What is a Bridging visa A?
A Bridging visa A is a temporary visa, subclass 010, that keeps you lawful after your current substantive visa ends while a new application is processed, according to the Home Affairs “Bridging visa A (subclass 010)” page, updated 23 September 2024.
Home Affairs says most bridging visas are applied for as part of the substantive visa application. The Home Affairs visa price API checked on 3 October 2026 records no BVA application charge when it is made with that application. That is a charge rule, not confirmation that a particular applicant has been granted a BVA.
No BVA processing duration is stated here. The practical distinction is whether a bridging visa application accompanied your substantive application and whether a grant has been made—not an assumed waiting period.
When does a Bridging visa A start?
A Bridging visa A starts operating behind your current substantive visa: under the Home Affairs BVA page, the current visa's conditions apply while it remains in effect, and the BVA's conditions apply once it ceases.
Grant and commencement are different events. Holding a BVA does not mean its conditions have already replaced those of your current visa. For example, do not rely on a work permission recorded on the BVA while your substantive visa's conditions still apply. Home Affairs makes the changeover depend on the substantive visa ceasing.
Keep both visa records available so you can distinguish the visa you currently rely on from the bridging visa intended to follow it.
Bridging visa A work rights
Bridging visa A work rights depend on the conditions attached to your particular BVA, according to the Home Affairs BVA page. A BVA is not, by its name alone, permission to work without restriction.
If your BVA does not allow work, Home Affairs says a further BVA that permits work usually requires evidence of financial hardship. Do not assume that needing a job automatically satisfies that requirement, or that applying for a further BVA changes your existing work conditions.
Check the conditions on the visa that is actually in effect before starting or continuing work. While your substantive visa remains in effect, its conditions—not the BVA's future conditions—govern your position, as Home Affairs explains.
Can you travel on a Bridging visa A?
You cannot travel and come back on a Bridging visa A: the Home Affairs BVA page says it does not allow re-entry and ends when you leave Australia. Section 82(8) of the Migration Act 1958 explains why: a visa permitting a person to remain, but not re-enter, ceases on departure.
For travel and return, the Home Affairs “Bridging visa B (subclass 020)” page, updated 1 July 2026, says you must already hold a BVA or BVB and have substantial reasons for leaving and returning. You must be in Australia when applying and when the application is decided; Home Affairs advises applying between three months and two weeks before travel.
Obtain the BVB before departure and plan to return within the Bridging visa B travel window set at grant. A pending BVB application is not a substitute for holding the travel visa before you leave.
Bridging visa A and Medicare
Bridging visa A and Medicare eligibility are separate questions. Under section 3(1), paragraph (f), of the Health Insurance Act 1973, in the compilation in force from 19 September 2026, a temporary visa holder who has applied for a permanent visa can count as an Australian resident if the statutory requirements are met.
Among those requirements, a spouse, parent or child must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or the applicant must have permission to work. People with a pending parent visa application are excluded from this particular test. Holding a BVA alone does not establish eligibility under the Act.
This is an eligibility explanation, not a promise of enrolment. Medicare enrolment steps are not covered on this page.
Bridging visa A after lodging an 858 in Australia (do not ask to cancel your current visa)
An applicant lodging an 858 application in Australia must hold a substantive visa or a Bridging A, B or C visa under item 1113(3)(ba) of Schedule 1 to the Migration Regulations 1994.
The Home Affairs National Innovation visa page, updated 4 September 2026, says the Department may have granted a bridging visa that comes into effect when the current visa expires. Its instructions are to stay lawful and not ask to cancel your current visa.
An expression of interest does not give you a bridging visa, according to the Home Affairs National Innovation visa “after submission” page, updated 30 September 2026. The visa application stage after an invitation—not the EOI stage—is relevant to a bridging visa application. Do not rely on an EOI to cover an approaching visa expiry.
Regulation 858.411 permits grant in or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance. The Home Affairs Migration Program Report 2024–25, published in December 2025, records 834 in-Australia outcomes out of 4,000 Global Talent category outcomes. That category includes National Innovation visa outcomes from 6 December 2024; the report does not publish those separately.
A No Further Stay condition also matters before lodgement. Under section 46(1A) of the Migration Act 1958, an onshore application is invalid unless the relevant condition is waived where the applicant has held a visa with that condition since their last entry. Check 8503 and the 858 before assuming an application made in Australia will be valid.
When a Bridging visa A ends
A Bridging visa A keeps you lawful while the new application is processed, according to Home Affairs, but it does not last indefinitely. Two important end events are:
Leaving Australia. The Home Affairs BVA page says departure ends the BVA; section 82(8) of the Migration Act 1958 provides the legal basis.
Withdrawal of the application. The Home Affairs withdrawal page says a BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016 ceases 35 days after the withdrawal is notified. For one granted before that date, the period is 28 days. After it ceases, you are unlawful unless you hold another visa.
Other end points, such as those following a decision, are set by the Migration Regulations 1994 and are not covered on this page.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Bridging visa A?
The Home Affairs BVA page describes subclass 010 as a bridging visa that keeps you lawful after your substantive visa ends while your new application is processed.
Does a Bridging visa A let you work?
It depends on your BVA conditions. Home Affairs says a further BVA allowing work usually requires evidence of financial hardship.
What are the conditions of a Bridging visa A?
Home Affairs says your current visa's conditions apply until it ends, then the BVA's own conditions apply. A BVA does not allow re-entry.
Do you pay for a Bridging visa A?
No charge applies when it is made with the substantive application, according to the Home Affairs visa price API checked on 3 October 2026.
Does a Bridging visa A end if you withdraw the application?
Yes. The Home Affairs withdrawal page says it ends 35 days after the withdrawal is notified for a BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016.
Staying lawful while the 858 is decided
Staying lawful while the 858 is decided means keeping track of your current visa and the bridging visa intended to follow it. The Home Affairs National Innovation visa page says not to ask to cancel your current visa; the BVA's conditions apply once that visa ceases.
Home Affairs says travel during processing is allowed without notifying the Department, but you need a visa to return. For a BVA holder, that means obtaining a BVB first. The guide to applying for the 858 in or outside Australia explains the broader application setting.
The question how long does the 858 visa take is answered, with both published series and their caveats, on the processing page. No waiting-time estimate is given here.
If you withdraw your 858 visa application, the Home Affairs withdrawal page says the associated BVA ends 35 days after notification if it was granted on or after 19 November 2016. Arrange your next lawful status before that period ends rather than treating withdrawal as an immediate switch to another visa.
Ask an Australian migration lawyer to check your current visa expiry, any No Further Stay condition and travel plans before lodgement, so you understand when a Bridging visa A takes effect and when it ceases.