How to Get Australia Permanent Residency

The Australian government has made it easier than ever to live in Australia by introducing the new Australia permanent residency visa program, which replaced the old permanent residency visa program on July 1, 2012. However, you must still take specific steps to meet all the requirements necessary to obtain your Australian permanent residency visa and become an Australian citizen. Here’s what you need to know about getting an Australia permanent residency visa, how much it costs, and all of the relevant information regarding this exciting new program from the government.

Certain visa holders in Australia are given permanent resident status. Numerous immigration programs are available in Australia, including family, employment, business, special eligibility, and child streams for permanent visas. The first three are the most popular migration programs, whereas the latter two get fewer candidates.

Foreign nationals must fulfill certain conditions to become permanent residents of Australia.

What is a Resident visa?

Australian permanent residency is the key to living and working in Australia. It allows you to live and work in Australia indefinitely as a resident of Australia. You can bring your family to Australia if they are on your visa application. There are many benefits to getting an Australian permanent residency, such as

Australian Permanent Residency Requirements

For any Australia permanent visa, you have to provide the following:

• Valid Passport.
• Permanent Visa Application Form.
• Authorised Recipient Form (if applicable).
• Proof of Paid Base Fee.
• Recent Identity Photographs.
• National ID.
• Police Clearance.
• Civil Documents.
• Proof of Financial Stability.
• Health Insurance.
• A written invite (if applicable).
• Requirement for good conduct.
• Sign the Values Declaration.

Health Requirements for Australian Permanent Visa

Meeting the health requirements means that you must be:

• Free from any disease or condition that requires significant healthcare service cost.
• Free of any disease or health condition that may put a demand on short-supply services in Australia, thus, damaging the healthcare service for Australian permanent residents and citizens, i.e., dialysis and organ transplant.
• Free from any disease that might threaten public health (measles, tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis, yellow fever, polio, and Ebola).

Those applying for a permanent visa must satisfy the health standards outlined by the Immigration Office and pass the necessary health exams. Every member of your family requesting a visa must be in good health.

It's possible that the candidate won't need to undergo the full health check again if they've already had a thorough medical test within the past 12 months.

Those applying for a permanent visa must satisfy the health standards outlined by the Immigration Office and pass the necessary health exams. Every member of your family requesting a visa must be in good health.

It's possible that the candidate won't need to undergo the entire health check again if they've already had a thorough medical test within the past 12 months.

What if I Don't Pass the Health Requirements for Permanent Residency in Australia?

You won't be granted a visa for permanent residency if you don't fulfill the health conditions. In certain circumstances, you can apply for a health waiver. You'll probably get your permanent visa if a health waiver is approved.

You must, however, have excellent justifications for your conviction that you genuinely match the health standards. Additionally, a health waiver can only be granted if you fulfill the other conditions of your visa.

How to Get Permanent Residency in Australia?

The most common way to get permanent residency in Australia is by having one of the following:

• Family-stream permanent visa.
• Work-stream permanent visa.
• Business or investor-stream permanent visa.

There are some other visas that applicants can use to gain permanent residency in Australia:

• Distinguished Talent visa (subclass 124).
• Distinguished Talent visa (subclass 858).
• Refugee and Humanitarian visas.
• Retirement visa pathway.

Do I Have to Have a Temporary Visa Before Permanent Residency?

Most of the time, you must first hold a temporary visa in the same immigration category to apply for a permanent visa. However, you must submit applications for both temporary and permanent resident visa simultaneously for several visa categories within the family stream. For instance, since your temporary visa will allow you to live freely in Australia while your permanent visa is being processed, you can apply for both your permanent visa (subclass 801) and your temporary partner visa (subclass 820) at the same time.

If your application for a permanent visa is approved, you should get your permanent visa as soon as you get your temporary one. However, processing your application for a permanent visa might take up to two years or more if you do not receive your permanent status immediately. 

What Is the Cost of Australian Permanent Residency?

The cost for permanent visas varies on what type of visa you are applying for initially:

• Family Stream Permanent (Partner) Visa Fee- subclass 801: AUD 7,715.
• Business Stream Permanent visas- subclasses 888, 893, and 891: AUD 2,450-2,950.

The cost for a permanent visa through a work-stream migration program is liable to change according to the applicant’s circumstances; plus, there are different streams available within the work visa category, and the fee will vary depending on the type of visa you want are applying for.

How to Apply for an Australian Permanent Visa?

1. Select the visa type.
2. Check the requirements for each type of visa.
3. Assemble the documents.
4. Apply for a visa.

