Lodging an onshore partner visa triggers a bridging visa.
Which one you get is decided by one thing: your status at the exact moment you pressed submit.
That single moment decides whether you can work tomorrow or need permission first.
This guide covers the bridging visa partner visa combinations you will meet — BVA, BVC and BVE — plus work rights, Form 1005, Medicare and when it all ends.
The short version
- Which bridging visa partner visa applicants receive turns on their status at lodgement — BVA if you held a substantive visa, BVC if you did not, BVE in narrow cases.
- A BVA normally carries full work and study rights. A BVC usually carries condition 8101 — no work.
- BVC holders apply for permission to work on Form 1005, on evidence they cannot meet essential living costs. There is no application fee.
- Partner visa applicants on a bridging visa can generally enrol in Medicare, because the underlying application is for permanent residence.
- When the partner visa is granted, the bridging visa ceases and the 820 takes effect. There is no 35-day tail on a grant.
- When it is refused, a BVA generally runs 35 days from the decision. Lodging a review in time keeps you lawful.
- Every onshore bridging visa ceases the moment you leave Australia. Only a BVB lets you travel and return.
- Working in breach of condition 8101 risks cancellation under section 116 and damages everything downstream. Get permission first.
In this guide
- Which one you get, and why
- Bridging Visa A: the one most applicants get
- Bridging Visa C: the restricted one
- Bridging Visa E: the edge case
- Work rights compared
- Form 1005: permission to work
- Medicare, study, Centrelink and the rest
- When your bridging visa partner visa coverage ends
- Frequently asked questions
Which bridging visa partner visa applicants receive, and why
When you lodge an onshore partner visa, the Department assesses which bridging visa to grant.
The assessment is mechanical.
It turns on your status at the moment of lodgement, not on the strength of your relationship or anything else in the file.
| Status at lodgement | Bridging visa | Work rights |
|---|---|---|
| Holding a substantive visa (student, work, visitor) | BVA — subclass 010 | Normally full |
| Substantive visa already expired | BVC — subclass 030 | Usually none, until permission |
| Detention, departure arrangements, no other option | BVE — subclass 050/051 | Rare, case by case |
The bridging visa is usually granted the same day the partner visa is lodged.
If you still hold a substantive visa, that visa keeps running until it expires.
Only then does the bridging visa take effect.
The bridging visa partner visa pairing exists to keep you lawful through a long wait.
But the conditions attached decide what you can actually do in that time.
This is why lodgement timing is worth planning. Lodging before your current visa expires gets you a BVA.
Lodging after it expires puts you on a BVC with no work rights, and adds Schedule 3 to the partner visa itself.
Bridging Visa A: the one most partner visa applicants get
The BVA — subclass 010 — is the clean bridging visa, and the one you want.
For most people this is the bridging visa partner visa combination that applies.
What it lets you do
- Live in Australia lawfully while the partner visa is processed
- Work, normally without the restrictions your previous visa carried
- Study without an enrolment restriction
- Enrol in Medicare, on the strength of the pending application
What it does not let you do
Leave Australia and come back. A BVA ceases the moment you depart.
If you need to travel, you apply for a Bridging Visa B before you go — covered in the bridging visa B guide.
When it starts working
The BVA is granted at lodgement but sits dormant while your substantive visa runs.
Lodge in January on a student visa expiring in October, and the BVA does nothing until October.
Then it takes over automatically.
Check VEVO within a few days of lodgement to confirm the grant and read the conditions.
VEVO is the authoritative record of what you are allowed to do.
Not your grant email, and certainly not an employer’s assumption.
Bridging Visa C: the restricted one
The BVC — subclass 030 — goes to applicants who held no substantive visa at lodgement.
In practice that means the previous visa had expired first.
The difference that matters: condition 8101
A BVC usually carries condition 8101 — no work.
That is not a formality. You cannot work at all until you have permission, which means a Form 1005 application.
Study is generally allowed, but you pay for it.
Commonwealth-supported places and HELP loans are not open to bridging visa holders.
So a BVC household often funds living costs and study out of pocket until work permission comes through.
Why a BVC and not a BVA
The BVA is only available to applicants who held a substantive visa at lodgement.
If your student or visitor visa had already expired when you pressed submit, the BVC is the fallback.
There is no discretion in it.
The Schedule 3 problem underneath
Lodging after your substantive visa expired does more than cost you work rights.
Schedule 3 criteria apply to the partner visa itself.
They include tight timeframes, measured from when you stopped holding a substantive visa.
For onshore partner visas, those criteria can be set aside where there are compelling reasons.
That argument is built at lodgement, not later.
Millennium Migration prepares it with the application, because it shapes both the bridging visa and the final outcome.
Bridging Visa E: the edge case
The BVE — subclass 050 or 051 — covers narrow situations.
Immigration detention, departure arrangements, or where no other bridging visa is available.
Conditions are restrictive by design. Work rights are rarely included and have to be specifically justified.
