Bridging Visa A (subclass 010) lets you to stay in Australia after the expiry of your current substantive visa and also your substantive visa application is pending. Bridging Visa A subclass 010 can be a pathway to Australia when your permanent residence visa gets approved and you can apply for Australian citizenship in due course of time. There is no visa fee for bridging visa A. Although there are other categories of bridging visas, bridging visa A is the most common one.
Bridging visa A is approved when you apply for a substantive visa in Australia while still holding your previous substantive visa. However, it is a temporary visa allowing you to stay in Australia for a certain period of time. As per Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994, it becomes invalid if you leave the country and travel overseas. You are not allowed to return to Australia once you depart while holding BVA.
The purpose of visa subclass 010 is to let you stay in Australia legally and bridge the gap between a previous substantive visa and another substantive visa application. You turn out to be an unlawful non-citizen if you live in Australia without a visa during that interval. This may create problems when you apply for Australian citizenship later on.
If you are in Australia on Bridging visa A and your substantive application gets cancelled, you will get 28 days time before you leave Australia. If you make an appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal or AAT for review of the decision, the bridging visa A is extended automatically till a decision is made.
Work rights for BVA
A bridging visa 010 holder can stay in Australia and have the permission to study and work as per the limitations of the substantive visa held previously. For instance, if the student visa held previously had work limitation of 20 hours, the same limitation will be applicable for Bridging Visa A. However, there are no work limitations for Bridging visa A in relation to the following visa applications.
1. Parent and Partner visas
● Aged Parent or (Subclass 804)
● Contributory Aged Parent Temporary or Subclass 884
● (Subclass 864) or Contributory Aged Parent
● Subclass 820 Partner visa
● Partner (Subclass 801)
2. Skilled and Business visas
● Skilled Independent Permanent or (subclass 189)
● (subclass 190) or Skilled Nominated (Permanent)
● Skilled Regional Sponsored visa or subclass 489
● subclass 887 or Skilled (Residence)
● [ENS] (subclass 186) Employer Nomination
● 187 subclass or Regional Employer Nomination [RSMS]
● Business Talent permanent visa or (subclass 132)
● Subclass 188 or Business Skills (Provisional)
● Business Skills visa with (subclasses 890/891/892/893)
When does a Bridging Visa A expire?
● When the current substantive visa is approved
● When another bridging visa is granted for the same substantive visa application
● When your current substantive visa gets cancelled and subsequently your BVA upon your departure from Australia
● After 28 days of withdrawing your valid visa application and at that time you are not holding a substantive visa
● After 28 days you receive a notification that your substantive visa is no more valid
● After 28 days your substantive visa application has been refused
● After 28 days a decision is given by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal if you choose to get the case officer’s decision reviewed
Circumstances for Bridging Visa A eligibility
You will be eligible for Bridging visa A under the following circumstances:
● You must be present in Australia when applying for a substantive visa and you must also have a substantive visa. If you meet this requirement, the substantive visa application acts as an application for BVA.
● The substantive visa which you apply should not have such condition that requires you to leave Australia. This implies that the substantive visa you apply should be one that can be granted in Australia.
● When you apply for a substantive visa in Australia and that visa is refused and you make an appeal for review of the decision within the statutory time frame.
Requirements for bridging visa A
For certain substantive visas, your bridging visa A gets automatically applied and you will be informed by the department if this occurs:
● You need to be present in Australia
● Your substantive visa is granted when you are staying in Australia
● When you lodge an application for BVA, you are still holding a substantive visa
● You have applied for judicial review in relation to a substantive visa decision within the given time frame
● There is no age limitation for BVA
● You must meet character requirements
You can apply for a bridging visa A separately
● if it is lost accidentally
● if you are on 457 visa and apply for 186 (ENS) visa
● if you are making a transition from an eVisitor (651) visa to that of a student visa
Inclusion of family members
Your family members can be included in Bridging a subclass 010 visa application. When you and your family members together apply for a substantive visa, that means you are also applying for Bridging visa A together. However, each of the family members will have to meet the visa requirements separately.
Family members include:
● Partner (de facto or married)
● Dependent children of both you and your partner
● Dependent relatives living with you
After lodging visa application
Following visa application online, an auto-generated letter informing you about the visa grant will be sent to you with the conditions attached. You should get in touch with the department if you do not receive it within 7 working days from visa application date.
In case you submit a paper application, you will be formally notified by the department.
How migration agents can help?
You can seek help from Migration Agent Perth because they are qualified and highly experienced. They assess your visa application and provide with a detailed checklist containing all the instructions about how to fill out the application form. They suggest you the most appropriate category of visa. This will help you to complete the application successfully. They lodge the application along with the necessary documents to the Department of Home Affairs on your behalf. The migration agents support you until the visa is granted and provide further information requested by the authority.
