Every Australian visa comes with a set of rules attached to it, and those rules are written as numbered conditions — the famous "8xxx" codes you see on your grant letter. They decide whether you can work, how many hours, whether you can study, whether you must hold health insurance, and even whether you can apply for another visa from inside Australia. For Filipinos, the conditions that matter most are almost always the work conditions, and the place they cause the most confusion is on a bridging visa.
This guide does two things. First, it lists the most common visa conditions with a plain-English meaning of each, so you can read your own grant letter with confidence. Second, it explains the work rights on each type of bridging visa — BVA, BVB, BVC and BVE — because this is where many people unknowingly put their status at risk. Get the conditions right and you stay lawful, you stay employable, and you protect every future visa you might apply for.
- Visa conditions are numbered codes (e.g. 8101, 8104, 8105, 8503). The number is the same nationwide — only your specific visa decides which ones apply.
- 8101 means no work; 8104 and 8105 are work-hour limits; 8503 is the "No Further Stay" rule.
- A Bridging visa A or B generally carries the same conditions as your previous substantive visa — including its work rules.
- An initial Bridging visa C usually does not let you work, and a Bridging visa E usually does not either — unless you apply and show financial hardship.
- Check your exact conditions in VEVO and on your visa grant letter.
Figures and condition wording sourced from official Australian Government (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) pages, current as of June 2026. Visa rules change — re-verify before you act.
What visa conditions are (and why the number matters)
A visa condition is a legal obligation that travels with your visa. Each one has a number in the 8000 range, and that number is standard across the whole Australian system — condition 8101 means the same thing whether it sits on a visitor visa or a bridging visa. What changes from person to person is which conditions are imposed, and that is decided by the visa subclass you hold and the stream you were granted under.
This is why two friends on what looks like "the same visa" can have different rights: the conditions printed on each grant letter are what govern them, not the visa's name. Some conditions are mandatory for a subclass (they always apply), while others are discretionary (a case officer may add them). A few conditions — most importantly the work and "No Further Stay" conditions — can sometimes be waived or changed, but only in defined circumstances and only by the Department of Home Affairs.
The single most important habit is to read your conditions by their number and confirm each one against the official meaning, rather than guessing from the title. The table below covers the conditions Filipinos most often ask us about.
The common 8xxx visa conditions, in plain English
Here are the numbered conditions you are most likely to see, with the plain-English meaning drawn from the Department of Home Affairs conditions list. Always check the exact wording for your own visa — this is a summary, not the legal text.
| Condition | What it means (plain English) | Typical visas |
|---|---|---|
| 8101 | No work. You must not work in Australia — that is, no work a person would normally be paid for. | Visitor (600), some bridging visas |
| 8104 | Work limitation. You cannot work more than 40 hours a fortnight (unless you are the family member of a student visa holder, who follow the student rule). | Secondary/dependent applicants on skilled, work & other visas |
| 8105 | Work limitation (students). No work before your course starts, and no more than 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session. | Student (500) primary holders |
| 8107 | Work limitation (sponsored). You must work only for the employer/in the role your visa was granted for; you must not change employer, occupation, or work for yourself. | Older sponsored work visas (e.g. 457) |
| 8201 | Maximum 3 months study. While in Australia you must not study or train for more than 3 months. | Visitor (600), some temporary visas |
| 8202 | Meet course requirements. Stay enrolled in a registered course at the right level, keep satisfactory attendance and course progress. | Student (500) |
| 8501 | Maintain adequate health insurance for the whole of your stay in Australia. | Student (500), visitor & other temporary visas |
| 8503 | No Further Stay. While in Australia you cannot make a valid application for any new substantive visa, other than a protection visa. | Some Visitor (600) streams |
| 8516 | You must continue to satisfy the criteria for the grant of the visa. | Various temporary visas |
| 8531 | You must not remain in Australia after your visa stay period ends — you must leave before it expires. | Visitor & other temporary visas |
| 8558 | Non-resident. You cannot stay in Australia for more than 12 months in any 18-month period. | Long-validity visitor visas |
| 8607 | You must work only in the occupation nominated in your most recent Skills in Demand / TSS (subclass 482) visa, and only for the nominating business (unless an exemption applies). | Skills in Demand / TSS (482) |
| 8608 | You must work only in the occupation nominated in your most recent subclass 494 visa, and (unless an exemption applies) for the nominating business. | Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (494) |
Two quick clarifications Filipinos ask about constantly. First, 8104 and 8105 are both called "work limitation" but they are not the same: 8105 is the 48-hour student rule, while 8104 (the 40-hour rule) typically lands on secondary applicants — for example a partner included on a skilled or graduate visa. Second, the dreaded 8503 "No Further Stay" does not stop you leaving or living lawfully; it stops you lodging most new visa applications while you are in Australia.