A BVE is a holding mechanism, not a settled status.
If you are on one and thinking about a partner visa, get advice before lodging.
The strategy differs substantially from the standard pathway, and the downside risk includes removal.
Work rights compared
Work rights are the biggest practical difference between the bridging visa partner visa options.
| Bridging visa | Default | Route to permission |
|---|---|---|
| BVA | Normally full work rights | Not needed |
| BVC | Usually condition 8101 — no work | Form 1005, on financial need |
| BVE | Usually no work | Rare, case by case |
What a breach actually costs
Working while condition 8101 applies is a breach of your visa conditions.
It exposes you to cancellation under section 116 of the Migration Act.
That is the provision covering non-compliance with a visa condition.
Cancellation while a partner visa is pending is close to the worst outcome available, and it is self-inflicted.
Employers face their own exposure for engaging someone without work rights, which is why many will not take the risk.
If you are unsure, read the condition codes in VEVO. If 8101 is listed, you cannot work until permission is granted.
Form 1005: permission to work on a BVC
Form 1005 is the Department’s application for a Bridging visa A, B or C.
A BVC holder uses it to apply for a further bridging visa without the no-work condition.
The test is financial: broadly, that you cannot meet essential living costs without working.
Evidence that carries the application
- Recent bank statements showing what you actually have
- Rent or mortgage obligations, and any arrears
- Utility bills and other ongoing commitments
- A statement of income against expenses
- Evidence your sponsor cannot or does not fully support you
- Dependants relying on you
Fee and timing
There is no application charge for this.
Practitioners commonly see decisions in a few weeks, though no published benchmark exists and individual cases vary.
A thin application is the main cause of delay.
Refused, you can lodge again — but you have lost whatever time the first one took.
Millennium Migration handles these regularly and knows the level of hardship evidence that carries them.
Medicare, study, Centrelink and the rest
Medicare
This is the question that comes up most in any bridging visa partner visa conversation.
Partner visa applicants on a bridging visa can generally enrol in Medicare.
The basis is the pending application for permanent residence, lodged onshore.
Not your nationality, and not which bridging visa you hold.
You enrol through Services Australia with evidence of the partner visa lodgement.
Separately, Australia has reciprocal health care agreements with a number of countries.
They include the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Italy, Belgium, Finland and Malta.
Also the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia and Sweden.
That is a different entitlement with narrower cover. Check the current list with Services Australia rather than assuming.
Study
You can study on any onshore bridging visa, at a private or public provider.
What you cannot do is access a Commonwealth-supported place or a HELP loan.
Worth knowing for later: permanent residency does not unlock HECS-HELP either.
A permanent resident in a supported place generally pays their contribution upfront.
Centrelink
Bridging visa holders are generally not eligible for Centrelink income support.
Waiting periods then apply once permanent residency is granted, and they are longer than most people expect.
The newly arrived resident’s waiting period runs to four years for the main income support payments.
That covers JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Austudy, Parenting Payment and Special Benefit.
Shorter periods apply elsewhere: around a year for Family Tax Benefit Part A.
Two years for Carer Payment and Paid Parental Leave.
Family Tax Benefit Part B and Child Care Subsidy have no waiting period.
Exemptions exist but are narrow, and hardship alone does not create one.
Services Australia is the place to test your own position.
Driver licence and tax file number
Licensing is state by state, and most states will issue or convert for bridging visa holders.
Check your own road authority.
You need a tax file number to work. Apply through the ATO once you have work rights.
When your bridging visa partner visa coverage ends
Four different endings, and they do not work the same way.
The partner visa is granted
Your bridging visa ceases and the 820 takes effect. There is no gap and no 35-day tail.
From that point you hold the 820 with its own conditions — work, study, Medicare and travel included.
The partner visa is refused
A BVA generally continues for 35 calendar days from the refusal decision.
Inside that window you either lodge a review or make arrangements to depart. Let it run out and you are unlawful.
You lodge a review
A valid review application lodged in time keeps you lawful while the Tribunal considers the matter.
Review deadlines are short and the Tribunal generally cannot extend them.
They also differ depending on where you are and whose review right it is, so no single figure applies to every case.
Your refusal letter states the deadline that applies to you. Work from that letter, not from an article.
After a Tribunal decision the bridging visa generally runs a further 35 days.
After an unsuccessful judicial review the period is shorter.
You withdraw the application
Withdrawal removes the thing your bridging visa was attached to.
Do not assume it buys you the same 35 days a refusal does — the position is different, and sources disagree on the detail.
Get advice on your own file before withdrawing, and have the next step lined up first.
Frequently asked questions
Which visa you get
Do I get a BVA or a BVC when I lodge my partner visa?
A BVA if you held a substantive visa at the moment of lodgement, and a BVC if you did not. The distinction is binary and turns on your status at that exact moment, so lodging before your current visa expires is what protects your work rights.
When does my bridging visa actually start?
