Updated Bridging Visa guide
A practical guide to lawful stay, activation, work conditions, travel, Medicare, and moving from a Bridging Visa A to a Bridging Visa B.
A Bridging Visa A (BVA), subclass 010, can keep a person lawfully in Australia after their current substantive visa ends while a valid onshore visa application, or another prescribed immigration process, is unresolved. It is commonly shown in visa records as Class WA, subclass 010, sometimes written as WA/010.
The BVA is not a replacement passport, a permanent visa, or a general permission to work and travel. It often remains inactive while the current substantive visa is still valid. When it becomes the visa in effect, its own conditions control what the holder can do.
Quick answer: A BVA usually lets you remain lawfully in Australia while the associated matter is decided. Work rights depend on the conditions granted; it does not support return travel to Australia, and Medicare eligibility is not created by the BVA alone.
What is a Bridging Visa A in Australia?
A bridging visa is a temporary legal mechanism used while a person’s immigration status is being resolved. A Bridging Visa A subclass 010 is commonly associated with a valid application for another substantive visa made in Australia while the applicant still held a substantive visa.
A “substantive visa” is generally an Australian visa other than a bridging visa, enforcement visa or criminal justice visa. The BVA bridges the possible gap between that visa ending and the next immigration outcome.
Visa class WA
“WA” is the class code and “010” is the subclass. WA 010, WA/010 and visa subclass 010 refer to the BVA.
Temporary lawful status
Its central purpose is to keep an eligible holder lawful during the relevant processing period.
Individual conditions
Work, study and other permissions are determined by the grant notice and VEVO, not by the words “Bridging Visa A” alone.
A BVA is often granted without a separate application when a valid onshore substantive-visa application is lodged in the right circumstances. Separate applications may be required for different conditions, judicial review, or other prescribed situations. Never assume an invalid substantive application generates a bridging visa.
For related pathways, see VEM’s guides to the Bridging Visa B, Bridging Visa C and Bridging Visa E.
When does a Bridging Visa A become active?
Grant and activation are different. A BVA may be granted soon after the new visa application but remain not in effect while the existing substantive visa continues. It generally becomes the visa in effect when that substantive visa ceases, subject to the dates and events stated in the BVA grant notice.
1. Current substantive visa
The holder must continue following its conditions while it remains in effect.
2. BVA granted but inactive
The grant provides a future bridge; it does not necessarily replace the current visa immediately.
3. BVA comes into effect
Once triggered, check VEVO again because the BVA’s conditions now govern work and stay.
A visa application receipt is not enough
Confirm that the application was validly lodged and that a BVA was actually granted. Read the grant notice and use VEVO to verify the visa currently in effect, conditions, and cessation details.
Bridging Visa A working rights
Can you work on a Bridging Visa A? Sometimes, but there is no universal BVA work rule. One subclass 010 holder may have unrestricted work rights, another may have restricted hours or duties, and another may have condition 8101 prohibiting work.
| VEVO / grant result |
Practical meaning |
What to do |
| No work restriction shown |
Full-time work may be permitted. |
Confirm the current in-effect visa and retain a VEVO record. |
| Work-limiting condition |
Hours, occupation, or other work may be restricted. |
Follow the exact wording; do not infer conditions from the previous visa. |
| Condition 8101 |
The holder must not work. |
Do not start work. Check whether a further BVA application based on financial hardship is legally available. |
A holder with no work permission may sometimes seek a new BVA with different conditions by demonstrating a compelling need to work, commonly significant financial hardship. Availability and evidence depend on the underlying application and migration rules; approval is not automatic.
The safest answer to “Can I work full time on Bridging Visa A?” is: only if the conditions on the visa currently in effect allow it. Check VEVO before accepting shifts, changing employers or increasing hours.
Can I travel on a Bridging Visa A?
A BVA does not support return travel to Australia. Leaving Australia while relying on it can cause the BVA to cease, and the person cannot use that BVA to re-enter. Departure can also affect an onshore substantive application or review matter.
Apply for a Bridging Visa B before travel
A Bridging Visa B (subclass 020) can allow departure and return during a specified travel period. It must be granted before departure; merely lodging the application does not create travel permission.
The difference between a Bridging Visa A vs B is travel facility. A BVB also remains a temporary bridging visa and can carry work conditions. Its grant letter will state the travel period and other conditions.
