Regain or Maintain Your Australian Permanent Residency — With Expert RRV Guidance You Can Rely On!

RRV Overview

The Resident Return visa (RRV) allows current or former Australian permanent residents and former Australian citizens to return to Australia as a permanent resident. If your travel facility has expired—or is about to expire—and you intend to travel outside Australia, an RRV is required to lawfully re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.

What This Visa Allows You to Do

With an RRV (subclass 155 or 157), you can:

• Travel to and from Australia as a permanent resident

• Live, work, and study in Australia

• Access Medicare

• Sponsor eligible family members for visas

• Apply for Australian citizenship (if eligible)

Do I Need an RRV?

You may need to apply for an RRV if:

• You are a permanent resident and your travel facility is expiring or expired

• You were a permanent resident or citizen but left Australia and now hold a temporary visa

• You wish to preserve your eligibility for Australian citizenship
  If you are in Australia and do not plan to travel, you do not need to apply for an RRV.

Who Can Apply?

You can apply for an RRV if you are:

• A current Australian permanent resident

• A former permanent resident whose last permanent visa was not cancelled

• A former Australian citizen who renounced or lost citizenship
  Australian citizens cannot apply for an RRV. There are no age restrictions for applicants.

Travel Facility Duration

Travel facilities are not extendable, transferrable, or refundable once the RRV is granted. Any remaining travel time from a previous visa is forfeited when a new RRV is issued.

Eligibility Criteria

To be granted an RRV, you must meet one of the following:

Residence requirement:

• You must have been present in Australia for 730 days (2 years) in the last 5 years as a permanent resident or citizen

Substantial ties:

If you do not meet the residence requirement, you must demonstrate substantial ties to Australia that benefit the country. These ties may be:

• Business ties

• Cultural ties

• Employment ties

• Personal ties (e.g. close family)

Additional eligibility requirements include:

• Not being absent from Australia for 5+ continuous years unless you have compelling reasons

• Not holding an Authority to Return or Return Endorsement issued between 1976–1986

• Meeting Australia’s character requirement

• No recent visa cancellations or refusals

• No cancellation action on a business skills visa
  If applying based on substantial ties, you must clearly demonstrate the benefit to Australia. Evidence requirements vary depending on the type of tie claimed.

Including Family Members

You cannot include family members in your RRV application. Each family member must apply separately. However, if applying at the same time, the Department can process your applications together. Declaring immediate family members who are citizens or permanent residents can help strengthen a claim for personal ties.

Where You Can Apply From

You can apply from inside or outside Australia but not while going through immigration clearance. 

Processing Times

Delays may occur if your application is incomplete, missing documents, or requires further information or verification.

After Your Visa is Granted

Once granted, you can:

• Travel in and out of Australia within the validity period

• Live, work, and study in Australia

• Access Medicare

• Sponsor eligible family members

• Apply for citizenship (if eligible)

Always check the expiry date of your travel facility before leaving Australia. If it expires, you’ll need a new RRV to return as a permanent resident.

Need Assistance?

At Migration Unity, we assist permanent residents and former citizens in maintaining their lawful status and preparing strong RRV applications. We help you:

• Assess eligibility

• Prepare documentation

• Demonstrate substantial ties

• Navigate complex or urgent situations