Resident Return Subclass 155 Visa

Resident requirement:

If you spent at least two of the last five years in Australia as an Australian permanent resident or citizen, you meet the residence requirement.

Ties of benefits to Australia:

If you do not meet the residence requirement, you may be eligible for a subclass 155 visa if you have significant business, cultural, employment, or personal ties to Australia:

Business ties of benefit: You have a significant stake in a company and are personally involved at a top level in its day-to-day operations and management. The business activity must be continuing, commercial in nature, and supported by a record keeping and management system.

Cultural ties of benefit: You engage in intellectual, artistic, sports, or religious endeavours that contribute here to the cultural life of Australia.

Employment ties of benefit: You are currently employed or have a formal employment offer in Australia, or you are employed outside of Australia by an Australian organisation, or you are employed by a non-Australian organisation that clearly benefits Australia, such as working as an Australia representative for an international organisation.

Personal ties of benefit:You are or have previously been a contributing member of the Australian community and economy. We also consider living in Australia for an extended period of time or living abroad with an Australian citizen partner, as well as possessing personal assets or close family members who dwell in Australia that are both significant and beneficial to Australia.

What if you have been absent from Australia?

You must also supply details regarding your absences if you are:

• Application in Australia but having been absent from the country for more than five years.
• Application from outside Australia, were a permanent resident or citizen when you last left Australia, and were absent from Australia for more than five years.
• If you are applying from outside Australia, you must have been a permanent resident or citizen during the last ten years and have been gone from Australia for a duration of more than five years.

A family member holds, or has applied for a Resident Return Visa:

If you do not meet the residence requirement, you may be eligible for the subclass 155 visa if you are a member of the family unit of a person who holds a subclass 155 or 157 visa or has filed for and been granted a Resident Return visa.

You can be a member of another person’s family unit by being:

• his or her companion
• his or her reliant child
• dependant child of his or her partner

Visa lasts for?

The subclass 155 and 157 visa are permanent visa, although this does not always indicate that the visa will be valid permanently.

• If you do not travel outside of Australia, your visa will remain valid eternally (it will not expire) and you will not become illegal when the travel facility expires.
• If you travel outside of Australia after the visa’s travel facility expires, the visa will expire when you depart Australia. As a result, it is essential to apply for another Resident Return visa before departing Australia. You can even apply from outside the country.

Location:

If you are in Australia and your current visa’s travel facility has expired or is about to expire, you must apply for an RRV before leaving the country. You may leave Australia without having your resident return visa application finalised; but, you must have a re-entry visa to return to Australia.

You can apply for the visa outside of Australia, but it must be approved before you can enter.

Fees:

AUD 365.

You must pay an extra $80 if you apply on paper.