Subclass 155 · residence requirement
At least 730 cumulative days in Australia during the five years immediately before lodgement, while holding a permanent visa or as an Australian citizen.
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Subclass 155 / 157 · Resident Return visa
Permanent residence can continue while the right to return expires.
A Resident Return visa does not grant permanent residence for the first time. It restores or confirms the travel facility needed to leave and re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.
Status after grantPermanent resident
Standard online chargeAUD 1,475
Apply fromIn or outside Australia
Travel facility5 years, up to 12 months, or 3 months
01 · Status versus travel facility
The five-year date is not simply the expiry date of permanent residence.
A permanent resident in Australia whose travel facility has expired does not need an RRV merely to remain in Australia. The problem arises when they want to travel: if they depart without a valid travel facility, or it expires while they are overseas, they need an RRV before returning as a permanent resident.
02 · How long can the travel facility be?
The evidence route determines the maximum period.
Subclass 155 · substantial ties or family-unit route
Where the residence requirement is not met, the applicant may rely on substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties that are of benefit to Australia—or qualifying family-unit criteria.
Subclass 157 · limited fallback
Where the above routes are not met, compelling and compassionate reasons for absence may support subclass 157 in the limited circumstances set by the criteria.
Any remaining travel facility on an earlier visa is not carried over. A newly granted RRV starts its own travel-facility period, and the grant cannot be postponed once all criteria are met.
03 · The 730-day residence test
Count back from lodgement—not from the decision date.
Days spent in Australia in the immediately preceding five years while holding permanent residence or Australian citizenship.
- Arrival and departure days both count.
- A part-day in Australia counts as a full day.
- Travel records can be requested if dates are uncertain.
- Meeting 730 days leads to a five-year travel facility.
04 · Substantial ties of benefit to Australia
A connection must be both substantial and beneficial—not merely nominal.
Business ties
Active ownership, management authority, transactions, contracts or a genuine Australian business role—not merely passive registration.
Employment ties
Current Australian employment, a genuine offer, payslips, tax records, professional duties and evidence of an ongoing role.
Cultural ties
Recognised contribution to Australian cultural, artistic, community or professional organisations, supported by independent records.
Personal ties
Australia as home, long residence, an Australian partner or children, community participation and a credible intention to live in Australia.
The correct evidence depends on the claimed tie: company reports and contracts for business ties; employment records for work ties; publications and association records for cultural ties; or residence, relationship, school, property and community evidence for personal ties.
05 · Compelling reasons for long absence
The reason should explain the absence as a whole, not only its last few months.
Compelling reasons become relevant where the applicable absence threshold is exceeded. The statement should explain what was compelling at the time, how it affected the length of absence and why the applicant could not reasonably return earlier.
- 01Serious illness or death of an overseas family member
- 02Work or study commitments of the applicant or partner
- 03Living overseas with a partner or minor children
- 04Complex or lengthy medical treatment
- 05Overseas legal proceedings outside the applicant's control
- 06Natural disaster, political unrest, pandemic or similar travel barrier
06 · Family-unit route
One family member's eligibility can assist—but applications remain separate.
A person who does not meet the residence test may qualify as a member of the family unit of someone who already holds an RRV, or has lodged a separate application and meets the grant requirements. The maximum travel facility under this route is generally 12 months.
07 · Application process
Fix the timeline before drafting the ties statement.
Check status and travel facility
Confirm the current visa, permanent-resident history and travel-facility expiry in VEVO before making travel plans.
Count the 730 days
Count cumulative days in the five years immediately before the intended lodgement date; arrival and departure days both count.
Choose the evidence route
If 730 days are not met, assess substantial ties, family-unit eligibility, absence length and whether compelling reasons are legally relevant.
Prepare the chronology
Build a dated account of residence, departures, overseas circumstances, Australian ties and the intended return plan, supported by documents.
Apply online and verify grant
Apply through ImmiAccount, respond promptly to requests, then check the new travel-facility period before travelling.
08 · Fee and timing
Apply before travel where possible, and allow for evidence review.
Paper application is only available where Home Affairs authorises it.
A straightforward residence-test case may differ significantly from a substantial-ties or long-absence case.
Fee checked 2 August 2026. Eligible Pacific-regional passport holders may receive a lower charge. Police documents may create additional costs. Lodging an RRV does not guarantee it will be decided before a booked flight.
09 · RRV or citizenship planning?
For eligible residents, citizenship may remove repeated travel-facility renewals.
Citizenship has separate residence, absence, character and intention requirements. We can review immediate travel risk and the longer-term citizenship position together rather than treating each RRV as an isolated renewal.