Resident return visa

[MOHAMMAD]

Dear friends,
Recently I got the visa grant for STNI 137. I had heard that the department gives 5 years of unlimited travel to and from australia in case of PR visa. but in my case they have given only one year and after that I have to obtain a resident return visa. what can we do to get 5 years of unlimited travel to and from australia.

thanks

[Robert K Chelliah]

Hi Mohammad,

I suspect you have been granted a 137 Skilled Australian sponsored Permanent Residence visa. The one year period, most probably is to activate your PR visa by making the FIRST ENTRY into Australia for a day or two. The grant letter will say by which date you must make the first entry and if you do not enter Australia by that date your visa would become invalid. After your first entry you can leave Australia, say after a few days, and return to your country and stay there for UP TO 5 years as stated in your visa label. If you look at your visa label it will read " must not enter Australia after certain date" , ususally five years from date of visa grant.

The one year time period to make the first entry is not the same as the 5 years residence return visa.

I trust this explains the confusion between the two.


Rgds


Robert K Chelliah
rkc@austmigration.com.sg

[MOHAMMAD]

Mr. Robert K Chelliah,

Thank you very much for the detailed repyl.
Still I did not get the visa evidence into my passport. Once the visa is stamped in the passporst, I will see in the visa label as suggested by you.