Substantive visa expired first
Lodging after your substantive visa expired, even by one day, produces a BVC not a BVA.
Subclass 030 · Restricted Bridging Visa
Your substantive visa already ended when you lodged. You get a BVC.
Or you have been on a chain of bridging visas for two years waiting on an ART review. Or your partner visa was refused, you appealed, won, and started again. The bridging visa you receive now is not a BVA, it is a BVC. A BVC carries restrictions the BVA never had.
When you get a BVC instead of a BVA
The distinguishing factor: substantive visa status at lodgement.
If you held a substantive visa at the moment you lodged, you get a BVA. If you did not, you get a BVC.
ART appeal scenarios
Lodging after an ART appeal where the substantive visa had ended during the tribunal process.
Section 48 bar exceptions
Lodging under Section 48 bar exceptions typically produces a BVC. See exception guide.
Visitor visa gap lodgements
Lodging after a departure and re-entry on a visitor visa that has since ended.
BVC restrictions
No work. No travel.
A BVC is granted with condition 8101 by default. No work of any kind. No travel.
Condition 8101 by defaultWork of any kind is prohibited unless work rights are separately granted. Breach is serious: cancellation and a re-entry ban.
No BVB equivalentBVC holders cannot travel overseas and return. There is no BVB equivalent for BVC. Leaving ends the BVC and usually the underlying application.
Form 1005 for work rightsWork rights can be obtained by demonstrating financial hardship through a Form 1005 application. 4 to 8 weeks standard processing.
Medicare and services varyMedicare is available only if the underlying application is for an eligible class (partner, permanent skilled). Centrelink is generally not accessible.
Form 1005 work rights
How to apply and what hardship actually means.
The Department applies a no reasonable means of support test. Hardship means you genuinely cannot meet basic living costs.
Financial evidence
Bank statements showing low balances. Tenancy and utility bills. Medical and insurance costs. Dependents and their needs. Family statements on inability to support.
What hardship does NOT mean
Not inconvenience. Not lifestyle reduction. Not reluctance to rely on family. A bank balance of $20,000 will not meet hardship. The bar is real financial distress.
Processing and effect
Typically 4 to 8 weeks. Urgent cases (eviction, medical) can be expedited with evidence. Work rights are not backdated. They apply from grant date forward.
We regularly help clients switch from BVC to BVA by lodging a fresh onshore application while their current BVC substantive application is still pending.
Timing and sequencing matter. Get this wrong and you chain unfavourable bridging visas for years. The new application, if lodged while the BVC is in effect, usually generates another BVC. Expert advice before lodging matters.
Common questions
The questions we hear most.
For BVC strategy, book with Sourabh Aggarwal.
Can my partner work while I am on a BVC?
If your partner holds their own work-eligible visa, yes. If your partner is a dependent on the same BVC application, they face the same 8101 restriction.
Can I get work rights without financial hardship?
Not usually. Form 1005 requires demonstrated hardship. Alternative pathways (new substantive application that generates a different bridging visa) may exist but need expert advice.
How long does a BVC last?
Until the underlying application is decided. For ART appeals, until the tribunal finalises. The BVC has no fixed duration.
Can I get Medicare on a BVC?
Only if the underlying application is for an eligible class (partner, permanent skilled) and you meet reciprocal criteria.
Some information on this page has been sourced from the Department of Home Affairs and has been interpreted and approved by Principal Migration Agent Sourabh Aggarwal (MARN 1462159). Last reviewed: May 2026.