Pacific Engagement Visa (Subclass 192) - Australian Visa

Overview

If we select you in the ballot, you have 120 days to submit your application. If you miss the deadline we will not accept your application.

It may take time to find employment in Australia. If you do not have an offer of employment when you apply, provide it as soon as you can after you apply.

We have a free service to connect you with employers to help you meet the visa job requirement. This service will also help you prepare for life in Australia. Refer to The Pacific Engagement visa Support Service.

Stay

Permanently in Australia.

Cost

From AUD335.00

Processing times

An indication of the processing times for this visa is not yet available as it is a new visa program. We will update the estimated processing times for this visa at a later date. For general information on the variations in processing times see Visa processing times.

With this visa, you can...

live, work and study anywhere in Australia indefinitely
sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia
apply for Australian citizenship if eligible.

See all conditions

Check your eligibility

You must

be selected in the PEV ballot to apply for visa
apply online on or before the date specified in your Notification of Selection letter
be a citizen of a participating country
be aged between 18 and 46 inclusive

Help with your visa

If you are getting help with your visa, before you pay someone, read information on Who can help with your visa application.

The Australian Government is providing a free service to connect you with employers in Australia to help you meet the job requirement for the visa and prepare for life in Australia. You can find more information at The Pacific Engagement visa Support Service.

About this visa

With this visa you can

How long you can stay

With this visa you can

stay in Australia permanently
live, work and study anywhere in Australia
travel to and from Australia as long as your travel facility permits.
sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia
access Australia's public health care scheme, Medicare
if eligible, apply for Australian citizenship.

Newly arrived residents may have to wait before they can access certain Australian Government payments and benefits.

How long you can stay

This is a permanent visa. It lets you stay in Australia indefinitely.

For citizenship purposes, your permanent residence starts on either the day:

we grant the visa, if you are in Australia or
you enter Australia on this visa, if you are outside Australia.

Travel

You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date we grant you this visa. This is as long as the travel facility remains valid.

If you want to travel after the initial 5-year travel facility, you must apply for and be granted a Resident Return visa so that you can re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.

See when your travel facility ends, use VEVO.

For more information, see Overseas travel as a permanent resident.

You might also want to consider Australian citizenship. If you become an Australian citizen, you don’t need a visa to enter Australia. Once you are an Australian citizen you can apply for an Australian passport. You can travel to and from Australia on your Australian passport. For more information, see Australian Citizenship.

Include family

You must include all who wish to come to Australia with you in your application. You will not be able to add them to your application after you have submitted your application.

Where you have included a non-biological child a member of the family unit due to adoption, you need to provide further supporting evidence.

Generally, adoptions are either formal or customary. In a formal adoption, the child who is adopted becomes the legal child of the adopting parents and a legal member of the adopting family.

Customary adoptions are generally not recognised in Australia. Australia recognises adoptions which formally establish parental rights and responsibilities. These adoptions must comply with specific legal requirements to be recognised under Australian migration law.

For visa purposes, members of the family unit do not include your parents or partners parents, aunts, uncles, or cousins.

Family members who apply for this visa must meet our health and character requirements. They must have also complied with the conditions of any previous visas held. Family members not coming to Australia might also need to meet health and character requirements.

Newborn child

Find out what to do if your child is born after you apply.

Cost

From AUD335.00, for the main applicant.

From AUD80.00, for each family member who applies for the visa with you.

Your application will be invalid if you do not pay the correct visa application charge.

To work out what your visa will cost, you can use the Visa Pricing Estimator. The estimator does not take into account other costs, such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

Apply from

You can be inside or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance, when you apply for the visa and when we decide on your application.

Processing times

For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.

We assess applications on a case-by-case basis. Actual processing times can vary due to individual circumstances including:

whether you have submitted a complete visa application, including all supporting documents (see Check twice, submit once)
how quickly you to respond to requests for more information
how long it takes to perform required checks on supporting information provided
how long it takes to receive further information from external agencies, particularly about health, character, and national security requirements.

Visa label

We will electronically link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.

Eligibility

Be selected in the Pacific Engagement stream visa (PEV) ballot

You can only apply for this visa if you have been randomly selected in the PEV ballot. If we have invited you to apply, you will have received a Notification of Selection letter.

The letter provides a link to the visa application and details on how to apply for this visa.

You have 120 days from the date of selection to complete and submit a visa application online. You must apply for this visa on or before the date specified in your Notification of Selection letter. We cannot accept your application if you try to apply after this date.

You can monitor the status of your ballot registration through your ImmiAccount.

The status of each ballot will be published on the Pacific Engagement stream visa (PEV) Country Ballot Status table. After the ballot selection process is shown as expired, no further registrations will be selected.

Be a citizen of a participating country

You must be a citizen of and hold a valid passport from one of these participating countries:

Federated State of Micronesia
Fiji
Kiribati
Nauru
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Timor-Leste
Tonga
Vanuatu

You must apply for this visa as a citizen of the same country you declared in your ballot registration.

