Resident Return Visa (Subclass 155,157)

Conditions

As the visa applicant, you must be either,

• an Australian permanent resident
• a former Australian permanent resident whose last permanent visa was not cancelled
• a former Australian citizen who lost or renounce Australian citizenship

Eligibility

• You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa but not in immigration clearance. If you apply in Australia using a paper form, you must send your application to the specified address. You cannot apply in person.
• You must be either an Australian Permanent resident, OR a former Australian permanent resident whose last permanent visa was not cancelled, OR a former Australian citizen who lost or renounced citizenship.
• You must meet the residence or substantial ties requirements. To meet these requirements, you must either:
  • have lived in Australia for 2 years (730 days) in the last 5 years as the holder of a permanent visa (or entry permit), or as an Australian citizen
  • be able to demonstrate substantial ties to Australia that are of benefit to Australia. Substantial ties can be business ties, cultural ties, employment ties, or personal ties.
• There are no age requirements for RRV applicants.
• You are not eligible for this visa if you hold either an:
  • Authority to Return (issued between 1 March 1976 to 31 August 1979)
  • Return Endorsement (issued between 1 September 1979 and 31 December 1986)

If you have these visas, please contact our expert registered migration agents to explore your visa options.

• You must not have cancellation action against your business skills visa;

You might not be eligible for this visa if you have cancellation action on business grounds for your business skills visa – as listed below:

• • Class EA subclass 132 visa
  • Class BH subclass 840-846 visas (repealed)
  • Class EB subclass 188 visa
  • Class UR subclass 160-165 visas
  • Class EC subclass 888 visas

You might not be eligible for this visa if you are, or were the holder of one of the above visas and have:

• • been granted a subclass 155, 157 or 159 visa
  • cancellation action for your subclass 155, 157 or 159 visa on the same business visa grounds.

If you are or were a family member of a person affected by the above, and either hold or have held one of the above visa subclasses as a dependant family member, you might not be eligible for this visa.

Please contact our expert registered migration agents to explore your visa options.

• Meet all the character requirements

Note: If you have had a visa cancelled or previous application refused, you may not be granted a visa.

155 Visa and 157 Visa Benefits

• Undertake all the activities a permanent resident of Australian can legally take.
• travel to and from Australia as a permanent resident until the travel validity of your visa expires

If you leave Australia after your visa travel validity has expired, you will not be able to return to Australia as a permanent resident. If you wish to return to Australia as a permanent resident, you must apply for and be granted this visa before your arrival in Australia.

Travel facility Validity and residence requirements

• 5 Year Travel Validity on your RRV. You must have lived in Australia for 2 years (730 days) in the last 5 years as a permanent resident, former citizen or former permanent resident – to meet what is known as the residence requirement – to get the 5 year RRV.
• 1 Year Travel Validity on your RRV.
  • If you do not meet the residence requirement i.e. have not lived in Australia for 2 years in the last 5 years as a permanent resident or former citizen or former permanent resident, then you might be given a maximum of 12 months travel validity on your visa if you can demonstrate substantial ties that benefit Australia. Your ties must be substantial and of benefit to Australia and can include business ties, cultural ties, employment ties, or personal ties.
  • If you meet the requirements only because you are a member of the family unit of a person who holds this visa, then you can only be given a maximum of 12 months travel validity on your visa.
• 3 months Travel Validity on your RRV
  • If you don’t meet the residence requirement, but have compelling and compassionate reasons for departure, then you might only be given 3 months travel validity on your visa.

Visa subclass that might apply to you

The visa subclass you might get depends on the information you provide at the time of your application.

Subclass 155 visa

You might be granted a subclass 155 visa if you either:

• meet the resident requirement (5 year travel facility)
• have ties of benefit to Australia (1 year travel facility)
• are a family member of someone who holds, or has applied for, a Resident Return visa and satisfies the criteria for grant (up to 1 year travel facility).

Subclass 157 visa

You might be granted a subclass 157 visa if all of the following apply to you:

• you lawfully spent at least one day but less than two years in the past five years in Australia immediately before you apply for this visa
• you were an Australian permanent resident or an Australian citizen the whole time you were in Australia
• There is a compelling and compassionate reason for leaving Australia.

General Notes

• If you are already in Australia as a permanent resident and if you do not wish to travel, you do not need to apply for this visa.
• There are no limits on the number of Resident Return visas you can apply for.
• You can’t include family members in your application.

If other family members are also applying for this visa separately, then you can have your applications processed together, if you declare your family members in your application.

• If you hold a Resident Return Visa (RRV), you should be aware of your travel validity’s expiry date. You can check this on VEVO. If you need to travel, you should apply for a new RRV before your existing travel validity expires in order to avoid delays.

IMPORTANT: If you return to Australia without a permanent visa and a valid travel facility (for example, a visitor visa), this might impact your entitlements as a permanent resident AND/OR ability to satisfy the permanent residence requirements when applying for Australian citizenship or another Resident Return visa.