It is granted when the partner visa is lodged, but it only takes effect once your current substantive visa expires. If you had no substantive visa at lodgement, it takes effect straight away.
Does my child get the same bridging visa as me?
Dependants included on the partner visa application receive their own bridging visa, generally of the same type and carrying the same conditions. Check each person’s record in VEVO rather than assuming they match.
Working and living on it
Can I work on a Bridging Visa C?
Not by default. A BVC usually carries condition 8101, which prohibits work. To work legally you apply on Form 1005 for a bridging visa without that condition, showing you cannot meet essential living costs otherwise. There is no application charge.
What happens if I work in breach of condition 8101?
You expose yourself to visa cancellation under section 116 of the Migration Act, which covers non-compliance with a condition. Cancellation while a partner visa is pending is about the worst position you can put yourself in, and your employer faces its own exposure for engaging someone without work rights.
Can I apply on Form 1005 more than once?
Yes. If the first application is refused you can lodge again with stronger evidence, and there is no charge either time. The cost is time rather than money, which is why it is worth getting the evidence right at the first attempt.
Can I access Medicare on my bridging visa?
Generally yes. Partner visa applicants can usually enrol because the underlying application is for permanent residence and was lodged onshore. You enrol through Services Australia with evidence of the lodgement.
Can I get Centrelink payments on a bridging visa?
Generally no. Waiting periods then apply once permanent residency is granted, and they run to four years for JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Austudy, Parenting Payment and Special Benefit. Shorter periods apply to some family payments, and Family Tax Benefit Part B and Child Care Subsidy have none. Exemptions are narrow.
Can I travel overseas on my bridging visa?
Not on a BVA or BVC — both cease the moment you depart Australia. To travel and return you apply for a Bridging Visa B before leaving, which has carried a charge of $575 since 1 July 2026.
When the decision comes
What happens to my bridging visa when my 820 is granted?
It ceases and the 820 takes effect immediately. There is no gap and no grace period on a grant — the 35-day figure people quote applies to refusals, not grants. The 820 then carries its own conditions, generally including work, study and travel rights.
What happens to my bridging visa if my 820 is refused?
A Bridging Visa A generally continues for 35 calendar days from the refusal decision. Within that window you either lodge a review, which keeps you lawful while the Tribunal considers the matter, or arrange to depart. Review deadlines are short and vary by case, so rely on the deadline stated in your refusal letter.
The bottom line
Almost everything about your life during the partner visa wait turns on one moment.
Whether you still held a substantive visa when you lodged.
That decides your bridging visa partner visa position for the whole wait.
And your bridging visa decides whether you can work tomorrow or wait on a Form 1005.
If you are already on a BVC, the position is recoverable.
Permission to work is a real pathway, and so is the Schedule 3 argument.
If you have not lodged yet, the single most valuable thing you can do is lodge while your current visa is still in force.
Prepare it properly, yourself
The Partner Visa Premium Toolkit — AUD $199
The interactive checklist we use on paid client files, tailored to your exact pathway — 820/801, 309/100 or 300. Step-by-step ImmiAccount walkthrough, form guides, a sample relationship statement, and progress tracking on every item. Built by a registered migration agent, not scraped from a forum.
- Interactive checklist for your subclass, with practitioner notes on every item
- ImmiAccount walkthrough, screen by screen
- Form guides, plus a sample relationship statement
- Police check and health examination sequencing
- Progress tracking and reminders across your devices
One-time payment · instant access via Gumroad · works on all your devices. The toolkit is a self-help resource and is general information only — it is not migration advice for your circumstances.
Take the free visa assessment for a straight answer on your bridging visa, your conditions and your next move — or download the DIY Review Package and work through it yourself.
Related reading
About the author
Sam handles bridging visa strategy at lodgement, Form 1005 permission-to-work applications, and Schedule 3 arguments for applicants who went unlawful before lodging. Most of that work is about sequencing, which is why it is worth doing before the application goes in rather than after.
Sources
- Migration Act 1958 (Cth), s 116 — cancellation for non-compliance with a visa condition; s 82 — when a visa ceases
- Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), Schedule 2 — Bridging A (010), Bridging B (020), Bridging C (030), Bridging E (050/051)
- Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), Schedule 8 — visa conditions, including condition 8101
- Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), Schedule 3 — criteria applicable to applicants not holding a substantive visa
- Department of Home Affairs — Form 1005, Application for a Bridging visa A, B or C
- Department of Home Affairs — Bridging visa A (subclass 010) and Bridging visa C (subclass 030)
- Services Australia — Medicare enrolment, reciprocal health care agreements, and the newly arrived resident’s waiting period
This article is general information only and is not immigration or legal advice for any particular person. Bridging visa conditions, waiting periods and departmental policy change without notice — check your own conditions in VEVO, rely on the dates in your own grant or refusal letter, and confirm payment and Medicare eligibility with Services Australia. For case-specific advice, take the Millennium Migration free assessment. Current as of October 2026.