Resident Return Visa Australia: Subclass 155 vs 157 Explained (2026)

Permanent residency never expires, but the travel facility attached to it does after five years. This covers the two-year residence test, the substantial ties test, the cost and processing time for both the subclass 155 and subclass 157, and where citizenship fits as an alternative. Figures as at September 2026.

Read the full guide, with official sources →

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Chapters

  1. 0:00 Your PR doesn't expire.
  2. 0:11 Two visas:
  3. 0:25 Two years in Australia,
  4. 0:35 No two years?
  5. 0:45 157: for compelling,
  6. 0:57 $430 either way.
  7. 1:08 1 to 4 weeks — simple cases.
  8. 1:21 Apply through ImmiAccount,
  9. 1:31 The alternative: citizenship
  10. 1:41 Refused abroad?
  11. 1:53 Where to read more

Transcript

Australian permanent residency doesn't expire — but after five years, your right to travel back in on it does.

There are two Resident Return Visas. A subclass 155 is a five-year travel facility for people with real, ongoing ties to Australia. A subclass 157 is a three-month visa, meant as a one-off.

The simplest path to a subclass 155: having been physically in Australia for two years within the five years before you apply.

Without that, the Department looks at substantial ties instead: employment, business, cultural, or personal ties that are of benefit to Australia.

The subclass 157 exists for compelling and compassionate reasons to return — a family emergency or urgent medical treatment — for people who don't meet the 155's tests.

Both visas cost the same to lodge: $430. If an agent helps, budget another $500 to $2,000 depending on how complex the case is.

Straightforward 155 applications with clear two-year evidence are often processed in 1 to 4 weeks. Cases relying on substantial ties can take 4 to 12 weeks, or longer.

You apply online through ImmiAccount, from inside or outside Australia — but you'll need a valid passport to actually re-enter once it's granted.

For some, citizenship is the better long-term fix — an unrestricted right to enter, after four years of lawful residence including one year as a permanent resident.

A refused RRV means you can't re-enter Australia as a permanent resident, and it can affect that status too — which is why the ties test is the one worth getting right before you rely on it.

The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.

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