IT ALLOWS:

If you want to continue to travel overseas as a permanent resident after your visa expires, then you need to apply for a Resident Return Visa (RRV). The purpose of the RRV is to facilitate the re-entry into Australia of non-citizen permanent residents and to ensure that only those people who have a genuine commitment to residing in Australia, or who are contributing to Australia’s well-being, retain the eligibility to return to Australia as permanent residents.

ELIGIBILITY & CRITERIA:

Five Year Visa

To qualify for a 5-year RRV, you must have been physically in Australia as a permanent resident for at least two years in the five years immediately before applying. The time spent in Australia is cumulative. You can also continue to build up time after the expiry of your visa as long as you remain in Australia as a permanent resident when this expires.

One Year Visa

If you do not meet the residence requirement, you must provide documents that show evidence of your substantial ties, which are of benefit to Australia, and compelling reasons for any absences from Australia of 5 or more continuous years.

If you are outside Australia and were an Australian citizen or permanent resident less than 10 years before the application, compelling reasons for any periods of absence that total more than 5 years from the date you last departed Australia.

Examples of ties are both substantial and of benefit to Australia (but not limited to):

Business ties documents

  • company reports defining your role and authority
  • business transactions
  • partnership or joint venture agreements
  • contracts showing your signature
  • business or personal records.

Cultural ties documents

  • publications written by you
  • contracts
  • evidence of membership of cultural associations
  • newspaper articles about you
  • programs listing your artistic or cultural performances.

Employment ties documents

  • employment contracts
  • a letter of offer from an employer
  • recent official documents such as group certificates and payslips
  • employee identification or security pass.

Personal ties documents

Substantial personal ties may be of benefit to Australia if the applicant is, or has been, a participating member of the Australian community and economy, and their ties enrich the lives of individual Australian residents and citizens. This may include regarding Australia as home or having an intention to reside in Australia.

WHERE CAN I APPLY FROM:

You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa.

CAN I INCLUDE FAMILY MEMBERs:

You can’t include family members in your application.

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

While you can’t include family members as secondary visa applicants in your application, you should provide information about any immediate family members who are Australian citizens or permanent residents in your application. This is important, if you are trying to show that you have substantial ties of benefit to Australia.