Resident Return visa (subclasses 155 and 157)
Resident Return visa (subclasses 155 and 157)
Visa Cost
AUD 490
2025-26 financial year online base visa fee AUD 490 (primary applicant; charged for the whole family with no additional-applicant surcharge); paper postal applications are AUD 570. A single application is assessed against both subclasses 155 and 157 at the same cost. The fee is non-refundable, even if refused. Credit card/PayPal and similar payment methods add a surcharge of about 1.4%.
Processing Time
Online applications are mostly completed within days to weeks (simple 2-in-5 cases are often very fast); complex cases needing further 'substantial ties' or long-absence reasons take about 1-3 months or more
Eligibility
- Holding (or having held) an Australian permanent resident visa at application, or being a former Australian citizen/former permanent resident wishing to restore residence rights
- Subclass 155 (5-year travel facility): lawful residence in Australia as a permanent resident/citizen for a cumulative 2 years (730 days) in the 5 years before application
- Subclass 155 (1-year travel facility): you do not meet the 2-year residence, but can prove 'substantial ties' to Australia (business, cultural, employment or personal ties) that benefit Australia
- Subclass 157 (about 3-month travel facility): lawful stay in Australia of at least 1 day but less than 2 years in the 5 years before application, with a compelling and compassionate reason for departing (or needing to depart)
- Those continuously absent for more than 5 years must provide compelling reasons for that long absence when applying for 155
- The previous permanent visa must not have been cancelled, and the character requirement must be met
- Family members can accompany the primary applicant (who must meet the subclass conditions), with up to a 1-year travel facility
Key Information
Validity / Stay / Residence
155 gives up to 5 years of travel facility (if the residence requirement is met, i.e. 2 years/730 days lawfully in Australia in the past 5 years); 1 year may be granted based on beneficial ties to Australia; 157 gives 3 months of short-term travel facility.
Eligible Dependants
The primary applicant's family members can obtain a corresponding travel facility as secondary applicants.
PR / Permanent Residence Pathway
This visa is permanent residence (PR). The Resident Return visa restores a permanent resident's travel facility (entry/exit rights); holders maintain permanent residence and can apply for citizenship once eligible.
View provisional-to-permanent transition overview →Application Steps
Check current travel facility
Check current travel facility
Check the travel facility expiry date of your existing PR visa in VEVO to judge whether you need an RRV and whether to apply onshore or offshore.
- The PR visa itself does not cease because the travel facility expires (as long as you do not leave the country)
- If the travel facility has expired and you plan to leave and return to Australia, you must obtain an RRV first
- Assess whether you are more likely to meet 155 (2-year residence/substantial ties) or only 157
Gather residence and ties evidence
Gather residence and ties evidence
Depending on whether you take the 2-year residence route or the substantial-ties route, organise the corresponding days-count evidence or ties evidence.
- Tally the days in Australia over the past 5 years (passport entry/exit stamps/Movement Records)
- If taking the substantial-ties route, prepare business/employment/family/cultural ties materials
- Those with a long absence prepare an explanation and corroboration of the reason for leaving
Lodge online via ImmiAccount
Lodge online via ImmiAccount
Log in to or register an ImmiAccount and select the Resident Return visa (155/157) online application form; the system assesses against both subclasses.
- Upload the passport, PR history, and residence/ties evidence
- Can also be applied for online if you are offshore
- No need to specify 155 or 157; the system assesses automatically and gives the best outcome
Pay charge and submit
Pay charge and submit
Pay the AUD 490 online application fee (credit card/PayPal/BPAY) and lodge the application.
- Card payments carry a surcharge of about 1.4%
- The fee is non-refundable once paid
- Keep the lodgement receipt and TRN
Await assessment / respond to requests
Await assessment / respond to requests
The case officer may request further residence evidence, ties evidence, or an explanation of departure reasons; respond on time.
- Simple 155 cases are often granted within days
- Complex cases (substantial ties/long absence) may require an interview or take longer
- Check progress at any time via ImmiAccount
Receive grant and verify travel facility
Receive grant and verify travel facility
After receiving the grant notice, confirm in VEVO the validity of the new travel facility (155 up to 5 years / 157 three months).