Bridging visas and work rights (the part that trips people up)
A bridging visa keeps you lawful in Australia while something is being decided — usually a new visa application or a review. It is not a "free pass" to work. Whether you can work, and how much, is set by the conditions on the bridging visa itself, and those rules differ sharply between the four types. Here is how each one works.
| Bridging visa | How you usually get it | Can you work? |
|---|---|---|
| BVA (subclass 010) | Granted when you applied onshore for a new substantive visa while you held (or had held) a substantive visa. You must be in Australia when you apply. | Usually yes, if your previous substantive visa let you work. If you hold a substantive visa when the BVA is granted, you keep complying with that visa's conditions; when it ends, the BVA's own conditions apply. If the BVA does not let you work, you can apply for another BVA that does — you usually have to show financial hardship. |
| BVB (subclass 020) | The travel version of the BVA — it lets you leave and re-enter Australia while your substantive visa is being processed. | Same logic as the BVA: you might be allowed to work if the visa you held or applied for lets you work. If both have work restrictions, you cannot work on the BVB. To change this you would apply for a BVA and show financial hardship. |
| BVC (subclass 030) | Granted when you applied onshore for a substantive visa but did not already hold a substantive visa. It does not allow re-entry travel. | The initial BVC does not let you work — unless the visa you applied for is on a set list of skilled/business visas (132, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 489, 491, 494, 888). Otherwise you can apply for a BVC that lets you work by demonstrating financial hardship. |
| BVE (subclass 050/051) | Granted to let you stay lawfully while you make arrangements to leave, finalise an immigration matter, or wait for a decision — often after a visa has ceased. There is no application fee. | Usually does not let you work. Your grant letter says if you can. In limited situations (for example, genuine financial hardship) you may apply for a new BVE that allows work. Working when you are not allowed to can lead to cancellation, detention or removal. |
The pattern across all four is the same: your grant letter is the source of truth, a BVA/BVB inherits your old visa's work rules, and a BVC/BVE typically starts with no work rights unless you ask and prove hardship. In practice the most common condition you will see governing this is 8101 (no work) or a work-limitation condition such as 8104. If working matters to you, never assume — check the letter and, if it prevents work, get advice before you start a job.
How to check your own conditions (VEVO and your grant letter)
You never have to guess what applies to you, because there are two authoritative places to look, and they should agree with each other.
- Your visa grant letter. When your visa (or bridging visa) is granted, the official notification lists every condition code that applies to you. Keep this letter — it is the clearest written record of your obligations, including your work rules.
- VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online). This is the free Department of Home Affairs service that shows your current visa details, conditions and work entitlements in real time. It is also what an employer uses to confirm your right to work, so it is worth checking before you accept a job.
Once you have your condition numbers from either source, confirm each meaning against the official Home Affairs conditions list. If VEVO and your grant letter ever seem to disagree, or a condition is unclear, treat that as a signal to seek advice rather than act on an assumption — especially where work is concerned, because a single wrong shift can become a compliance problem.
Why getting your conditions right protects your future
It is easy to see conditions as fine print, but they are the rules you are legally agreeing to follow, and a breach has consequences that outlast the moment. Working in breach of 8101, going over the hours in 8104 or 8105, or studying past the limit in 8201 can put your current visa at risk of cancellation — and a cancellation can ripple into future visa applications, including the student, graduate, skilled and partner pathways many Filipinos are building towards.
This matters even more on a bridging visa, where your status is already in a holding pattern while a decision is pending. The reassuring news is that staying compliant is straightforward once you read the conditions correctly: know your numbers, check VEVO, keep your grant letter, and never start work on a bridging visa without confirming you are allowed to. If your situation is unusual — a "No Further Stay" condition, a BVC or BVE with no work rights, or a genuine need to work while waiting — that is exactly the moment to get your options confirmed properly, before you make a move that is hard to undo.
Frequently asked questions
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