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  • Resident Return Subclass 155 visa

    Resident Return Subclass 155 visa

Resident Return Subclass 155 visa

Resident Return Visa

You might be granted a subclass 155 visa if you either:

  • meet the residence requirement (5 year travel facility)
  • have ties of benefit to Australia (1 year travel facility)
  • are a family member of someone who holds, or has applied for, a Resident Return visa and satisfies the criteria for grant (up to 1 year travel facility).

Meet the residence requirement

You meet the residence requirement if you spent a total of at least two of the last five years in Australia as an Australian permanent resident or citizen.

Have ties of benefit to Australia

If you do not meet the residence requirement, you might be eligible for the subclass 155 visa if you have substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties of benefit to Australia:

Business ties of benefit: You have substantial ownership in a business and personal involvement at a senior level in the day-to-day operations and management of a business. The business activity must be ongoing, commercial in nature and have a record keeping and management system that supports the business activity.

Cultural ties of benefit: You undertake intellectual, artistic, sporting or religious pursuits that are adding to Australia’s cultural life.

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

Personal ties of benefit: You are, or have been, a participating member of the Australian community and economy. The Department also takes into account living in Australia for a substantial period of time or living overseas with an Australian citizen partner, and having personal assets or close family members who live in Australia that are both substantial and of benefit to Australia.

If you have been absent from Australia

You will also need to provide information about absences if you are:

  • applying in Australia but were absent from Australia continuously for more than five years
  • applying from outside Australia and were a permanent resident or citizen when you last departed Australia and you were absent from Australia continuously for more than five years
  • applying from outside Australia and were a permanent resident or citizen in the last 10 years and you were absent from Australia for periods that total over five years.

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

If you do not meet the residence requirement, you might 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 applied for a Resident Return visa and satisfies the criteria for grant.

To be a member of the family unit of another person you can be:

  • their partner
  • their dependent child
  • their partner’s dependent child.

How long the visas last

The subclass 155 and 157 visas are permanent visas, however, this does not mean that the visa always lasts indefinitely.

  • If you do not travel outside Australia the visa lasts indefinitely (it does not end) and you will not become unlawful when the travel facility ends
  • If you do travel outside Australia after the travel facility on the visa ends, the visa will end when you leave Australia. So it is best to apply for another Resident Return visa before you leave Australia. You can also apply from overseas.

Location

If you are in Australia and the travel facility on your current visa has ended, or is about to end, apply for an RRV before you leave Australia. You can travel while your application is being processed, but if your travel facility has ended you cannot re-enter Australia as a permanent resident until the RRV is granted. You can also apply from outside Australia, but the visa must be granted before you return.

Cost: 155 visa application fees

Since 1 July 2026, the visa application charge for the subclass 155 is AUD 1,475 to apply online (it was $490 before that date). The fee you pay depends on the date you lodge. If you lodge a paper application, a non-internet charge of $80 may also apply. A lower cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens. You cannot include family members in your application, so each family member lodges and pays for their own.

Processing times

Online applications that clearly meet the 2 in 5 years residence requirement are often decided within days, and some are granted automatically on the day you apply. Applications based on substantial ties, or with long absences from Australia, are assessed on their evidence and can take several weeks or more. Apply well before you plan to travel.

Evidence you may need if you rely on ties of benefit

  • Business ties: ABN or company records, financial statements, BAS or tax returns, and evidence of your day to day role.
  • Employment ties: an employment contract or offer, recent payslips and a letter from your employer.
  • Personal ties: evidence of your Australian citizen partner, property or other assets in Australia, and close family members living here.
  • Cultural ties: evidence of your artistic, sporting, religious or intellectual activities and how they benefit Australia.

Thinking about citizenship?

If you already meet the citizenship residence requirement, becoming an Australian citizen means you no longer need Resident Return visas to travel. Our citizenship eligibility assessment can help you check.

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