Australian High Commission
2nd Floor Rogers House
No 5 President John Kennedy Street
Port Louis
Mauritius
Tel: (230) 202 0180 from 1.00 to 3.45 pm, Monday to Friday
Email: [email protected]
APPLICATION FOR A RESIDENT RETURN VISA - RRV
(1/1/2014)
Lodgement date and time: on appointment basis only
Please contact this office by email on ‘[email protected]’ to make an appointment to lodge your visa application.
Lodgement of applications: 3 weeks or earlier before proposed date of travel
Note: this is a mandatory requirement except in cases whether there are compelling and compassionate for urgent travel.
Processing time: 10 working days if the application is fully documented and if no additional information/checks are required
However, please be advised that the visa application can take longer to be processed than the usual processing time during peak visa processing periods.
The Australian High Commission will be closed on the following days in 2014:
Wednesday 1 January, Wednesday 12 March, Friday18 April, Monday 21 April, Thursday 1 May, Monday 9 June, Tuesday 29 July, Monday 6 October, Thursday 23 October, Wednesday 24 December, Thursday 25 December, Friday 26 December, Monday 29 December, Tuesday 30 December.
Purpose:
This visa allows for Non Australian-citizen, permanent residents or former permanent residents wishing to return to Australia as permanent residents.
Please Note: If you hold Australian citizenship you must use an Australian passport to enter and exit Australia. RRV’s cannot be granted to Australian citizens.
The RRV visa allows an Australian permanent resident or former permanent resident to return to Australia within a period of either 5 years, 1 year (subclass 155), or 3 months (subclass 157). If you are not eligible for a 155 visa, you may be eligible for a 157 visa.
You should apply for an RRV visa if:
• You are a non-citizen, Australian permanent resident or former permanent resident;
• You want to return to Australia as a permanent resident;
• You might not return to Australia within the validity of you current permanent residency visa;
• You believe you meet the criteria for an RRV.
You need not wait for your current permanent residency visa to expire before applying for a new one. You should check your eligibility for a new visa well before your existing visa expires in case there have been changes to eligibility requirements.
Basic eligibility requirements:
• You are a current of former permanent visa holder ( and your permanent visa was not cancelled) ; or
• You were an Australian citizen but you are no longer an Australian citizen; and
• You have been physically present in Australia as a permanent resident for at least 2 years in the 5 years immediately preceding the date of your RRV application; or
• If you do not satisfy the 2 years in 5 physical residency requirement ,you can demonstrate that you have substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties with Australia which are of benefit to Australia ( in certain circumstances you may also be required to show that you had compelling reasons for your last departure or continued absence from Australia). More information about demonstrating substantial business, cultural, employment and personal ties to Australia can be found at http://www.immi.gov.au/migrants/_pdf/155-checklist.pdf
• You may also qualify for an RRV if you are a spouse/partner or dependent child of a current RRV holder, and you have previously held Australian permanent residency.
APPLICATION FOR A RESIDENT RETURN VISA (RRV):
IF YOU ARE OUSTIDE OF AUSTRALIA YOU ARE ABLE TO APPLY FOR AN RRV ONLINE ON THE WEBSITE ‘www.immi.gov.au/migrants/residents/155/how-to-apply.htm’.
APPLICATION CAN ALSO BE MADE IN PERSON AT ANY OFFICE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP (PAPER BASED APPLICATION:
Application form to be completed: Form 1085
Please download the most recent version of the form 1085 from the website http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/ before completing.
Visa Application Charge (VAC): Mauritian rupees 10,100 equivalent to Aud 345. The visa application charge must be paid at the time of lodging the visa application.
Non-Internet Application Charge: Mauritian rupees 2,400, equivalent to Aud 80. This is applicable in the case where the applicant who is eligible to apply for the visa online decides to lodge a paper-based application at any office of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship outside of Australia.
The Australian High Commission accepts payment of VACs in Mauritian rupees only. Payment must be made in cash or by bank guaranteed cheques made payable to 'Australian High Commission'. Other methods of payments (eg company/personal cheques and bank transfers) cannot be accepted.
Payments using credit cards are processed in Australian Dollars (AUD) only (Mastercard, Visa, AMEX, Diners, JCB).
Note: If paying by credit card in Australian Dollars you may incur banking and currency conversion fees and you accept the risk associated with any currency fluctuations.
Please Note: The Visa Application Charge is for the processing of the application and must be paid regardless of the application outcome. There are only limited circumstances in which refunds can be given.
Documentation to be submitted:
Attached is an application checklist to assist you in lodging your application. Please complete and submit this checklist along with a completed and signed application form. Please remember to include ALL mandatory supporting documentation.
Applications can only be processed efficiently if ALL mandatory supporting documentation is provided at the time of lodgment. A decision may be made on the information available without requesting further documentation.
Note: All supporting documentation must be in English or accompanied by a certified translation. See details below of who can translate and certify documents.
Mandatory Requirements Tick the documents you are submitting Official use only
Form: 1085
Payment of the Australian Government Visa Application Charge.
