If you have recently withdrawn a visa application in Australia, or if you received a visa refusal from the Department of Home Affairs, your clock starts ticking. In most cases, your Bridging Visa A (BVA) or Bridging Visa C (BVC) is triggered into a final countdown—giving you exactly 35 calendar days before it ceases and you must leave the country.

This timeframe is widely referred to as the 35-day grace period. While this period exists to let you get your affairs in order or arrange travel, many applicants wonder: Can I use these 35 days to lodge a brand-new visa application while staying onshore?

The short answer is yes, but it is highly restricted. Whether your application will be legally valid depends entirely on why you are in the grace period and the invisible legal walls that activate when you don’t hold a substantive visa.

1. The Core Roadblock: Section 48 Bar

The absolute first thing you must check during your 35-day grace period is whether you are blocked by Section 48 of the Migration Act.

• If you received a Visa Refusal: The moment your onshore visa application is refused, the Section 48 bar attaches to you. This law strictly prohibits you from applying for the vast majority of other visas while remaining in Australia.
• If you voluntarily Withdrew your application: If you withdrew your application before a decision was made, the Section 48 bar is not active.

The Difference: If you withdrew your visa, you are legally free to apply for another visa onshore during your 35 days (provided you meet the criteria). If you were refused, you are barred from almost everything unless your new application falls under specific legal exceptions.

2. What Visas Can You Actually Apply For?

Your options inside the 35-day window look completely different depending on your administrative status.

Scenario A: You are Section 48 Barred (After a Refusal)

If a refusal triggered your 35-day clock, you can only apply for a very small list of exempt, onshore visas. The most common include:

• Partner Visas (Subclass 820/801)
• Bridging Visas (To extend your lawful stay temporarily)
• Protection Visas
• Medical Treatment Visas

(Note: Prior temporary adjustments allowing certain Skilled Visas like the 190 or 491 to bypass Section 48 onshore have been rolled back, meaning skilled pathways generally require you to step offshore.)

Scenario B: You Safely Withdrew Your Application (No Bar)

Because you avoided a refusal, you can technically apply for any substantive visa (like a Student Visa, Visitor Visa, or Temporary Activity Visa) if you meet its core criteria. However, you must watch out for Schedule 3 criteria—strict rules that penalize or reject applicants who apply for visas while not holding a substantive visa.

3. Step-by-Step: Managing Your 35-Day Window

If you choose to try and lodge a new application onshore, timing is everything. Missing a date by even an hour can turn you into an unlawful non-citizen.

The Strategy

1.Verify Your Exact Expiry Date in VEVO: Day 1–2.

Do not guess your end date. Log into the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) system using your transaction reference number to confirm the exact calendar date and time your current bridging visa ceases.

2.Assess Section 48 and Schedule 3 Barriers: Day 3–10.

Determine if you are barred due to a refusal. If you withdrew instead, check if your target visa enforces Schedule 3 conditions (which require you to prove “compelling reasons” for why you don’t hold a regular visa).

3.Lodge a Valid Visa Application and Pay Fees: Day 11–30.

Submit your new visa application online via ImmiAccount. Make sure the application fee is fully processed before your 35 days run out. A successful, valid lodgement will immediately generate a new Bridging Visa to keep you lawful.

4.Prepare for Departure if Unsuccessful: Day 31–35.

If you cannot find an onshore visa for which you are eligible, stop planning a new application. Use the remaining days of your grace period to book travel and depart Australia before your bridging visa expires to avoid a 3-year re-entry ban.

Summary Table: Onshore Rights in the Grace Period

Warning on Leaving the Country: If you hold a Bridging Visa A (BVA) or C (BVC) during this 35-day grace period, you cannot travel outside Australia and return. If you leave the country, your bridging visa ends immediately, and you will have to wait for your new visa outcome entirely from offshore.