Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
155 Resident Return (5-year or 1-year) vs 157 Resident Return (3-month)
You do not pick one; you lodge a Resident Return visa application and the Department grants the subclass your residence history earns. Two years in Australia as a permanent resident in the last five years earns the 155 with a five-year travel facility; less than that, with substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties of benefit to Australia, earns a 155 with a one-year facility; and a permanent resident who cannot meet either, has spent at least a day in Australia as a permanent resident in the last five years and has compelling reasons for the absence, is granted the 157, which lets them return for three months to re-establish residence. The question to ask is not which to apply for but how much of the last five years you can show.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Who gets it
- A PR who spent 2 of the last 5 years in Australia as a PR, or who has substantial ties · A PR who cannot meet the 155 but was in Australia as a PR for at least a day in the last 5 years, with compelling reasons for the absence
- Travel facility
- 5 years with the residence; 1 year on substantial ties · 3 months
- Where you apply
- Inside or outside Australia · Inside or outside Australia
- Charge
- The same charge for the application, whichever is granted; see the RRV guide · The same
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About the CPD →Side by side
| 155 Resident Return (5-year or 1-year) | 157 Resident Return (3-month) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who gets it | A PR who spent 2 of the last 5 years in Australia as a PR, or who has substantial ties | A PR who cannot meet the 155 but was in Australia as a PR for at least a day in the last 5 years, with compelling reasons for the absence |
| Travel facility | 5 years with the residence; 1 year on substantial ties | 3 months |
| Where you apply | Inside or outside Australia | Inside or outside Australia |
| Charge | The same charge for the application, whichever is granted; see the RRV guide | The same |
| Evidence | Movement records for the residence; ties evidence for the 1-year grant | Movement records and the compelling reasons for the absence |
| After grant | Travel freely for the period; renew before it ends | Return within the 3 months and rebuild the residence for a later 155 |
| Watch out | The travel facility, not the visa, is what expires; a PR in Australia loses nothing by staying | A refused RRV is how permanent residence is lost in practice |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
You do not pick one; you lodge a Resident Return visa application and the Department grants the subclass your residence history earns. Two years in Australia as a permanent resident in the last five years earns the 155 with a five-year travel facility; less than that, with substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties of benefit to Australia, earns a 155 with a one-year facility; and a permanent resident who cannot meet either, has spent at least a day in Australia as a permanent resident in the last five years and has compelling reasons for the absence, is granted the 157, which lets them return for three months to re-establish residence. The question to ask is not which to apply for but how much of the last five years you can show.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
155 Resident Return (5-year or 1-year) or 157 Resident Return (3-month) — which is better?
You do not pick one; you lodge a Resident Return visa application and the Department grants the subclass your residence history earns. Two years in Australia as a permanent resident in the last five years earns the 155 with a five-year travel facility; less than that, with substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties of benefit to Australia, earns a 155 with a one-year facility; and a permanent resident who cannot meet either, has spent at least a day in Australia as a permanent resident in the last five years and has compelling reasons for the absence, is granted the 157, which lets them return for three months to re-establish residence. The question to ask is not which to apply for but how much of the last five years you can show.
What is the main difference between the 155 Resident Return (5-year or 1-year) and the 157 Resident Return (3-month)?
Who gets it: 155 Resident Return (5-year or 1-year) — A PR who spent 2 of the last 5 years in Australia as a PR, or who has substantial ties; 157 Resident Return (3-month) — A PR who cannot meet the 155 but was in Australia as a PR for at least a day in the last 5 years, with compelling reasons for the absence. Travel facility: 155 Resident Return (5-year or 1-year) — 5 years with the residence; 1 year on substantial ties; 157 Resident Return (3-month) — 3 months. Where you apply: 155 Resident Return (5-year or 1-year) — Inside or outside Australia; 157 Resident Return (3-month) — Inside or outside Australia.
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