Select the Visa Type

It would help if you chose the visa that results in permanent resident status before applying for an Australian permanent visa (see below). In your ImmiAccount, you may select the sort of visa you need, or if you're applying on paper, you can choose the precise form that goes with your visa request.

Rules for Permanent Residency in Australia

Depending on the migration program, several requirements must be met to be eligible for permanent residency in Australia:

1. Candidates must not be older than 45. (work-stream-based permanent residency).
2. Candidates must provide a certificate of English language competency (most permanent residency programs).
3. Candidates must hold a doctoral or master's degree (for research work based).
4. When applying, candidates should provide sponsorship (for sponsor visas).

Applicants require an Australian spouse or de facto partner (for the family stream migration program).

The retirement visa track allows applicants who are too old to qualify for the work-based migration program to apply for permanent residence.

How Long Can a Permanent Resident Stay Outside of Australia?

Permanent residents have a travel facility that allows them to travel freely in and out of Australia only for five years. After five years, the travel facility expires; if you leave Australia when your travel facility is over, you won’t be able to re-enter.

How Do I Know When My Travel Facility Is Over?

Your travel facility expires five years after your permanent residency visa is issued. Some specific visa holders will receive a notification 60 days before their travel facility expires:

• Partner visa- subclass 101.
• Partner visa-subclass 100.
• Employer Nomination Scheme visa- subclass 856.
• Skilled sponsored visa- subclass 176.

What if My Travel Facility Expired While I Was Outside of Australia?

If you were outside Australia when your travel facility expired, you must apply for a resident return visa or Australian citizenship. If you are not eligible for any of these, you must apply for another permanent visa (former resident visa, family visa, or skilled visa).

You can’t re-enter Australia without a valid visa, but you shouldn’t apply for a temporary visa only to return. Otherwise, your permanent residency status will be affected negatively.

Do I Need to Renew My Australia Permanent Residency Visa?

You need to renew your travel facility, which is attached to your permanent visa but not the visa itself. You can do so through the visa subclass 155 and 157 (return resident visa). You have different options to renew your travel policy depending on how long you’ve spent in Australia as a resident.

Can Australia Permanent Residency Expire?

Your Australia permanent residency can’t expire, but its travel facility will expire five years from your visa's date.

Can I Lose My Permanent Residency in Australia?

Generally speaking, you can’t lose your permanent residency in Australia. Still, there are a few occasions when you might risk losing your status as a permanent resident.

For instance, you risk losing your right to permanent residence if your relationship has changed after you filed for a family stream permanent visa. Also, losing your permanent visa is possible if you break the reasonable character requirements while holding a permanent residency.

However, every situation is carefully considered, and your permanent resident status cannot be revoked absent worthy cause.

What Is the Difference Between Australian Permanent Residency and Citizenship?

The difference between an Australian permanent residency and citizenship is that a permanent resident is not allowed to do the following:

• Hold an Australian passport.
• Vote in Australia.
• Apply for student loans.
• Be a part of the Australian Defence Force.
• Work within the Australian Government.
• Re-enter Australia if your travel facility is expired 

Australia Permanent Residency Statistics

According to the annual statistical report by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Australia, there were 140,366 applicants for permanent migration in 2019/2021.

Australia runs the migration program each year, and in the 2019/2020 period, 69.5 percent of people from the total applied through the skill and work-stream. At the same time,e the family stream made up 30.4 percent of the total number of applicants (140,366).

Regarding country of origin, India had the most significant number of permanent visa applicants w, with 25,698. China followed India with 18,587 applicants and the UK with 10,681.

Official Related Links You Need

You have the best Guide on Immigration, Education, and Employment details for you to Get more out of what you need to know, and it is all free of charge: 

Get More Guide - https://bit.ly/ABROAD-IMMIGRATION-CENTER

Immigration - https://bit.ly/IMMIGRATION-CENTER

Education - https://bit.ly/EDUCATION-CENTER

Employment - https://bit.ly/EMPLOYMENT-CENTER

US Immigration - https://bit.ly/US-IMMIGRATION

Final Thought 

Australia offers a permanent residency or PR visa to immigrants. The Australia PR visa has a validity of five years. With a PR visa, you can move into Australia along with your family. You can apply for citizenship after living in Australia for four years with an Australia PR visa.

We hope this article helps you learn how to become an Australian permanent resident. These are the steps we would take if we followed through with our plans of getting PR. Hopefully, your experience will be smoother than ours, and it will not take as long as it did for us. It took us two years to get approved, and we still have not received any response from DIBP about whether or not they have accepted our citizenship application yet. They told us that the process could take up to a year, but it's been more than that so far!