If you leave Australia after your travel validity expires, or it expires when you are outside Australia, you can’t return to Australia as a permanent resident. Australia PR Renewal- Resident Return Visa (RRV) visa allows you to return as a permanent resident.
With RRV, you can travel in and out of Australia as many times as you want until the travel validity expires
You can have a travel facility for up to 5 years depending on your circumstances
RRV – Resident Return visa 155
If you have lived in Australia for 2 years (730 days) in the last 5 years as a permanent resident, former citizen, or former permanent resident, then you meet what is known as the residence requirement and might be given a 5-year travel validity on your visa.
RRV – Resident Return visa 157
If you have not lived in Australia for 2 years in the last 5 years as a permanent resident or former citizen or former permanent resident,
1. then you might be given a maximum of 12 months of travel validity on your visa
If you meet the requirements only because you are a member of a family unit of a person who holds this visa,
2. then you can only be given a maximum of 12 months of travel validity on your visa.
If you don’t meet the requirement but have compelling and compassionate reasons for departure,
3. then you might only be given 3 months of travel validity on your visa.
To apply for this visa, you must have spent 2 years, within the last 5 living in Australia and You must be either
If you are already in Australia as a permanent visa holder, you do not need to apply for this visa unless you wish to leave and re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.
Cost
AUD425 to apply online
AUD505 to apply on paper
Processing time
Subclass 155
25% of applications: Less than 1 Day
50% of applications: Less than 1 Day
75% of applications: Less than 1 day
90% of applications: 79 Days
Subclass 157
25% of applications: Processing times are not available
50% of applications: Processing times are not available
75% of applications: Processing times are not available
90% of applications: Processing times are not available
The purpose of Resident Return Visas (RRVs) is to enable non-citizen permanent residents to re-enter Australia. They ensure that only individuals who are genuinely committed to residing in Australia, or who contribute to the country’s well-being, retain the right to return and stay in Australia permanently.
For a five-year RRV, applicants must have spent at least two years out of the last five years in Australia as a permanent resident, or they must have substantial and beneficial ties to Australia. Applicants who have been absent from Australia for more than five years must also provide compelling reasons for their extended absence.
A three-month RRV may be granted to individuals who do not yet qualify for a five-year RRV but have urgent reasons to travel overseas, such as the severe illness of a family member. These applicants must have spent at least one day in Australia in the last five years as a permanent resident and have compelling and compassionate reasons for leaving Australia.
Spouses and family members of an RRV holder who are or have been permanent residents may be granted RRVs based on the family head’s RRV. An RRV granted on this basis will have the same validity period as the family head’s RRV, regardless of whether the family member applies at the same time as the family head or later.
If the family member meets the criteria for an RRV on their own, they will be granted an RRV with the full five-year validity.
A Resident Return Visa (RRV) facilitates the re-entry of non-citizen permanent residents into Australia. The RRV ensures that only individuals who have a genuine commitment to residing in Australia or who contribute to Australia’s well-being retain the right to return and remain in the country permanently.
RRVs are typically issued with a validity period of either 5 years or 3 months. An RRV allows Australian permanent residents to travel to and from Australia as often as they wish within the visa’s validity, while maintaining their status as permanent residents.
Everyone, except Australian citizens and New Zealand citizens traveling on their New Zealand passport, must have a visa to travel to Australia. If you are a permanent resident of Australia and plan to travel abroad, ensure you have a visa that is valid for re-entry upon your return. This can be your original permanent resident visa or a Resident Return Visa (RRV), as long as it authorizes travel to Australia on your return date. The visa can be in your current passport or an expired passport that you carry with you while traveling.
Permanent residents should obtain their RRVs before leaving Australia to avoid travel delays and the need to obtain an RRV from an Australian diplomatic office overseas.
To apply for a Resident Return Visa (RRV), you must be one of the following:
If you do not meet these criteria but need to leave Australia for compassionate and compelling reasons, you can apply for a three-month RRV.
If you are unable to meet the RRV requirements on your own but are a member of the family unit of a person who holds an RRV, you may be granted an RRV with the same validity period as the family head’s.
When your passport with a valid Australian permanent residence visa expires, the visa remains valid. You can either have your existing visa reprinted into your new passport (processing fee applies) or simply carry both your old passport (with the valid visa) and your new passport when traveling in or out of Australia.
Once in Australia, permanent residents only need to obtain a subsequent Resident Return Visa if and when they wish to leave the country. Permanent resident visas allow for an indefinite stay in Australia.
This is not an issue; you may travel with both your new passport and your old passport with the visa attached. Alternatively, you can visit any DIBP office worldwide to have your visa re-evidenced in your new passport. There may be a charge for this service.
A permanent resident overseas who is unable to prove their status, such as in the case of a stolen passport, may apply for a temporary RRV if they have an urgent and compelling reason to return.
Individuals returning to Australia on temporary RRVs must apply at a DoHA office to regain their permanent status within three months of their arrival. Failure to do so will result in becoming unlawful non-citizens, subject to detention and removal from Australia.
Any DoHA office will accept an application for an RRV. In Australia, applicants for an RRV do not need to complete a form if they:
Such applications are typically processed within 24 hours, after which applicants need to visit a DoHA office briefly to have the visa label placed in their passports.
If more than one person is traveling on the same passport, only one application and fee are required. Family members with separate passports must apply and pay separately.
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