Australia Visa Expiry Risk Calculator
Check how many days remain on your current visa, what bridging visa rights you have, what overstaying costs you, and exactly what to do before it expires.
Check your visa type in VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) at border.gov.au/VEVO if unsure. VEVO shows your current visa, conditions, and expiry date in real time.
Use the exact date shown in VEVO or your visa grant letter. For permanent residency visas (189, 190, 186), your travel entitlement has a separate 5-year travel facilitation period that may differ from your PR status expiry.
If you lodge a valid application before your current visa expires, you usually receive a Bridging Visa A automatically. If you wait until after expiry, you must apply for a Bridging Visa E, which carries more restrictions and no work rights by default.
A refusal or cancellation after your last Australian entry can trigger the Section 48 (s48) bar, which prevents most new onshore visa applications. This is one of the most serious traps in the Australian visa system.
Bridging Visa A (and most new onshore applications) require you to be in Australia. If you are overseas and your visa expires, you lose your bridging visa entitlement and cannot re-enter without a new substantive visa.
Your visa risk status appears here
Fill in the fields on the left. Your risk level, bridging visa rights, overstay consequences, and action plan update instantly.
How the Visa Expiry Risk Calculator Works
Every day a Nigerian resident in Australia spends on a temporary visa is one day closer to a decision that could affect years of plans. This tool takes your current visa type, expiry date, application status, and history of refusals and calculates: how many days remain, what risk level you are in, what bridging visa rights you would have if you lodge a new application now, and the specific consequences of different overstay scenarios.
Risk_Level = f(days_remaining, lodged_status, refusal_history, location)
BV_Type = Lodged_before_expiry ? BVA : BVE
Overstay_Consequences = f(days_past_expiry, refusal_history)
The Bridging Visa System: What Nigerians Need to Know
Australia’s bridging visa system is the “safety net” between one substantive visa and the next. There are five types (A through E), each with different conditions on work, travel, and duration. The key rule: you must lodge your next visa application before your current visa expires to receive a Bridging Visa A automatically. Waiting until after expiry puts you on a Bridging Visa E, which has no work rights by default and no travel rights.
| Bridging Visa | Work Rights | Travel Rights | When Granted |
|---|---|---|---|
| BVA (Bridging Visa A) | Inherits from previous visa (usually yes) | No international travel (apply for BVB) | Automatic when you lodge a valid application before expiry |
| BVB (Bridging Visa B) | Inherits from BVA | Yes, for specific travel window | Must apply separately while holding BVA or BVB |
| BVC (Bridging Visa C) | No automatic work rights | No | Applied while unlawful or on BVC already |
| BVE (Bridging Visa E) | No work rights by default (can apply to add) | No | Applied after visa expired, or during appeals, detention |
The 28-Day Rule and the 3-Year Ban
If you overstay your Australian visa by more than 28 days, you trigger an automatic 3-year re-entry ban. This means even after you leave Australia voluntarily, you cannot return on any temporary visa for 3 years. If the overstay exceeds certain thresholds further, a 5-year ban may apply. This is one of the most consequential traps in the Australian immigration system.
1 to 28 days: No automatic ban, but history recorded and affects future applications.
28 days to 5 years: 3-year re-entry ban applies after departure.
Longer periods: 5-year ban; possible permanent exclusion in extreme cases.
PIC 4020 (false information in application): 3 to 10 year ban on most visas.
Section 48 Bar: The Most Misunderstood Risk
The Section 48 (s48) bar applies when: (1) your visa was refused or cancelled after your last entry to Australia, and (2) you do not currently hold a substantive visa. If both conditions are met, you cannot lodge most new visa applications onshore. The bar prevents you from repeatedly lodging applications to stay in Australia after a refusal.
Important exceptions exist under the s48 bar. You can still lodge onshore: an onshore partner visa (820, though subject to Schedule 3 waiver), protection visas, bridging visas, and since November 2021, subclasses 190, 491, and 494. But most other applications must be lodged offshore, which means leaving Australia first.
The February 2026 Visa-Hopping Crackdown
From 2 February 2026, Australia closed several common “visa-hopping” pathways. The most significant change for Nigerian applicants: you can no longer apply for a student visa while onshore on a visitor visa (600) or a 485 graduate visa. This path was commonly used to extend stays in Australia by switching between student and temporary visas.
Table of Truth: Risk Scenarios and What Happens
| Situation | Risk Level | What Happens | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa expires in 90+ days, application lodged | Low | BVA activated at expiry; work rights continue | Monitor application; do not travel without BVB |
| Visa expires in 30 days, no application lodged | High | BVA available only if you lodge immediately | Lodge within 24-48 hours; contact agent today |
| Visa expired 5 days ago, not lodged | Critical | Unlawful non-citizen; only BVE available; no work rights | Lodge BVE or depart immediately; get legal advice |
| Visa expired 30 days ago, no action | Critical | Unlawful; approaching 28-day ban trigger | Depart within 28 days of expiry or 3-year ban applies |
| Previous visa refused, new visa expiring | Very high | s48 bar likely; most onshore applications blocked | Seek urgent legal advice before expiry; offshore lodgement may be required |
Realistic Scenarios for Nigerian Visa Holders
Scenario 1: Student nurse, 500 visa expiring in 45 days, no application lodged
Adaeze’s student visa expires in 45 days. She has not lodged her 485 post-study work visa yet because she is waiting for her IELTS result (needed for the 485 application). If her IELTS comes back in 10 days, she has 35 days remaining to lodge the 485. If she lodges before expiry, she receives a BVA automatically, inheriting her student visa work rights. She must not travel outside Australia without first obtaining a BVB. Her action: get IELTS results checked, lodge 485 the day they arrive, and not book any international travel until BVB is granted.
Scenario 2: Engineer on 482 SID, employer changes, visa at risk
Emeka’s 482 SID Core Skills visa has 3 months remaining but his employer is going through restructuring. If his employment ends, the visa is not automatically cancelled but he has 60 days to find a new sponsor or depart. If he finds a new employer within 60 days and the new employer lodges a new 482 nomination and visa application before his current 482 expires, he can stay on a BVA. If he cannot find a new sponsor in time, he must depart or face unlawful status. His action: begin job searching now, inform a migration agent, and understand his 60-day grace period.
Scenario 3: Visitor visa (600) holder, 30 days remaining, no plan
Kemi entered on a 600 visitor visa for tourism. She now wants to stay longer. As of February 2026, she cannot switch to a student visa onshore from a visitor visa. She also cannot obtain a BVA by lodging a visitor visa renewal (visitor visas are generally not renewable onshore). Her options are: depart before expiry and apply offshore for the right visa; or if she is eligible, apply for an onshore partner visa (if she has an Australian citizen/PR partner) which is one of the exceptions. She must not overstay. Her action: book a return flight before expiry and plan her return through the correct visa channel.
