Specialists in Australian immigration

Resident Return Visas (RRV)

If you have been granted a permanent resident visa for Australia and have validated your visa but departed Australia for personal or other reasons and cannot travel back to Australia before your visa expires or your resident visa has already expired, you will need to apply for a Resident Return Visa (RRV). The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in considering your application will take into account your visa history and overall period of residence in Australia to determine whether you qualify for an RRV. Depending on your circumstances you can be considered for the grant of a 5year RRV, 1-year RRV or a 3-month RRV.

Subclass 155 - 5-year validity

If you have spent periods totalling 2 or more years in the five years in Australia as a permanent resident immediately before you apply for a RRV, you will be considered for the grant of a 5 year RRV.

Subclass 155 - 1-year validity

If you have not spent 2 or more years in the 5 years in Australia as a permanent resident you will only be considered for a one-year RRV which will have a year travel facility from the date of the grant of the visa. You will also need to present evidence of substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties of benefit to Australia and issue a statement outlining the resons for your departure from Australia. If at the time of applying you have been absent from Australia for more than 5 years, you must also demonstrate that there were or are compelling reasons for your abscence from Australia.

Subclass 157 - 3-month validity

If you have spent at least one day in the last five years in Australia (but less than two out of the last five years) as a permanent resident you can apply for a RRV valid for a period of three months providing you can show that there were compassionate or compelling reasons for leaving Australia when you did.

Preliminary assessment

Concept Australia will offer you a preliminary assessment and advise you whether you have a realistic chance of being granted a Resident Return Visa (RRV) for Australia.

Zoom or telephone consultations

If we have assessed that you have the potential to be granted a RRV and you would like to find out more, the next step is to arrange a no-obligation consultation which will not only provide you with an opportunity to ask key questions about the visa process but also enable us to explain how the migration regulations will be applied to you.

A small fee is charged for the consultation which will be deducted from our overall fee should you decide to appoint Concept Australia as your migration agent.

Why should I only use an agent registered with MARA?

The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) is managed by the DHA who is responsible for monitoring the conduct of registered migration agents both in and outside Australia. MARA approves continuing professional development activities of all registered agents to ensure they maintain up-to-date knowledge of migration law and procedure so that only the highest level of advice and assistance is provided to prospective applicants.

The DHA strongly advise that if you need assistance with the visa process that you should only appoint an agent who is registered with the MARA. A person who is not registered cannot offer you legal protection and you run the risk of being exposed to migration fraud by someone who has limited knowledge on immigration procedures and who is not accountable for his/her actions.

Please telephone Concept Australia on 020 8315 6700 or click on the Enquiry form below and submit your details to us.

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What visa options are there?

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Skilled Visas

Expression of Interest

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Partner Visas

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Resident Return Visas

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Temporary 400 & 408 Visas

Visitor & Working Holiday Visas

FAQ's

How do I prove substantial ties to Australia?

If you have not resided in Australia for 2 or more years before you lodge your application you will need to demonstrate to the Department of Home Affairs that you have maintained close ties which are of benefit to Australia. When taking into consideration your visa history you will need to provide evidence of having business, cultural, employment and/or personal ties.

The Department’s policy does recognise that the longer that you have been away from Australia, the more difficult it may be for you to establish substantial ties as it becomes increasingly difficult to demonstrate substantial ties of benefit over extended periods of absence.

What if I have been absent from Australia for more than 5 years?

If you have been absent from Australia for a continuous period of 5 years or more since the grant of your last permanent residency visa, then you will need to demonstrate ‘compelling reasons’ for your absence. Satisfying your case officer that there are ‘compelling reasons’ for your absence can be difficult, and whether your case officer accepts your reasons is discretionary.

The Department’s policy guidelines do provide examples in relation to what may constitute compelling reasons. such as severe illness or death of an overseas family member or been caught up in a natural disaster, political uprising, or other similar event. It is not always easy to demonstrate compelling reasons.

Generally, every day’ reasons for not being in Australia such as work, or study commitments are not considered to be compelling.

Why use an agent registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA)?

The decision to engage a MARA registered migration agent will generally be determined by your visa history and whether you believe you have sufficient evidence to support close ties with Australia and if applicable compelling or compassionate reasons for your ascence from Australia for 5 or more years.

If you do need assistance with the Resident Return Visa process, the Department of Home affairs strongly recommend that you appoint a MARA agent who must satisfy a strict code of conduct and:

maintain current knowledge of migration law and procedure
keep a professional library with direct access to migration regulations via Legend
undertake continuous professional development in order to maintain knowledge of migration regulations and policy

An agent who is not registered with MARA cannot offer you any legal protection and is not accountable for his/her actions and therefore might:

make false claims about your chances of success
give you incorrect advice
have limited knowledge about current Australian visa legislation and procedures
increase your risk of being exposed to migration fraud
charge fees which are unreasonable and excessive.

How long will it take to process an application for a Resident Return Visa?

Applicants who have spent more than 2 out of the last 5 years in Australia as a permanent resident are generally granted a visa within 1 or 2 days. If, however, you have spent less than 2 out of the 5 years in Australia before you apply you will need to provide additional documents to evidence your ties and applications may take between 4 - 6 months to decide.

Resident Return Visa Enquiry Form

If you would like to know more about the Resident Return Visa process, please complete and submit the form below.

The information you provide will be treated in confidence and Concept Australia will contact you to outline your visa options and potential eligibility.

Name
Post Code
Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy)

Email address Contact No.

Please advise the date you obtained your permanent residence visa for AustraliaPlease advise the visa subclass that was granted to youPlease advise the amount of time you have spent in Australia in the last 5 years – days/months/yearsPlease advise if you have any close family residing in Australia or if you have an Australian spousePlease advise if you have an employment offer from a company in AustraliaIf you have not resided in Australia during the last 5 years, please state any compelling or compassionate circumstances that have resulted in your absence from Australia. Please advise when you are planning to return to live in Australia

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What our clients are saying

Thank you for your friendly professional advice during our visa application. We are sure this was the key factor for us being granted our visas. Such a quality service seems to be a rare thing nowadays.

Dear Grahame and Team I just wanted to thank you all for your hard work and commitment over the past few months in obtaining my permanent residence visa for Australia. Before choosing Concept Australia, I researched other visa companies offering their services, however, none were as honest and as knowledgeable as you and your team were.Your experience with Australian visas, and from having lived in Australia set you aside from anyone else. I found your approach very professional from the offset, which I greatly thank you for. Kind regards Edward Hodge.