Immigration visas for returning to Australia

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Created on Friday, 11 January 2013 16:41

Written by Editorial staff

Oftentimes people want to move to Australia but then decide they want to go back home.

However, should they wish to return to the land down under there are immigration visas available.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship offers Resident Return Visas (Subclasses 155 and 157) for those who either currently hold a permanent visa that is about to expire or one that already has expired.

During the validity of the immigration visa, the holder is allowed to travel in and out of Australia as often as they wish.

Most return visas are valid for five years but applicants must have lived in Australia for two years of their last five. Should that requirement not be filled, visa hopefuls can demonstrate how their ties to Australia are substantially beneficial to the country and its people.

There are certain circumstances under which a former permanent visa holder does not need to apply for a returning visa. Documents on their passport that allow for this are an Authority to Return (ATR) or a Return Endorsement (RE).

These are valid unless: they have been cancelled, they have been nullified by another visa, the passport holder has not been out of Australia for more than three years or the holder has become an Australian citizen.

Applicants who are applying for a one-year visa while they are in Australia must prove they have significant links to the country, whether they be financial, personal or cultural.

If applicants who last left Australia while holding a permanent visa want to apply for a one-year visa to return, they must also prove their links to the country. In addition to this, if the applicant has been continuously outside the country for more than five years, they must provide evidence that they had a compelling reason for doing so.

To apply for a three-month return visa, applicants must prove they legally spent at least one day in Australia in the last five years, spent under two years in Australia in the last five-year period or provide evidence of a compelling or compassionate reason for leaving Australia.

Talk to an experienced migration agent to discuss your immigration visa options for Australia.