Resident Return visa: the 2-years-in-5 residence requirement
If you were in Australia for at least 2 years in total in the last 5 years as a permanent visa holder or citizen, you meet the Resident Return visa’s residence requirement and get a 5-year travel facility. Without it, substantial ties can give up to 12 months.
Resident Return visa calculator
Add up the days you were in Australia as a permanent resident or citizen in the last 5 years.
The residence requirement
If you were present in Australia for at least 2 years in total in the last 5 years as a permanent visa holder or Australian citizen, you meet the residence requirement and are given a 5-year travel facility.
If you don’t meet it
| Your situation | Travel facility |
|---|---|
| 2 years in Australia in the last 5 | up to 5 years (subclass 155) |
| Substantial ties to Australia that benefit it | up to 12 months |
| Compelling and compassionate reasons for your absence, and no absence in the 5 years before applying | 3 months (subclass 157) |
You can’t carry over the remaining travel facility from a previous visa.
Worked example
In the last 5 years you were in Australia for 700 days as a permanent resident — 30 days short of 2 years. Unless you can show substantial ties, plan to be in Australia for 30 more days before you apply.
How FlySee counts it
FlySee doesn’t have a Resident Return visa tracker yet. Its Log records your days in Australia and abroad, and its export lists your trips with dates. The calculator above checks your days in Australia against 2 years, counted as 730 days.