There are various reasons why people choose to migrate to Australia from Singapore or Malaysia or anywhere in the region, but what does an Australian permanent residency (PR) allow you to do?
This article will go through just a few of the benefits that Australian permanent residents and Australian citizens enjoy.
Stay Indefinitely in Australia
There is a bit of confusion about how long you can stay in Australia after you get a permanent residency visa approved.
Some people think that it allows you to stay 5 years at a time, as what appears as the ‘must not enter date’ on visa grant letters is usually 5 years after the visa grant date.
This is not correct.
If you have a permanent residency, you can stay in Australia indefinitely as long as you never leave. The 5 year or 1 year expiry dates are for your authority to travel or remain outside Australia while still maintaining your status as a permanent resident.
For example if you live in Singapore, when your visa is approved, usually you are given 1 year to make the initial arrival to Australia (basically fly in to ‘activate’ you via, you can then leave back to Singapore).
After that you stay in Singapore until the ‘5 year date’ on your visa latter. At this point if you choose to stay outside of Australia after that date, then yes, you could lose your travel authority, which means you’d need to apply for a renewal to enter Australian again as a permanent resident.
However, if you fly to Australia and stay past that date, it does matter. A permanent resident could stay onshore in Australia forever. Expiry dates only come in play when you want to travel outside the country.
Enrol in Medicare
Australia has arguably one of the best medical systems in the entire world.
The cornerstone of that is the Medicare program, which is run and controlled by the government across the country.
It provides for free care in public hospitals and subsidized fees for certain medical services and prescription medications.
Most clinics provide a rebate paid through medicare (private clinics) or fully free consultation and some procedures (bulk billed clinics) across Australia.
Mandatory immunization is free and can be taken at either private or bulk billed clinics in most major cities.
As a permanent resident, you gain access to Medicare service providers and public hospitals.
Even women who were not pregnant at the time of getting their PR approved will be able to use Medicare once their PR is approved while pregnant – there are no prerequisites or grace periods to wait out.
Buy Existing Residential Property
In most cities buying second hand residential property is only allowed by citizens and permanent residents. This measure was put into place to protect the market from an influx of foreign funds coming in and buying up entire neighbourhoods and pushing locals out to further suburbs.
Foreign buyers need to buy off the plan (brand new) residences as well as pay certain tax surcharges, making the price higher than what a local would pay.
As a permanent resident you would incur no surcharge for buying property of any type, in fact if it’s your first home you may even qualify for certain tax incentives of savings. We will cover more on this topic in a later article.
Childcare Rebates
The daycare and childcare industry in Australia is a very high demand one, with places in them very highly sought after by parents for their kids.
Because of this the daily price of childcare can be quite high depending on the type and location of your chosen provider.
The Child Care allowances are managed by Centrelink and can include:
Child Care Rebate helps with the cost of child care fees. It covers up to 50% of your out of pocket child care expenses up to an annual limit of $7,613 per child.
There are other childcare rebates as well, such as the Child Care Benefit that is a cash payment to help with childcare costs. Some of these benefits are income tested, but you would qualify for them immediately upon settling in Australia.
Get a Job
Just like in Singapore or Malaysia, you would need valid approval to work in the country before a company would be able to hire you, but in Australia the typical ‘work visa’ is not as common as in Singapore or Malaysia.
What this means is that most of the people who live in Australia are either on permanent residencies or provisional residencies and is something that companies ask for everyone applying for a position in the company.
This makes finding a job in Australia difficult without first being a resident, for example in Singapore you could apply for some of the larger companies from overseas with no current work permit, but if the company likes your qualifications and want to hire you, the process of getting a work permit is very straight forward.
In Australia this is not the case – the process of getting a work permit is difficult for both the company and the employee and can take many months to sort out.
That’s why most Australian companies hire almost exclusively permanent residents, even if you are overseas at the time of applying, as long as you are a permanent resident you would at least be open for consideration for the role.
Other things that a permanent resident can do, which we will cover in later articles include:
- Send their children to public education for a subsidized or free rate
- Qualify for certain social security benefits
- Apply for bank loans to buy property
- Apply for a first home owner’s grant
- Buy businesses and commercial property
- Start a business
60 responses
I have been in Australia since 1989 and traveled a few times back to Germany for Holiday and also stayed 3 years with my Mum in Germany when my Dad passed away in June 2015/ returned 2018 6th 0f December
I married my Australian Husband in Germany 2016 October 6th
I would like to become a Australian Citizen as I am Australian at Heart
I tried to apply but have difficulty with the forms as I have married
I got married to australian man in in Malaysia 2021 Iwould like to know how do request for permanent residence of Australia. Plan to going home after we are allowed to fly
Hi one of my colleagues will reach out to you shortly via email with visa options
I’m an Australian permenant resident. Stuck In UK. My 155 visa is due to expire in March.
