Resident Return Visa – another expensive Visa

5 years ago, the Australian federal government granted me permanent residence under a partner visa. For that, I had to fill out hundreds of pages and pay thousands of dollars. But that was not enough if you want to live permanently in Australia. After five years, you have to apply for a so-called Resident Return Visa. This is a visa that entitles residents of Australia who do not hold Australian citizenship to re-enter the country once they have left. Even if you have a permanent residence permit, you cannot re-enter the country without this extra visa.

No overseas travel without a return visa

You have to be careful. Don’t go on holidays or visit your relatives abroad and then realize when checking in for the return flight that you are no longer allowed to fly back to Australia. At the latest, after the Australian federal government refused to let its own citizens into the country during the Covid 19 pandemic, we know that Australia’s immigration regulations are not to be trifled with.

However, both my Outlook calendar and an email from the Department of Home Affairs alerted me in good time that if I intend to re-enter Australia after 22 March 2023 and retain my right to work and permanent residence, I should be in possession of a Resident Return Visa.

Application is straightforward

The application was done online and was not particularly difficult to complete. Again, you had to answer various questions, but the core question was “Has the applicant stayed in Australia for a total of at least 2 years in the last 5 years?“. You also had to answer various questions about a possible criminal past (as I already did for the partner visa) and about any military training (e.g. basic military service with the German armed forces). Any supporting documents must be enclosed, whereby I attached the same documents as 5 years ago, as nothing had changed.

However, one was told several times that you had three days to pay the visa fee of AUD 425. Before that, the application would not be processed, and if the application was rejected, you would not get your money back.

How this high fee of AUD 425 is made up (it is even more expensive with a paper application) or why it is so high is beyond me. If you can’t or don’t want to pay it, you have to stay in the country. I then better paid for it online as well.

After only one day, I received written notification that the Resident Return Visa had been granted. At least it was quick. But it can also take 4 months if questions arise during the processing.

But why the Australian federal government requires such a visa in the first place makes no sense to me. You already have a permanent residence permit, your personal data is stored with the Australian federal government and every entry and exit is registered. Only for a holiday in New Zealand, for example, do you need such a return permit. Incomprehensible!

Understanding the background of the Resident Return Visa

I spent a lot of time researching the meaning and purpose of this visa on the internet. In vain. The Australian Federal Government is very cagey when it comes to the rationale behind government rules and actions. Yet we hear time and again that rules and regulations are more likely to be accepted and followed if they are understood. But that doesn’t seem to have sunk in everywhere yet.

I have only found general blah-blah about the background:

“The Australian government’s immigration policies are designed to control the movement of people into and out of the country. The Resident Return Visa is one way the government can regulate the entry of permanent residents who have been away from the country for an extended period of time.

By requiring a Resident Return Visa, the government can ensure that permanent residents have maintained a close and continuing relationship with Australia during their absence. This helps to protect the integrity of the country’s immigration system and prevent fraud or abuse.

Additionally, the Resident Return Visa is designed to protect the rights of permanent residents who have established a life in Australia. It ensures that they can return to the country and continue to live and work as a permanent resident, even if they have been away for more than five years.”

Well, the ways of government are unfathomable. Nothing happens by chance, everything makes sense one day … or not.