Australia Resident Return Visa
If you have still not become an Australian citizen but have a permanent resident visa, then you are one of those candidates who require a resident return visa, also known as the RRV Australia.
This visa is for those Australian residents who have been away from the province for a short period. You might have traveled outside for work or for personal reasons. Initially, the PR visa is valid only for a period of 5 years and you will need the resident return visa if you have travelled out of Australia within this period.
This visa is also a solution for those permanent residents who would want to continue to stay in Australia after the completion of the first five years. The main condition of obtaining this visa is that you must have stayed in Australia at least for 2 out of 5 years.
Alternatively, you might also have to prove a significant relation with the country.
To migrate to Australia, one needs to secure permanent residency. If you think that once you become a permanent resident, you automatically become the country’s citizen, then that’s not true.
Initially, you are allowed to live in Australia without any trouble only for a period of five years. The visa expires after this this period. If you travel out of Australia towards the end, you would require a resident return visa.
If your immigration takes place along with your family, the same procedure will be followed. Separate visa application is required for each member. The RRV will come to your aid even if your Australian visa has expired. The same process is followed when you apply for permanent residency in Australia.
Even if you are an Australian citizen and due to some compelling reasons you have lost your citizenship, the return visa will help you.
Like any other visa, even the return visa of Australia requires you to fulfill some basic eligibility requirements. These include:
- Among the five years, the resident must have stayed for at least 2 years within
- The visa holder must be able to prove significant ties with the continent
- These ties can also be linked to a family member or can be related to employment. In this case, even a work visa can play a significant role.
A return visa is important for immigrants who want to come back to stay in Australia or want to work here
The 2 types of resident visas and their differences
If you are planning to apply for the resident return visa, you need to know its types. There are majorly two types of visa subclass under which you can file an application for going back to Australia. These are:
- The 157 resident return visa is majorly for those residents who leave the country for certain reasons and come back within a period of just 3 months.
- The 155 resident return visa is for those immigrants who leave Australia for certain reasons and enter again for 5 years. In this case, you should have stayed in the continent for at least 2 years. This is similar to applying for Australian permanent residency.
Apart from these two sub classes, there is another visa category which is not much known. In case you can’t meet the 2 out of 5-year requirement, you must have stayed in Australia for at least one year. This gives you a travel validity for your return visa. If you have successfully stayed for a year, your ability to depart and come back to the continent with ease might become affected. However, it doesn’t affect your Australian PR visa or doesn’t make it expire.
To avail this visa, you have to provide and prove substantial ties with Australia that are beneficial for the continent. These include:
- A valid work permit which proves the employment ties.
- Business ties – as an investor or as a startup owner.
- Family ties- a partner visa can be useful in this context.
- If you have been culturally associated with any part of Australia, this can work in your favor.
If you want to apply for return visa online, then you can do so without any documents. However, for that, you need to fulfill these requirements:
- You must hold a valid.
- You must be a permanent resident.
- You must not have changed your name, surname or date of birth since you were granted the last visa.
- You should have stayed in Australia for at least 2 out of 5 years.
The processing time taken for each of the visa subclass also varies. The 155 subclass visa requires a processing time anywhere between 4 days to 21 days. 157 visa can only be granted if you have not been able to get a 155 visa. However, you can get this only for a period of 3 months.
The return subclass visas can reap several benefits. The best part is that you can get all the benefits of a permanent visa. These include:
- You can work and study in Australia.
- There is no limit to your stay in Australia.
- Just like other citizens, you can also apply for health insurance and claim other health benefits.
- Under family visa, you can even sponsor a family member or a relative if they meet the eligibility criteria.
- If your travel facility is valid, you can travel to and from Australia as many times as possible.
- If you meet the eligibility criteria, you can even apply for Australian
What is the maximum time limit that a resident can spend outside before applying for the resident return visa?
If you are applying for the resident visa, it essentially means that you have been granted permission to live and work in Australia. During your stay as a resident, make sure that you build enough ties in terms of land, property, business and culture. This is because if you have to travel out of Australia and come back, this will no longer be a skilled migration. There are several other factors that will play an important role.
The Australian government doesn’t fix a time that determines your eligibility for Australian migration. Once you have stayed for a period of 2 out of the 5 years (in most of the cases), you can travel out of the Australia at any point. However, migration regulations suggest that if you have plans to come back to Australia, you should build and maintain strong links within the continent while you are away. This is regardless of the time you spend outside. You can achieve these ties through lands, property, servicing of debt, tax returns and bank accounts that show enough funds.
Since you have already stayed in the province for which you are applying for a return visa, the process is comparatively lenient and requires lesser documents and proofs. The eligibility criteria are also less demanding. You might even get a RRV even if you don’t meet the eligibility criteria. Having said that, it is best to be up to date and abide by the rules of migration.
Do permanent residents require a return visa to come back to Australia?
If you are a permanent resident of Australia, then you definitely have an edge over other applicants. The return visa is meant for all non-citizen residents of Australia. Usually a permanent resident can move freely within and outside of Australia within the 5-year period. This is the duration after which the residency visa expires. If you travel outside of Australia towards the end of 5 years, you will definitely need a RRV or a return visa to come back and stay in Australia again.
The documents required for applying the return visa include:
- Australian passport for all the members applying for return to Australia.
- Proof of name change (in case of marriage or any other compassionate reason).
- Valid or expired permanent.
Is it possible to apply for the resident return visa overseas?
Residents need to apply for the RRV under the scenario that they had traveled out of Australia towards the end of the 5-year term of the permanent residency and now aim to come back to the province. In this case, the immigration can happen within a few miles or from over a few countries. Hence, the residents seeking re-entry in Australia can even apply for the RRV from overseas. However, one of the major requirement that you need to meet in this case is that your previous applications for permanent residency shouldn’t have been cancelled.
Fee of Resident Return visa
The resident return visa fee is determined by the Australian community. The current fee per family member for the return visa application is $360 AUD which is approximately Rs 17, 462. If you choose to apply through the postal method, you will have to pay an additional fee of $80 AUD which is approximately Rs 3,923.
Exceptions of Resident Return visa
Like almost everything else, even the RRV has some exceptions. If your passport has RE (Return Endorsement) or ATR (Authority to Return) endorsement, you will not require a RRV to move back to Australia again. Most of these stamps are available if your initial permanent residency visa to Australia was granted between the years 1976 and 1986.
If you want to apply for a return resident visa, it is advisable that you seek help from a registered migration agent who will help you complete the procedure without a hassle.