Bridging Visa A and Medicare
A WA 010 bridging visa does not automatically make every holder eligible for Medicare. Eligibility usually depends on a separate basis, such as having applied for an eligible permanent residence visa, particular family connections, a reciprocal healthcare agreement or another rule administered by Services Australia.
Services Australia states that a person living in Australia who has applied for a permanent residency or permanent protection visa may enrol, except for specified Parent visa situations, if they also hold a visa allowing work or have an Australian or eligible New Zealand citizen/permanent-resident parent, spouse or child.
Medicare checklist
- Identify the substantive visa application being assessed.
- Check whether the BVA currently allows work.
- Check family-connection and reciprocal-agreement eligibility.
- Ask Services Australia what evidence and enrolment dates apply.
If Medicare is unavailable or uncertain, consider appropriate private health cover. Medicare eligibility and the migration health requirement are separate issues.
Tourist visa to Bridging Visa A in Australia
A visitor cannot simply “convert” a tourist visa into a BVA. A BVA may arise only after a valid onshore substantive-visa application in circumstances that meet the bridging-visa rules. The new visa must allow onshore lodgement.
Before lodging, check visitor visa conditions including 8503, 8534 or 8535 restrictions, Schedule 3 or other eligibility issues and any statutory bar on applying for the intended visa in Australia. Since 1 July 2024, most Visitor visa holders cannot lodge a Student visa application while in Australia. An invalid application does not provide BVA protection.
A BVA connected to an application lodged from a Visitor visa may initially carry no-work condition 8101. Financial plans should not assume immediate work permission.
How to check your BVA conditions
- Read the grant notice: identify Class WA, subclass 010, the event that activates it and every condition.
- Check VEVO: confirm which visa is currently in effect rather than relying on an old email.
- Compare the underlying application: check whether it remains valid and undecided, under review or affected by a withdrawal or refusal.
- Recheck before changing circumstances: travel, employment and application decisions can affect lawful status.
A BVA is generally free, although costs can arise from the underlying application, advice, review or supporting evidence. Home Affairs does not publish one useful processing timeframe for every subclass 010 situation because many BVAs are system-granted with an onshore application while separate applications can require individual assessment.
When does a Bridging Visa A end?
The cessation event and timing are stated in the grant notice and migration law. A BVA may cease when the substantive visa is granted, when another bridging visa comes into effect, upon departure, after withdrawal, or following refusal and expiry of the applicable post-decision period.
Do not assume there is always a fixed 35-day period after refusal. The relevant deadline may depend on when the decision was notified, review rights, whether a valid review was lodged, and the exact bridging-visa grant. Tribunal and court deadlines can be shorter and are strict.
Act immediately after refusal or withdrawal
Check the decision letter, review deadline, BVA cessation date and alternative lawful-status options. Missing a deadline can result in unlawful status and substantially reduce available choices.
If you need further assistance, please contact VEM. Our consultant, Mr. Peter Cao, a registered migration agent (MARN: 1577877), with more than 10 years of experience in the migration field, will help you.
Bridging Visa A compared with other bridging visas
BVA 010
Common role:
Lawful stay after a qualifying onshore process
Return travel:
No
Work:
Depends on conditions
BVB 020
Common role:
Bridging status with specified travel facility
Return travel:
During the granted period
Work:
Depends on conditions
BVC 030
Common role:
Certain applicants without a substantive visa at lodgement
Return travel:
No
Work:
Depends on conditions
Unsure what your WA 010 conditions allow?
Review the grant notice, VEVO, pending application and travel or employment plans together.
Contact VEM Visa
FAQs
Can I work full time on a Bridging Visa A?
Only if the visa currently in effect has no condition restricting full-time work. Check the BVA grant notice and VEVO; subclass 010 does not carry identical work rights for everyone.
Can I travel overseas on a BVA?
The BVA does not permit return travel. Obtain a Bridging Visa B with a suitable travel period before departure and check how offshore travel affects the pending application.
Is a Bridging Visa A automatically active?
Not necessarily. It may be granted but inactive while a substantive visa remains valid. The grant notice and VEVO show when it comes into effect.
Can I change from Bridging Visa A to Bridging Visa B?
An eligible person in Australia can apply for a BVB where temporary travel is needed. Apply early and do not depart until it has been granted with dates covering the trip.
How long does a Bridging Visa A last?
There is no universal duration. It continues according to the grant’s cessation events and the underlying immigration matter. A refusal, withdrawal, new visa, review outcome or departure can change the end date.
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