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RESIDENT AND CITIZENS

Resident Return Visa (Subclass 155 & 157)

Renew your travel facility and maintain your permanent resident status in Australia.

When a permanent resident visa is first granted, its travel facility is 5 years. Once it is granted, you hold the right to remain in Australia indefinitely as a permanent resident. What does expire is the 5 year travel facility.

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Travel Facility vs. Residency

If you never leave Australia again after your 5-year travel facility expires, you do not need to renew your PR. You can remain in Australia lawfully forever as a permanent resident, even after the travel facility has lapsed. The RRV is only required if you wish to travel overseas and return.

Visa Options

The Resident Return Visa (RRV) allows Australian permanent residents, certain former permanent residents, or certain former Australian citizens, to travel to and from Australia and maintain their status as permanent residents.

Subclass 155 (5 Year RRV)

Requirements:

  • You must have been physically present in Australia for at least two years (730 days) during the five years immediately before applying, while holding permanent resident or citizen status.
  • If you do not meet this requirement, you may still be eligible by evidencing substantial ties to Australia (business, employment, cultural or personal). If relying on substantial ties, the travel facility grant may be a reduced duration of one year.

Subclass 157 (3 Month RRV)

For applicants who do not meet the Subclass 155 criteria.

Requirements:

  • You must have been lawfully in Australia for at least one day in the last five years as a permanent resident or citizen.
  • You do not meet (or cannot satisfy) the requirements for subclass 155.
  • You must show compelling and compassionate reasons for your absence from Australia.

Case Study: Subclass 155 Resident Return Visa

You were granted permanent residency but due to work commitments in your home country, you were unable to enter Australia until recently. More than four years have passed since the grant of your permanent residency, and you are now at the right stage of your career and personal life to relocate to Australia. 

You have read that a Resident Return Visa (RRV) is the most suitable but there are two type of this visa, and you are not certain which of the visa you should prepare for. 

You contact Wintr Consulting and learn you are eligible for the Subclass 155 RRV. You learn that your career and education may present as benefits and ties to Australia and you commit to the process that is evidence-heavy and supported with a strong legal submission. 

Despite all odds, your and your family’s Subclass 155 RRV is granted in just five days. 

If this sounds familiar, book your consultation today. Based on real cases with successful outcomes at Wintr Consulting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between subclass 155 and subclass 157?
Subclass 155 is the standard RRV, with a travel facility of up to 5 years if you meet the residence test. Subclass 157 is only valid for up to 3 months and is generally used when you cannot meet Subclass 155 criteria but have compelling or compassionate reasons.
Yes. You can apply either while in Australia or overseas. If overseas, you must wait for the grant before returning as a permanent resident.
No. Each person, including children, must lodge their own RRV application.
No, but many applicants use an agent if their case involves complex absence periods, substantial ties, or compelling circumstances.
Examples include caring for a seriously ill relative overseas, delays caused by natural disasters, or restrictions such as pandemic border closures.
You must show either compelling reasons for the absence (for subclass 157) or strong substantial ties of benefit to Australia (for subclass 155).
No. Only time spent in Australia as a permanent resident or citizen counts towards the requirement for both subclass 155 and subclass 157.
Ties can be employment (work offers or memberships), business (owning or operating), cultural/community (membership in organisations), or personal (close family in Australia). They must show benefit to Australia.
Yes. Once you return to Australia and build residence or ties, you may later apply for subclass 155 with a longer travel facility.
Yes, but only within the 3-month travel facility period. After it expires, you cannot re-enter unless you apply for another RRV.
If refused inside Australia, you may have access to review at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. If refused outside, you cannot return as a permanent resident until a new visa is granted.
Yes. Time spent in Australia as a permanent resident on either visa counts towards the residence requirement for Australian citizenship.

Expert Support for All

From employer sponsorship and skilled migration to partner and family visas, we assist clients across a wide range of Australian immigration matters with professional guidance and personalised support. Contact us today to learn more.
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Email us on info@wintrconsulting.com.au

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