Visa Description

Return (Residence) Visa (Subclass 155)

The purpose of the Resident Return Visa (RRV) (Class BB) (Subclass 155) is to allow certain persons who are or have been permanent residents or citizens of Australia to return to the country as permanent residents.

Highlights

  • You may be in or outside Australia to lodge a valid visa application.
  • This visa allows you to work, study and live in Australia.
  • This is a Permanent resident visa and allows you to stay in Australia indefinitely with a travel facility of up to 5 years.

Key Eligibility requirements

  • You must be an Australian permanent resident, an Australian citizen who lost or renounced Australian citizenship or a former Australian permanent resident.
  • You must meet the resident requirement, have been lawfully in Australia for a minimum of 2 years within the last 5 as the holder of a permanent visa or Australian citizenship.
  • If you do not meet the resident requirement, you may still be eligible for this visa if you have substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties with Australia which are of benefit to the country and
    • you are offshore and you have not been absent from Australia for a continuous period of 5 years or more before the application unless there are compelling reasons for the absence and you hold a permanent visa or last departed Australia as the holder of a permanent visa or as an Australian citizen who subsequently lost or renounced Australian citizenship or,
    • you are offshore and you were an Australian citizen or permanent resident at some point in the last 10 years and have not been absent from Australia for a period or periods that total more than 5 years in the period from the date that you last departed Australia as an Australian citizen or permanent resident to the date of the application unless there are compelling reasons.
    • you are onshore and you have not been absent from Australia for a continuous period of 5 years or more since the date of your most recent permanent visa or the date when you ceased to hold Australian citizenship unless there are compelling reasons.
  • Members of the family unit of persons who meet the requirements or hold a Subclass 155 may also be eligible to apply for this visa.
  • You must satisfy certain Public Interest criteria.
  • If you apply from offshore you must satisfy certain Special Return criteria.