155 and 157 Resident Return visa (subclasses 155 and 157)

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa name	Resident Return visa (155/157)
Stay	Permanent stay in Australia
Cost	AUD 1,475 online, per applicant
Eligibility timing	730 days within five years
Work rights	Work in Australia
Study	Study in Australia
Medicare	Access Medicare
Travel facility	Up to five years
Citizenship	May apply if eligible
Family sponsorship	May sponsor eligible relatives
Family applications	Separate applications required
Visa record	Digital visa linked to passport
Application location	Inside or outside Australia
Character	Must meet character requirement

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Purpose

The Resident Return visa (RRV) lets eligible permanent residents return to Australia as permanent residents after their existing travel facility expires.

You do not need an RRV if you are in Australia, your travel facility has expired, and you do not intend to travel.

There is no limit to the number of RRVs you can apply for.

Eligibility

You must meet the character requirement and be one of the following:

• An Australian permanent resident.
• A former permanent resident whose most recent permanent visa was not cancelled.
• A former Australian citizen who lost or renounced citizenship.

Australian citizens cannot apply for an RRV.

You may still be eligible if you currently hold a temporary visa but previously held permanent residence or Australian citizenship.

Residence and ties requirements

You must meet one of the following options.

Option	Requirement	Maximum travel facility
Residence requirement	730 cumulative days in Australia within five years	Five years
Outside Australia	Substantial beneficial Australian ties; absence under five continuous years	12 months
Outside Australia	Former resident/citizen within 10 years; absences total under five years	12 months
Inside Australia	Substantial beneficial ties; no five-year continuous absence	12 months
Family-unit member	Family member holds or qualifies for RRV	12 months
Compassionate circumstances	Compelling reasons; no absence in previous five years	Three months

For the residence requirement:

• You must have been present in Australia as a permanent visa holder or Australian citizen.
• The five-year period is counted back from the application lodgement date.
• Arrival and departure days are included.
• A part-day in Australia counts as a full day.

Substantial ties must be both substantial and of benefit to Australia. They may be business, cultural, employment or personal ties.

Ineligibility and special rules

You are not eligible if:

• You are an Australian citizen.
• Your most recent permanent visa was cancelled.
• You hold a Transitional (permanent) visa with an Authority to Return or Return Endorsement.
• You hold a Pacific Engagement visa (subclass 192), Treaty stream (Tuvalu). An RRV grant would cease that visa.
• You hold, or held as a dependant, certain business skills visas affected by business-related cancellation action.

New Zealand citizens may qualify in limited circumstances, including where they arrived before 1 September 1994 and can demonstrate Australia was their usual residence and they intended to continue residing there.

Stay and travel

This is a permanent visa that allows you to remain in Australia indefinitely.

The travel facility starts on visa grant and varies by eligibility:

• Five years if you meet the residence requirement.
• Up to 12 months if granted through substantial ties or family-unit criteria.
• Three months for eligible subclass 157 applicants.

You can travel in and out of Australia as often as you wish while the travel facility remains valid.

After the travel facility expires, you need another RRV to return as a permanent resident. Remaining travel time from a previous visa cannot be carried over, extended or postponed.

Check your travel facility expiry date through VEVO before making travel arrangements.

Rights

With this visa, you can:

• Live permanently in Australia.
• Work in Australia.
• Study in Australia.
• Access Medicare.
• Travel while the travel facility is valid.
• Sponsor eligible relatives for Australian visas.
• Apply for Australian citizenship if eligible.

For citizenship residence purposes, permanent residence starts:

• On visa grant, if you are in Australia.
• On entry to Australia using the visa, if granted overseas.

Conditions and obligations

You must obey all Australian laws.

Tell the Department if your passport, contact details, relationship status or family circumstances change.

New Zealand passport holders should tell border officers that they hold an RRV and do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444). Grant of a subclass 444 may affect future RRV and citizenship eligibility.