I’m looking after a terminally ill parent. Don’t want to lose my resident status. Don’t think I can re enter Australia before then,
What can I do, please
You can still reapply for a 155 using your ties to Australia and reasons for absence, could you send us a message through the contact page and we can discuss further.
After staying in Australia what is the path forward for citizenship status.
You’ll need to be an onshore PR holder for 4 years before you can apply for citizenship.
IT Filipino Couple with 2 kids planning to migrate in Au. 10 years working in Sg.
Hi Ert, please reach out to us here: https://australmigrate.com/get-free-assessment/ and we will assess your options.
Can I lose my permanent humanitarian residency/Visa. In what circumstances??
Typically it’s through criminal activity
Kooi Lim,
I’ve been stuck in msia n can’t return to Aust. due to Covid n msia is strict to apply for travel pass. I doubt I can go back to Aust in time for my PR is due to expire in Jan 2022. I’ve PR111. What can I do to extend my PR.
Hi, if I was to get Subclass 189 or 190 visa as a QS, how long am I then tied into this occupation. Do I have to stay in this occupation for my entire stay in Australia (so indefinitely) or is there a minimum I must do? I
None of these visas are tied to a specific occupation, what you use to emigrate over has nothing to do with what you do when you move to Australia
Hi , I and my family got PR of Australia on 2015 and initially visit for one month and came back to Sri Lanka. Due to this COVID pandemic I couldn’t go there before 5 years so I got RRV . Now I want to know how long should I stay in Australia for confirm the PR and after that can I come to Srilanka.
Ultimately you’ll need to make Australia your home, so each time you need to renew your RRV they’ll ask you to prove why you are away. Keep that in mind
Kooi Lim,
I’ve been stuck in msia n can’t return to Aust. due to Covid n msia is strict to apply for travel pass. I doubt I can go back to Aust in time for my PR is due to expire in Jan 2022. I’ve PR111. What can I do to extend my PR.
Not sure what visa that is to be honest, normally if you have residency you can apply for a resident return visa, please fill in the form above and select resident return visa (RRV) and one of my colleagues will get back to you
I am An Australian PR leaving in Singapore and invested property for rental . intend to buy a home to stay in Australia do I have to pay double stamp duty? Am I entitle for Home grant for home ownership?
What are the residency requirements for Australian citizenship application if I leave Australia for more that 12 months in the past 4 years
I am australian PR and was granted the visa on December 2013. Unfortunately my husband & I had to return to Malaysia on 2014 due to my husband was losing his job during that time. I just want to know if our PR visa is still valid? If no, which visa do we need to apply if we were planning to return to Australia?
Hi Nur, your travel authority has expired, however we can help you with a resident return visa to get you 1 more year to get back. Please use any of the forms (https://australmigrate.com/get-free-assessment/) on our website and select ‘resident return visa’ and we’ll get back to you.
Hi, just asking if I am planning to go home for good. Should I inform department of home affair regarding my permanent resident. Please advise.
Is the time you live outside AUS on PR counted when apply for citizenship or only the time spent in AUS? How many years you need IN AUSTRALIA in order to apply the citizenship? I am on PR as wife but we live abroad.
Hi, just asking if I am planning to go home for good. Should I inform department of home affair regarding my permanent resident. Please advise.
You can update your address in immi to your overseas address, that’s probably all you need to do
I am a PR of Australia and I’ve been living in Australia for 1.5 years now. I just wanted to ask should a person with subclass-190 visa necessarily work in the occupation that they got the PR for ? and does it affect the citizenship process if I work in a completely different field since I arrived in Australia?
You can work in anything you want.
Hi I’m currently working in Australia and I have a 155 permanent residency visa. I’m wanting to go self employed will this visa allow me to ? Thank you
With a 155 visa you can do anything you want
I am pr for australia under the subclass 186 I need to clear my doubts about my occupation that I have to work under the same employer till my citizenship or I can work anywhere else do it will affect my citizenship if change my job ?
subclass 186 is PR so you follow the rules of a PR
Hi. I’m an LLB graduate from Malaysia and intending to migrate to Australia. Currently, after much research, I found out that there are 2 ways to migrate safely which are through studying LLM at Australia or securing a career at Australia. However, I’m looking for scholarship options and I’m also a bit confused on whether I will be able to permanently reside there with a successful career in the legal field. Please do help advice on what options I have left and what alternatives may I look into as well. Ultimately keen to migrate in my younger times to secure a better future for my family and upcoming generation. Thank you!
If I get a PR and let suppose I am called by Melbourne or Adelaide but I want to go to Sydney, is it possible?
A permanent resident of Australia can live anywhere they want.
Hi I have just become a PR I would like to know how long do I have to stay in the country at a time and when will I be granted my citizenship. Is it after the 5 years I get my citizenship and how often can I leave Australia during those 5years.
