Resident Return Visa (RRV)
Subclass 155 & 157
(Permanent)
Overview
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Commonly known as ‘RRV’, Resident Return Visa (Subclass 155 & 157) is for current and previous Australian citizens or permanent residents who need to leave Australia after the travel validity of their visa expires (usually 5 years after visa grant), or it expires when you are outside Australia. You will not be able to return to Australia in these cases, which is exactly what RRV is for.
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Subclass 155 and 157 visas are essentially the same, serving the very same purpose, with Subclass 155 visa being more advantageous as it allows for longer and more flexible travel rights.
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When an RRV application is lodged, applicants are assessed against both subclass 155 and 157 visas. If the requirements for subclass 155 RRV are not met, and the applicant will then be assessed against subclass 157 RRV.
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Each applicant for RRV must lodge an individual application.
Eligibility
Be either:
- an Australian Permanent resident; or
- a former Australian permanent resident whose last permanent visa was not cancelled; or
- a former Australian citizen who lost or renounced citizenship. Australian citizens are not eligible to apply for an RRV.
Meet character requirements
If holding or held a business skills visa (e.g. Subclass 188, 888, 132): not have cancellation action against your business skills visa
Meet the residence or substantial ties requirements. This means you must fall under one of the following categories:
Category 1
have lived in Australia for 2 years in the last 5 years as the holder of a permanent visa (or permanent entry permit), or as an Australian citizen, in which case you will get a 5-year travel facility
Category 2
be outside Australia and
not absent for 5 continuous years or more before the date of application (unless you have compelling reasons),
hold a permanent visa or last left Australia as a permanent resident or citizen (but subsequently lost citizenship)
be able to demonstrate substantial ties to Australia that are of benefit to Australia, in which case you can only be given a maximum 12 months travel facility
Category 3
be outside Australia and
was an Australian citizen or permanent resident for less than 10 years before you applied,
not absent for periods that equate to 5 years (unless you have compelling reasons) between the date you left Australia as a permanent resident or citizen and the date of application
be able to demonstrate substantial ties to Australia that are of benefit to Australia, in which case you can only be given a maximum 12 months travel facility
Category 4
be in Australia and able to demonstrate substantial ties to Australia that are of benefit to Australia and not been absent for 5 continuous years since grant of your most recent permanent visa or when you stopped being an Australian citizen (unless you have compelling reasons) in which case you can only be given a maximum 12 months travel facility
Category 5
be the member of family unit of a person who already holds an RRV or has lodged a separate application for an RRV, and meets the time of application criteria for grant, in which case you can only be given a maximum 12 months travel facility
Special Notes
Residence Requirements
In calculating the residence requirement, the:
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2-year period is counted as 730 days
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5-year period is counted back from the RRV application lodgement date (not from the date of RRV decision)
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date of arrival and date of departure are both included in the count of days in Australia. Only one day is counted if the applicant arrives and departs on the same day. Only one day is counted if a visa expires and another one is granted on the same day. A part-day spent in Australia by a permanent visa holder is counted as a full day.
Substantial Ties
Your ties must be both substantial and of benefit to Australia, including:
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business ties
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cultural ties
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employment ties
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personal ties (including family ties)
Examples of Compelling Reasons
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severe illness or death of an overseas family member
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work or study commitments by the applicant or the applicant’s partner
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the applicant is living overseas in an ongoing relationship with a partner, or has minor children
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the applicant or the applicant’s accompanying family members have been receiving complex or lengthy medical treatment
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the applicant has been involved in legal proceedings overseas and the timing was beyond the applicant’s control
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the applicant has been caught up in a natural disaster, political uprising, pandemic, or other similar event preventing them from travel
It will take the Immigration longer to process your application if they need to ask you for more documents. They may still, however, make a decision on your application based on any available information without requesting any additional information from you. As such, it is very important that you provide a complete application at the time of lodgement.
Location
You may be in or outside Australia at the time of application and visa grant.
Duration of Stay
This is a permanent visa that allows you to stay permanently in Australia. However, its travel facility expires after 5 years so you will need to apply for another Resident Return Visa (Subclass 155 & 157) or Australian citizenship (if eligible) if you wish to travel overseas and back to Australia after the expiry date.
Tricks and Common Reasons for Refusal
1 – Unfamiliarity with How the Australian Immigration Works and Its Mentality
In many cases, applicants prepare and submit their supporting documentation in a disorderly way, giving the Immigration a hard time digging through tons of paperwork to get things in the right order when picking up a new visa application. This will potentially lead to endless back-and-forth clarification and explanation, wasting both sides lots of time and can even result in a refusal of Subclass 155 visa.
This is common since applying for a visa, especially a permanent one, is the very first time to most applicants. For this reason, our team have developed our own system for labelling, coding, structuring and, where necessary, cross-referencing documentation so your application can be submitted in the most presentable and logical manner. Making your application stand out among all competitors has been our goal from day one.
2 – Careless Yet Costly Mistakes
Applying for migration is seen as a delicate work of art due to the staggering amount of attention, paperwork, and details involved. A seemingly minor/harmless error such as a typo in your résumé, a date entered wrong, or a tick in the wrong box in the lengthy visa application form can prove costly as the Immigration processes all visa applications strictly in accordance with migration law, in particular Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994. Even a small error can be regarded as failing to satisfy a visa requirement and therefore lead to a visa refusal. To minimise such incidents, our team pay extra attention while editing and drafting every client’s paperwork and always proofread and also conduct a final review of documentation before submission.
3 – Applications Not Being Decision-ready
Another common reason for refusal, even instant refusal, for Subclass 155 visa is submitting an application without all the required documentation. This happens when the application was prepared carelessly, or when the applicant was trying to rush an application for whatever reason (e.g. meeting a cut-off date of a major migration policy change which happens almost each and every year and often catches people off guard).
Even with 43 years of team experience, we handle each application cautiously and meticulously like our first to ensure nothing slips through the cracks. Should a sudden change of policy hit and impact you, we are more than capable of advising you how to salvage your application in terms of what documents are mandatory at the time of submission and what can wait so you are never in danger of a straight-up visa refusal upon submission.
Benefits
With this visa, you may:
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tend to matters overseas and travel back to Australia anytime for unlimited times as needed
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apply for Australian citizenship when eligible
Application Fees
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$425 for online application
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$505 for paper application
Please note: you may incur third-party charges.
Processing Time
Kindly note the processing time constantly varies. Please contact us for update.
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75% of applications: 2 days
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90% of applications: 89 days
Our Unbeatable Services - How Exactly We Make It Hassle-free
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Let’s face it – visa applications are complex, especially when you are not an expert in Australian immigration law - that is Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994. -
Simply put – our visa and immigration legal services are truly unbeatable.
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This is because our immigration lawyers and registered migration agents in Melbourne do all of the 40 Things in Our Exclusive 5-step Services for you to:
- give you a stress-free visa application journey;
- maximise your chances of a successful application outcome.
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Can you find such detailed and specific services elsewhere? We guarantee you can’t.
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This way, you know your money really is well-spent.
Please note a client refers to a visa applicant, their family members or a sponsoring employer where applicable.