Cost

The visa application charge is AUD 1,475 per applicant when applying online.

You must pay the correct charge for processing to begin. You may also need to pay for police certificates.

From 1 July 2026, eligible citizens holding valid passports from specified Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste receive a lower visa application charge through ImmiAccount.

Generally, refunds are not available because:

• The application is refused.
• You lose remaining travel time on a previous visa.
• You do not use the travel facility.
• You applied before meeting the five-year travel facility requirement.

Processing

Processing times are indicative only.

• Applications meeting the residence requirement are generally processed within five working days of lodgement.
• Applications not meeting that requirement may take 12 weeks or more.

Processing may take longer if the application is incomplete, documents are missing, further information is needed, or information must be verified.

A departure ticket does not guarantee priority processing.

Family provisions

You cannot include family members as secondary applicants in your RRV application.

Each family member must lodge a separate application, pay the application charge and provide their own documents. Separate applications lodged at the same time may be processed together if declared in the applications.

Provide details of immediate family members who are Australian citizens or permanent residents where relevant to showing substantial ties to Australia.

A family-unit member may qualify for a maximum 12-month travel facility if another family member holds an RRV or has separately applied and meets grant requirements.

Required documents

You may be granted the visa automatically without documents if you:

• Are an Australian permanent resident.
• Met the 730-day residence requirement.
• Have unchanged name and date of birth.
• Meet the character requirement.

Otherwise, provide relevant evidence, including:

• Current passport identity and validity pages.
• National identity card, if available.
• Name-change evidence, if applicable.
• Evidence of permanent residence, especially for pre-1990 migration.
• Police certificates, if requested.
• Evidence of substantial ties and benefit to Australia.
• Evidence of compelling reasons for lengthy absences.
• Family relationship evidence, if applying under family-unit criteria.

Evidence of substantial ties

Evidence may include:

• Business: company reports, contracts, transactions, agreements.
• Cultural: publications, association membership, performance records.
• Employment: contracts, job offers, payslips, work identification.
• Personal: Australian residence history, financial records, school records, family relationships and community connections.

If relying on compelling reasons for absence, provide a statement and supporting evidence. Examples include serious illness, death of an overseas family member, work or study commitments, medical treatment, legal proceedings, natural disasters, political unrest or pandemics.

All non-English documents must be translated into English. Submit clear colour scans or photographs. Certification is not required.

How to apply

You must normally apply online through ImmiAccount.

1. Check your visa and travel facility through VEVO.
2. Obtain a valid passport or travel document.
3. Gather identity and supporting evidence.
4. Log in to, or create, an ImmiAccount.
5. Select New application.
6. Select Resident Return.
7. Select Resident Return Visa (155,157).
8. Complete the application and attach documents.
9. Pay the application charge.
10. Submit the application.

Paper applications are only available with Departmental authorisation, such as where an ImmiAccount technical issue cannot be resolved. An additional non-internet application charge applies.

You can be inside or outside Australia when applying or when the decision is made, but not in immigration clearance.

After applying

Attach any missing documents promptly through ImmiAccount. Correct errors as soon as possible.

If you are in Australia, remain lawful while the application is processed. If eligible, a Bridging visa A may allow you to remain lawfully after your current visa expires.

Before leaving Australia, ensure you hold a valid visa allowing return as a permanent resident.

The Department will issue the decision in writing. Keep the visa grant letter, which includes your visa grant number and visa start date.

Important warnings

• Check VEVO before applying; you may not need an RRV.
• Do not travel until you have a valid travel facility for return.
• An RRV grant does not preserve unused travel time from an earlier visa.
• Travel facility extensions are not available.
• Incomplete evidence may delay processing or result in a decision based on available information.
• Returning on a temporary visa instead of as a permanent resident may affect permanent-resident entitlements and future RRV or citizenship eligibility.
• Visas are digital; no passport label is issued. Use VEVO to check or prove visa details.