- 155 grants 5 years if the 2-year residence requirement is met; 1 year based on substantial ties
- 157 usually grants only about 3 months, to return to Australia quickly and re-establish residence
- Plan the next renewal or return to settle in Australia before the travel facility expires
Required Documents
| Document Name | English Name | Required | Description | Tips |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valid passport | Valid passport | Valid passport bio-data pages and all entry/exit stamp pages for the primary applicant and accompanying family members. | Entry/exit stamps are key evidence for calculating 'days in Australia within 5 years'; if your passport has been renewed, provide the old passport as well. | |
| Evidence of permanent resident status | Evidence of permanent resident status | Prove you currently or previously held an Australian permanent visa, such as the PR visa grant notice or a VEVO screenshot. | Former Australian citizens can provide proof of renouncing/losing citizenship to take the corresponding route. | |
| Australian travel/movement records | Australian travel/movement records | To prove subclass 155's 'cumulative 2 years (730 days) within 5 years' or subclass 157's 'at least 1 day but less than 2 years'. | You can request your personal International Movement Records from the Department; check each entry/exit date, as the residence threshold is calculated precisely by day. | |
| Evidence of employment ties | Evidence of employment ties | Used when taking the 155 'substantial ties' route: Australian employer contract, payslips, PAYG, and notices of assessment. | If you left Australia for an overseas work posting, provide a posting letter showing the work is still connected to an Australian employer/interests. | |
| Evidence of business or asset ties | Evidence of business or asset ties | Australian business registration (ABN/ACN), shareholding evidence, business bank statements, property title deeds, and investment evidence. | You must explain that these business/asset ties have a 'benefit to Australia' rather than being merely passive holdings. | |
| Evidence of personal/family ties | Evidence of personal/family ties | Evidence of immediate relatives' PR/citizenship in Australia, marriage certificate, children's birth certificates, and cohabitation and contact records. | Personal ties are usually submitted alongside employment or business ties; family ties alone are less persuasive. | |
| Statement explaining long absence | Statement explaining long absence | Those continuously absent for 5 years must explain in writing and corroborate compelling reasons for the departure (serious illness, unavoidable family care, a key work posting, etc.). | Attach objective evidence such as medical certificates, an employer posting letter, or a relative's diagnosis; a verbal statement alone is not enough. | |
| Compelling and compassionate reason evidence (157) | Compelling and compassionate reason evidence (157) | When applying for 157, prove that the last departure (or the present need to depart) has a compelling and compassionate reason, such as a relative's serious illness or death. | The 157 travel facility is only about 3 months, intended to let you return to Australia quickly and re-establish residence, not as a long-term 'fallback'. | |
| Character documents | Character documents | Australian and overseas police clearances the case officer may require, for character assessment. | Where you have lived in a country for a cumulative 12 months, a police clearance from that country is usually required; non-English documents need a NAATI-certified translation. | |
| Family relationship documents | Family relationship documents | Marriage certificate, birth certificate and relationship evidence when accompanied by a spouse/children. | Family members can obtain up to a 1-year travel facility based on the primary applicant's eligibility; non-English documents must be notarised and translated. | |
| Certified English translations | Certified English translations | English translations of all non-English materials (household register, marriage certificate, title deeds, etc.). | Within Australia, translation must be NAATI-certified; for translations done overseas, the translator must state their full name, qualifications and contact details. |
FAQ
I am an Australian PR born in China; my travel facility is about to expire and I am in China; can I apply from offshore?
Do I have to choose between 155 and 157 myself?
I have been outside Australia for over 5 years; can my PR still be renewed?
My travel facility has expired but I am in Australia; will I become unlawful?
When applying based on 'substantial ties', what evidence is most persuasive?
Common Refusal Reasons
- Failing the '2 years (730 days) of residence within 5 years' requirement, and unable to prove substantial beneficial ties to Australia (business/employment/family/cultural)
- A continuous absence of more than 5 years, unable to provide compelling reasons for the departure (155)
- A 157 application lacking compelling and compassionate reasons for leaving Australia, or with less than 1 day in Australia / failing to meet status requirements
- The previous permanent visa has been cancelled, or notice has been received that the permanent business visa may be cancelled
- Character requirements not met; those who have never held Australian permanent residence/citizenship are ineligible to apply
Can you appeal after a refusal? See the Visa Refusal & Review (ART) Guide.