A clear and legible plain photocopy of the bio data page of a passport with at least 6 months validity AND a recent passport photograph ( no longer that 6 months)
If you are applying for a replacement of a lost, stolen or damaged RRV visa label – an affidavit explaining how the label was lost
A photocopy of the bio data page of your current valid passport
For a 5 year RRV (subclass155): You must have spent two of the last five years in Australia.
For a 1 year RRV (subclass 155): If your last departure from Australia was as a permanent resident or Australian citizen:
• you must provide evidence of substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties of benefit to Australia
and
• if you have been absent for more than five continuous years since your last departure from Australia as an Australian permanent resident or Australian citizen, you must provide evidence of compelling reasons for your absence over five years.
If your last departure from Australia was not as an Australian permanent resident or Australian citizen:
• you must provide evidence of substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties of benefit to Australia
and
• you must have been an Australian citizen, or an Australian permanent resident, less than 10 years before the application
and
• if you have been absent from Australia for a total period of more than five years since last departing as an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident you must provide evidence of compelling reasons for your absence.
For a 3 month RRV (subclass 157): you must have been in Australia as an Australian permanent resident for one day (but less than 2 years) in the last 5 years and you must demonstrate compassionate and compelling reasons for your last departure from Australia
If you have been outside of Australia for more than 3 months, you have to have compelling and compassionate reasons for your last departure from Australia
Or
The applicant must not have been absent from Australia for more than 3 months unless there are compelling and compassionate reasons for the absence.
If you are applying on the basis that you are the spouse/partner or dependent child of a current RRV holder, and you have previously held permanent residence- evidence of your previous permanent residence and passport must be submitted. A full unabridged birth certificate as well as marriage certificate must be submitted to show your relationship to the RRV holder.
Dependents over the age of 18 years applying as part of the family unit must complete form 47A. Documentary financial evidence must be presented to prove that the applicant’s basic living needs for food, clothing and shelter are met by their parent/s
** For any original documents that are to be returned, please provide copies and place the originals in a separate envelope.
Translating your documents
Original documents in languages other than English should be accompanied by an English translation. The English translations must be official certified translations and should be endorsed by the translator with their full name, address, telephone number, and details of their qualifications and experience in the language being translated.
Certified copies
Certified copies are authorised or stamped as true copies of the original by a person authorised to do so under the law of the country that you are in.
People authorised to certify copies in Mauritius include (but are not limited to):
• Solicitors
• Lawyers
• Barristers
• Registered migration agents
REQUEST FOR RE-EVIDENCE OF A RESIDENT RETURN VISA (RRV), OR BF111 (ATR or RE) must be made by submitting the following:
- Duly completed and signed Form 1405 'Visa Label Request Form'. Form 1405 must be downloaded from the website 'http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/'.
- The ORIGINAL of a valid passport
- The visa evidencing charge (VEC) of Aud 70, equivalent to Mauritian Rupees 2,100
The Australian High Commission accepts payment of VEC in Mauritian rupees. Payment must be made in cash or by bank guaranteed cheques made payable to 'Australian High Commission'. Other methods of payments (eg company/personal cheques and bank transfers) cannot be accepted.
Payments using credit cards are processed in Australian Dollars (AUD) only (Mastercard, Visa, AMEX, Diners, JCB).
Note: If paying by credit card in Australian Dollars you may incur banking and currency conversion fees and you accept the risk associated with any currency fluctuations.
REQUESTING A VISA LABEL FOR A RESIDENT RETURN VISA:
• Australia does not require travellers to have a label in their passport, however, clients are still provided with the option of requesting one if it is necessary for transit or exit purposes. It is the traveller’s responsibility to confirm other countries’ transit or exit requirements before travel to Australia.
• From 24 November 2012, if travellers still need or request a label they will need to pay a fee for it. This cost for a visa label is called the Visa Evidence Charge (VEC). Travellers can only request and pay for a visa label if they have a current Australian visa. Regardless of when a visa application was lodged or granted, anyone who requests a visa label after 24 November 2012 will be charged.
• The charge for a visa label is AUD70, equivalent to Mauritian rupees 2,100.
The Australian High Commission accepts payment of VEC in Mauritian rupees. Payment must be made in cash or by bank guaranteed cheques made payable to 'Australian High Commission'. Other methods of payments (eg company/personal cheques and bank transfers) cannot be accepted.
Payments using credit cards are processed in Australian Dollars (AUD) only (Mastercard, Visa, AMEX, Diners, JCB).
Note: If paying by credit card in Australian Dollars you may incur banking and currency conversion fees and you accept the risk associated with any currency fluctuations.
Request for a visa label can be made as follows:
- By making a verbal request at the visa counter and submitting the original of the passport and making payment of the VEC
- By submitting a duly completed and signed Form 1405and the original of the passport and making payment of the VEC
Note: Form 1405 'Visa Label Request Form' must be downloaded from the website 'http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/' .
The Visa Evidencing process may take up to 7 working days.