Eligibility

If you do not meet the requirements for a Five Year Resident Return visa (subclass 155), your application will be assessed against the criteria for a Three Month Resident Return visa (subclass 157).

To be eligible for a Resident Return visa you must be one of the following:

• an Australian permanent resident
• a former Australian permanent resident whose last permanent visa was not cancelled
• a former Australian Citizen who lost or renounced your citizenship.

Note: A former permanent resident includes any person who was recognised as a permanent resident of Australia within the context of the migration legislation that applied at the time they were living in Australia.

You must also meet one of the following eligibility requirements.

Length of visa	Eligibility requirements
Five years	You must have spent two of the last five years in Australia as a permanent resident or citizen.
One year (for applicants in Australia)	You must provide evidence that proves you have substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties of benefit to Australia. If you have been absent from Australia for more than five continuous years since the grant of your most recent permanent visa or since you ceased being a citizen, you must provide evidence that there was a compelling reason for your absence.
One year (for applicants outside Australia)	If you hold a permanent visa or your last departure from Australia was as a permanent resident or Australian citizen: you must provide evidence that proves you have substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties of benefit to Australia if you have been absent for more than five continuous years since your last departure from Australia as an Australian permanent resident or Australian citizen, you must provide evidence that there was a compelling reason for your absence. If you do not hold a permanent visa and when you last left Australia you were not an Australian permanent resident or Australian citizen, you must meet all of the following: have been an Australian citizen, or an Australian permanent resident, less than 10 years before lodging your application provide evidence that proves you have substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties of benefit to Australia if you have been absent from Australia for a total period of more than five years since last departing as an Australian permanent resident or citizen you must provide evidence that there was a compelling reason for your absence.
Three months	You must: have spent at least one day in the last five years lawfully in Australia have spent less than two years in the last five years in Australia have been a permanent resident or an Australian citizen for the entire period spent in Australia provide evidence that there is a compelling and compassionate reason for your departure. If you have been outside Australia for more than three continuous months immediately before making the application, you must also show that there is a compelling and compassionate reason for the absence.
Maximum one year	If you do not meet the requirements above you may be eligible for a Resident Return visa if you are the partner or dependent family member of a Resident Return visa holder. If this is your situation, you can only be granted a visa for up to one year and the period granted cannot exceed the time remaining on your family member's visa.

You cannot apply for a Resident Return visa if your most recent permanent visa was one of the following Business Skills visas and it has been cancelled, or is subject to a notice of intention to cancel:

• Business Owner visa (subclasses 127 and 840)
• Senior Executive visa (subclasses 128 and 841)
• State/Territory Sponsored Business Owner visa (subclasses 129 and 842)
• State/Territory Sponsored Senior Executive visa (subclasses 130 and 843)
• Investment-Linked visa (subclasses 131 and 844)
• Business Talent visa (subclass 132).