cover any gap between your current visa expiring and your new application being decided.

The activation sequence works like this:

1. You hold a substantive visa (for example, a 482 or 485) that is currently valid
2. You lodge a valid application for a new substantive visa (for example, a 186 or 189) through ImmiAccount
3. A BVA is created and linked to your new application
4. Your current substantive visa continues until it expires naturally
5. When your substantive visa expires, the BVA activates automatically and keeps your status lawful
6. The BVA remains in effect until your new visa application is decided — or until you leave Australia

The BVA does not replace your current visa immediately on lodgement. It sits in the background and activates only when your substantive visa expires. If your 482 is valid until March 2026 and you lodge your 186 in September 2025, your BVA activates in March 2026 when the 482 expires.

What makes a visa application valid for BVA purposes?

Not every application triggers a BVA. The application must be a valid application for a substantive visa — incomplete applications, applications for non-substantive visas, or lodgements that are rejected by the system do not trigger BVA grant. The BVA is also specific to the application it is linked to. If you withdraw that application, the BVA linked to it typically ceases.

Work Rights on a Bridging Visa A

Whether you can work on a BVA — and on what terms — depends on the conditions of the substantive visa you held immediately before the BVA activated.

The general rule is that your BVA carries forward the same work conditions as your preceding substantive visa.

When work rights may differ from expectations:

Your BVA conditions are set at the time of grant and are not automatically updated if your situation changes. If you held a student visa with restricted work rights and used that as the basis for a BVA, the BVA will not automatically have full work rights even if you have now finished your course and are no longer studying. The BVA reflects the conditions of the visa under which it was triggered, not your current circumstances.

Work rights can be varied. In some circumstances, you can apply to the Department of Home Affairs to have the work condition on your BVA varied — for example, to have work rights added or extended. This requires a formal application and is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Never assume your work rights match what you need. Always verify through VEVO before starting any employment. This applies even if you are confident about what your previous visa allowed.

The Travel Warning: BVA Ceases on Departure

This is the most important rule about the Bridging Visa A, and it is the one most frequently misunderstood with the most serious consequences.

If you leave Australia while holding a Bridging Visa A, the visa ceases at the moment of your departure.

This means:

• You cannot use the BVA to re-enter Australia
• You will arrive back at the Australian border without a visa
• Your pending substantive visa application may also be affected — in some cases, departure before a decision is made on an onshore application can result in the application being treated as withdrawn or refused
• Depending on the visa type you applied for, you may lose the application entirely

This is not a warning that applies only in extreme cases. It applies every time a BVA holder boards an international flight. A weekend trip to Bali. A work trip to Singapore. A family visit home. If you are on a BVA and you leave Australia without first obtaining a Bridging Visa B, your BVA ceases.

The fix is straightforward: apply for a Bridging Visa B before you travel. The Bridging Visa B for travel is designed specifically to allow BVA holders to travel overseas and return while their substantive application is being processed. You must apply before you depart — the BVB cannot be granted retrospectively after you have already left.

If you are on a BVA and have any international travel planned — even tentative plans — apply for a BVB as soon as possible and do not book flights until the BVB is granted.

Conditions That Attach to the BVA

Beyond work rights and travel, there are other conditions that may attach to your BVA depending on the application it is linked to and the visa you previously held.

Standard conditions typically include:

• Obligation to inform the Department of any change of address (the Department may need to contact you during processing)
• Obligation to continue cooperating with health and character assessment requests
• Obligation not to breach any visa conditions — breaching a BVA condition can affect both the BVA and the pending substantive application
• No restriction on study unless carried forward from a previous visa

Reporting obligations during processing

If the Department sends you a request for further information during your application, you are expected to respond within the timeframe given. Failure to respond can result in the application being decided on the available information — which, if incomplete, may not result in a grant.

If you receive a notice of intention to refuse

If the Department indicates it is considering refusing your application, you will typically be given an opportunity to respond before a decision is made. During this period, your BVA remains valid. If a refusal is ultimately issued, your BVA generally provides a short period — typically 28 days — within which you can lodge a review application with the Administrative Review Tribunal. If you lodge a review within that window, a new BVA is typically issued to cover the review period.

How Long Does a BVA Last?

A BVA does not have a fixed end date. It remains valid until one of the following occurs:

• Your pending substantive visa application is decided (granted or refused)
• You are granted another visa
• You depart Australia (causing the BVA to cease immediately)
• The underlying application is withdrawn or found to be invalid
• A specified period passes following a refusal without a review being lodged

There is no mechanism to extend a BVA independently — it exists entirely in relation to the pending application. If your application takes two years to be decided, your BVA lasts two years. If it is decided in three months, the BVA ends at three months.

