Subclass 155 — Resident Return visa

Who the Resident Return visa is generally for

General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. The subclass 155 Resident Return visa (RRV) is, in broad terms, the pathway that lets people who already hold (or recently held) Australian permanent residence travel internationally and return while keeping that permanent resident status. It is also relevant in some cases to former Australian permanent residents and certain former citizens. A common point of confusion is that a permanent visa does not, by itself, give an unlimited right to travel in and out of Australia forever — the travel facility attached to it expires, and an RRV is typically the way that facility is renewed. In general terms, eligibility tends to rest on one of two ideas. The first is a residence pathway: having lawfully spent a qualifying period in Australia as a permanent resident or citizen within a defined window before applying. The second is a substantial-ties pathway, used where the residence pattern is not met — here an applicant typically shows ongoing ties of benefit to Australia, which can be business, employment, cultural, or personal in nature. The length of the travel facility that is granted can differ depending on which basis the application rests on and the applicant's particular history. The exact residence periods, the look-back windows, how substantial ties are assessed, and how each factor affects the length of the travel facility are technical and change over time, so they are not reproduced here. Check the official page for current requirements, and a registered migration practitioner can advise on how the criteria apply to an individual's circumstances.

What it typically costs

The Resident Return visa carries its own Visa Application Charge (VAC), which is a government charge set and collected by the Department of Home Affairs. The current amount is published on the official visa page and on the Home Affairs fee estimator, and it can change — including at the start of a financial year — so the official estimator should be treated as the source of truth rather than any figure quoted elsewhere. No specific dollar amount is asserted here. A few cost ideas tend to apply more broadly. Where family members are included, additional-applicant charges may apply per person, so a family application can cost more than a single one. There can also be ancillary or incidental costs depending on individual circumstances — for example obtaining certified copies, translations of non-English documents, or travel records. The combination of these is what makes a personalised estimate hard to generalise. Importantly, the government VAC is entirely separate from any fees charged by this platform or by a practitioner you choose to engage. Platform and practitioner fees, where they apply, are always shown distinctly from the government charge and never replace it. For the current VAC and to model additional-applicant amounts, use the official estimator linked from the visa page; a registered practitioner can confirm the total likely charge for a specific household.

Common questions