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Personal information & Eligibility criteria
Finally granted your Permanent Residency to Australia?
Could you stay on shore in Australia Forever?
There is always a bit of confusion about how long you can reside in Australia after you have been granted your permanent residency (PR) visa. Some believe it allows you to stay for only 5 years at a time, because what appears as the must not arrive after date on your visa grant letters is usually 5 years after the date your visa has been granted.
This is incorrect!
If you have been granted a PR in Australia, you can remain in Australia indefinitely as long as you never leave the country. Once you are granted your visa , you are usually given 6 months to 1 year to make your initial entry to Australia which is basically only flying in to activate your visa after which you can leave back to your current country of residence .
After you have made your initial entry in Australia ,you can continue to reside in your current country of residence until the ‘5-year date’ on your visa grant letter. The 5-year expiry date on your visa grant refers to your authority to remain outside Australia while still maintaining your status as a permanent resident. It is a 5-year travel facility which means you can leave and re-enter Australia all you want and as many times as you like for 5 years from the date your visa has been granted, as long as it remains valid .At this point, if you choose to stay outside of Australia beyond that date, then yes ,you could lose your permanent residency status.
Once the 5-year travel facility on your PR visa expires, you will still be eligible to stay indefinitely in Australia but will not be able to leave Australia without a Resident Return Visa .However, if you choose to continue travelling in and out of Australia even after the initial 5-year travel facility on your PR visa, you must either a) Obtain a Resident Return Visa ; or b) Apply for Australian Citizenship which is almost always the preferred option as it entitles you to always re-enter Australia as well as obtain an Australian passport.
Click on the assessment bar on your left to learn more Permanent Residence Visa Application in Australia or call us directly at 04 456 0076.
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