What this means in practice:

For applications with long processing times — some 189, 190, 491, and 186 applications are currently taking 12–18 months or more — you may spend a significant period on a BVA. This is a normal part of the skilled migration process. Your BVA status is lawful and does not disadvantage your substantive application in any way, but it is worth understanding that certain time-sensitive calculations (such as points accumulation for the GSM points test) treat BVA time differently from time on a substantive skilled visa.

Multiple BVAs

It is possible to hold more than one BVA simultaneously if you have lodged more than one valid substantive visa application. For example, if you have a 186 application pending and you also lodge a 190 application while holding a BVA, a second BVA may be granted for the second application.

The work rights and conditions of each BVA are linked to their respective applications and the visa that was held at the time each was triggered. Having multiple BVAs does not automatically combine or upgrade the conditions of either.

How to Check Your BVA Conditions Through VEVO

The Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) system is the authoritative source for your current visa status, conditions, and work rights. It is maintained in real time by the Department of Home Affairs and reflects the most current information on your visa.

How to access VEVO:

1. Go to vevo.homeaffairs.gov.au
2. Select “Check your own visa details with VEVO”
3. Enter your passport details and date of birth, or your ImmiCard number
4. Your current visa, visa subclass, expiry, and conditions will be displayed

What VEVO shows you:

• Your current visa subclass (you may see “8150” for a BVA — this is the condition code for the bridging visa class)
• The conditions attached to your visa, including work rights (condition 8105 means full work rights; other condition codes restrict work)
• The expiry of your visa (for a BVA, this is typically shown as “Until further notice” or linked to the application)
• Your travel rights

When to check VEVO:

• Before starting any new employment
• Before accepting a work role that differs from your previous visa conditions
• Before making any travel arrangements
• When your circumstances change (new application lodged, previous visa expired, decision received)
• If an employer asks to verify your work rights — you can share a VEVO check with your employer directly through the system

VEVO also allows employers to verify your work rights with your consent. Many Australian employers routinely request a VEVO check before extending a work offer to a visa holder. This is a normal and compliant process.

For a comparison of all bridging visa types — BVA, BVB, BVC, BVD, and BVE — see our guide to all bridging visa types explained.

Common Situations Where BVA Issues Arise

Moving from a 482 to a 186

When a subclass 482 TSS visa holder lodges a 186 application, a BVA is created. If the 482 expires before the 186 is decided, the BVA activates. Work rights on this BVA typically mirror the 482 work conditions — full work rights with no employer restriction under the 2023 reforms. However, if there is any uncertainty about your conditions, verify through VEVO and document the check.

Moving from a 485 to a 189 or 190

Subclass 485 temporary graduate visa holders who lodge a 189 or 190 application before their 485 expires will hold a BVA once the 485 runs out. The BVA will carry forward the 485’s full work rights, which is straightforward for most graduate visa holders.

Re-lodging after a refusal

If your substantive application was refused and you lodged a review with the Administrative Review Tribunal within the post-refusal window, a new BVA is generally issued. This BVA covers the review period. Once the review is decided, the same rules apply — a further short window to depart or take next steps.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Bridging Visa A

Can you work on a Bridging Visa A?

In most cases, yes. If your previous substantive visa included work rights, your BVA will carry those same conditions forward. For example, if you were on a subclass 482 TSS visa with full work rights, your BVA should also include full work rights. However, work rights are not guaranteed on every BVA — always check your specific conditions through VEVO before starting work. Never rely on assumptions about what your conditions should be.

Does the BVA cease if you leave Australia?

Yes. This is one of the most critical rules about the Bridging Visa A. If you depart Australia on a BVA, the visa ceases at the moment of departure. You will not be able to re-enter Australia on that BVA, and your pending substantive visa application may also be affected. If you need to travel while your application is being processed, you must apply for and be granted a Bridging Visa B for travel before you depart. The BVB cannot be granted after you have already left Australia.

How do you check what conditions are on your BVA?

You can check your current visa conditions, including work rights, through the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) system at vevo.homeaffairs.gov.au. You will need your passport details or ImmiCard number to log in. VEVO shows your current visa, its conditions, and its expiry. It is the authoritative source — more reliable than any assumption about what your conditions should be. Check VEVO before starting work, before travel, and whenever your circumstances change.