Should I lodge my 189 while I’m in Australia, or wait until I return home?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been waiting for a 189 invitation for about a year, and I’m hoping I’ll receive an invitation in the September round.

I’m planning to visit my family in Australia for about 1 month. I currently have a multiple-entry Visitor visa (subclass 600) with a 3-month stay per entry and no 8503 No Further Stay condition.

If I receive my 189 invitation while I’m in Australia, I’m wondering whether I should lodge the 189 while I’m still in Australia, or wait until I return to my home country and lodge it offshore.

My main concern is what happens to my existing Visitor visa if I lodge the 189 onshore.

If I lodge the 189 while in Australia and I’m granted a BVA, then leave Australia and return to my home country:
Does the BVA affect or replace my existing multiple-entry Visitor visa?
For example, would I still be able to use my existing Visitor visa to come back to Australia later to visit my family while my 189 is being processed?
Or, once the BVA becomes active then leave aus, I no longer be able to use my Visitor visa to enter Australia, meaning I would have to wait until my 189 is granted before I could visit my family again?