My dad has been absent for 9 years and two months ,we arrived on carer visa, our visa got granted on December 2012, we arrived Australia on Feb 2013, our travel facility was valid till December 2017, he left australia on 20 Mar 2013 for family reasons, so he stayed about 1 and half month, in Australia only, havent seen him since that day, do you think he is eligible to apply for RRV visa, will it be granted, he was absent because of a political situation as we are from palestine, also he has some medical conditions at the time, he has recovered now, what do you think he should do?
I need to apply for RRV for my family
Am.singaporean .currently in london
One of my team will contact you
Hi, my PR granted on November 2015 but never make a visit to Australia includes the initial arrival. May I know is there a chance for PR is still valid?
I’m still waiting for my Permanent Partner’s Visa but have to accompany my wife for a permanent job transfer to their Paris office. What would be the impact on my PR application? Can i reapply for a Partners PR when we decided to go back to Australia, say after 10yrs? Is there any age reqt as i will be 65 by that time?
No issue, just make sure you let them know you have moved overseas, they’ll reach out to you via email when it’s time to convert to the PR
I had a permanent residency as of 1975 and moved back to the US in 1977 and then back and forth again so my husband could attend Uni 1980 – 1984. My husband is Australian and we have flown back to Australia a number of times for vacations and visits with family. It has been about 6 years since our last visit. We plan to move back to Australia. We are both retired my husband a retired Mechanical Engineer and I am a retired Accountant. Once I apply for permanent residency is there a specific timeframe to stay in Australia before visiting in USA as our daughter and grandchildren are in the USA? Australia is where we want to retire and reside.
Depends which visa you apply for. Typically the travel authority for permanent visas starts at 5 years. If you haven’t applied for an RRV that entire period you’re going to need one.
Hi,
I’m an expat living in Singapore, and I have a SC-190 visa granted for me and my spouse in early 2020. We’re still in Singapore and haven’t moved to Australia yet. Since our visa is valid until 2025, and the first-year visit has been exempted due to Covid, we are planning to travel by the end of 2024 or early 2025 right before the must-not-enter date.
We would need your advice on the below items –
– How long should we stay in Australia to be allowed to stay away while maintaining the residency status
– Are we eligible to travel to other states of Australia with this SC-190 visa?
– How to include our new-born into our application?
Thanks in advance.
Your new born will need a child visa. To maintain your residency status please read our article on the subclass 155. PRs can travel anywhere in Australia
Hi
I received my PR subclass 100 partner visa on Jan 29 2020. I entered Australia on Feb 2021-August 2021. I reentered in Nov 2022-Jan 2023.
My PR visa expires in Jan 2025 & says indefinite stay.
If i move to Australia before Jan 2025 will i have to apply for a new PR visa again before the expiry date of Jan 2025 or as my visa mentions period of stay = Indefinite i can stay in Australia still being a legal immigrant.
regards
You would only need to apply for an RRV when your partner visa travel authority expires.
Hello,
Thank you for all the information!
If im granted with a 190 visa for example as an Accountant. Can I look for a job in Finance or I will be limited to apply to jobs in other (bit similar) fields?
Thank you
You can work in any field you want.
Hi , i have a question regarding the PR,
If someone get PR, can he retain for 15 years ( 1 visit in every 5 years to Australia ). after 15 years, they can move to Australia and stay thereafter.
Hi,
I’ve lodged my application for 190 visa a few months ago.
My questions are:
1. I lodged it as an Electrical Engineer for my skills assessment. Once the pr is granted, can I switch to another line of profession?
2. In theory, the 190 visa says live, work and study in Australia. But as I understand it, you have an obligation to stay and work in the nominating state. Does this mean one can also study in the nominating state? Say if I wanted to pursue a higher degree such as a PhD or a masters while working in the state, is this allowed?
You can work as anything you want on a 190 visa.
Hi. Can you leave australia for 4 years straight while holding a permanent visa and return before your permanent visa expires? Thank you
Hi
Im looking for some better explanation regarding the travel restrictions once you have entered on a PR190 visa.
How many days a year, or for the 5 years are you allowed to be out of Aus
Regards
Hi,
I am Australian and my husband is US citizen. We applied for the partner visa off shore in the pandemic 2020 when we didn’t know where we were going to live. We moved to the usa for work purposes. He got the first part 309 approved and entered Australia with an extension to enter August 2022 just for the visa activation. We then did the next steps towards the visa 100- still waiting, however we have no intentions to move to Australia in the next 5 years. What do we do? How do we avoid the RVV – what costs are involved with those? What if we want to move back in 10 years not 5?
Hi,
My husband and I were granted the 189 visa in 2016 individually. We have made short visits to Australia but ever since covid we have not been able to go back to Australia and our visa has since expired.
Can I check if there are any ways to reinstate the our PR? If so, how long will the visa be granted for and also how long do we have to stay in Australia? Thank you!