​WHAT THIS VISA LETS YOU DO

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The FORMER RESIDENT VISA SUBCLASS 151 allows you to:

• stay in Australia permanently

• work and study in Australia

• enrol in Australia's public health care scheme, Medicare

• sponsor your relatives to come to Australia

• travel to and from Australia for up to 5 years from date of grant as long as the travel facility remains valid

• apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible

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ELIGIBILITY FOR THE FORMER RESIDENT VISA (SUBCLASS 151)

To be eligible for the Former Resident Visa (Subclass 151), you must:

• Be able to meet the long residence requirement, if applicable. You must be able to show us that you meet all these criteria:

  • if you are 18 years or older, spent at least 9 years in Australia as a Permanent resident before you turned 18 or if you are younger than 18, spent at least half of your life in Australia as a permanent resident 

  • younger than 45 years of age at the time you apply

  • have never been an Australian citizen

  • kept close business, cultural or personal ties with Australia (after you were no longer a permanent resident), including any regular contact with relatives or friends, frequent visits, owning property or having active business interests OR

• Be able to meet the defence services requirement, if applicable. You must be able to show us that you meet one of these conditions:

  • completed at least 3 months of continuous Australian defence service 

  • discharged from the Australian Defence Force before 3 months of service because you were medically unfit because of your Australian defence service

• You must be under 45 years of age to meet the long residence requirement unless you meet the defence services requirement.

• You must meet all necessary health requirements.

• Meet all necessary character requirements.

• You may be asked to provide an assurance of support.

• There needs to be no outstanding debt to the Australian government.

• You can not have had a previous visa cancelled or refused.