Be born, or have a parent born in, a listed country

You must have been born in, or have a parent that was born in one of these countries:

Australia*
Federated State of Micronesia
Fiji
Kiribati
Nauru
Palau
Papua New Guinea
New Zealand*
Republic of Marshall Islands
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Timor-Leste
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu

* Some eligible citizens may have been born outside of their country of citizenship to access alternative medical facilities. We have included Australia and New Zealand in this list to recognise this.

Must not be a citizen of New Zealand

You must not be a citizen of New Zealand.

New Zealand citizens who have been living in Australia for four years or more might be eligible to apply directly for Australian citizenship.

For more information, see Pathways for New Zealand citizens.

Be this age

You must be aged between 18 to 45 years (inclusive) on the date the ballot registration period opens for your country.

If you are 45 years of age at the time the ballot opens and turn 46 years of age during the application process, you will still meet the age requirement.

To check when the registration opens for individual countries see PEV Country Ballot Status.

Have this visa

You may be in or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance, when you apply for this visa.

If you are applying in Australia, you must hold a:

or
Bridging visa A, Bridging visa B or Bridging visa C

Have an offer of employment in Australia

You, or your spouse or de facto partner included in your application, must have an offer of employment in Australia.

For this visa you must show us that you have adequate means to support yourself and your family members in Australia.

An offer of employment can be permanent full-time, permanent part-time or a fixed-term contract (for example, a contract for 12 months). Your fixed-term contract must have the same work entitlements as a permanent full-time or a permanent part-time employee.

Casual contracts are not considered ongoing employment.

The employment offer must include:

details of the position
details of the salary and work conditions
details of the Australian employer.

Need Assistance

All people working in Australia have the same basic workplace rights and protections, regardless of citizenship or visa status. If the department is aware of adverse information about an Australian organisation it may affect their suitability as an employer.

For information on:

sanctioned sponsors see - Register of sanctioned sponsors
minimum pay and conditions, and your employer’s obligations see Fair Work Ombudsman.

Be able to support yourself and any migrating family members

You must have adequate means to support yourself and your family members included in your application while you are in Australia.

This will show us that you and your family members can manage a change in lifestyle and meet basic living costs in Australia.

There is no financial threshold applied to ‘adequate means’. These costs will vary significantly based on individual circumstances, including the size and composition of your family and the location of where you live in Australia.

We may need you to show that you have access to adequate means of financial support for yourself and your family in the first 12 months in Australia.

Your offer of employment counts as evidence to show you can support yourself and your family members in Australia.

Newly arrived residents may have to wait before they can access certain Australian Government payments and benefits.

Meet English language requirements

You, or your spouse or de facto partner included in your visa application, must show that you have a certain level of English language proficiency. This is to support a positive settlement in Australia.

Evidence of English Language Proficiency

You will meet the English language proficiency if you, or your spouse or de facto partner:

graduated from secondary schooling in a Pacific island country or
entered Australia on a visa with work rights where you have worked in Australia for a period that adds up to 12 months or more or
studied in Australia at a secondary school level or higher for a total period that adds up to 12 months or more or
spent a total period that adds up to 12 months or more working or studying in one of the following countries:
United Kingdom
United States of America
Canada
New Zealand; or
have completed an English language test, and achieved the required result, in either the 3 years before:
- the date of submitting a valid visa application or
- we decide your visa application, if you did not give evidence of an English language test at the time you applied.

English language test

This table shows suitable English language test providers. It also states the minimum overall band scores you must achieve.

Required English language test scores.

Test

Required results

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

Score of at least 5.0 for each of the listening and speaking test components of the test.

Occupational English Test (OET)

Score of at least ‘B’ for each of the listening and speaking test components of the test.

Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT)

Score of at least 4 for the listening component of the test; and

Score of at least 14 for the speaking component of the test.

Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic)

Score of at least 36 for each of the listening and speaking components of the test.

Cambridge C1 Advanced test

Score of at least 154 for each of the listening and speaking components of the test.

Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) English Language Undertaking

If you, or your spouse or de facto partner, cannot show you meet the required level of English, you can complete a PEV English Language Undertaking. The PEV English Language Undertaking is an agreement that you make with the Australian Government to participate in the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) to improve your English language skills, if eligible, after you arrive in Australia.

The AMEP is a free service to help eligible migrants improve their English language skills and settle into Australia.

If you agree to enrol in AMEP when you arrive in Australia, you must read and complete the Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) English Language Undertaking form and attach it to your visa application.

For more information about the program, see Adult Migrant English Program.

If you cannot meet the English Language proficiency level through the options provided, we might ask you to complete an English language test. You will need to achieve the required test score to demonstrate your English language ability.

Have complied with previous visa conditions

You and any included family members, must have substantially complied with any conditions that apply or applied to a held Australian substantive visa or bridging visa. If you were unable to substantially comply, there must have been compassionate and compelling circumstances.

Not have had a visa cancelled or previous application refused

We will consider the immigration history of you, and any included family members, when we decide on your application. This means you might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused.

In some situations, you might still be able to apply for a permanent visa if you have had a visa cancelled or an application refused. For more information, see Limitations on applications in Australia (129KB PDF).

If applying for a visa from outside Australia, see Can I go to Australia.

If you want immigration assistance, see Who can help with your visa application.

Meet the health requirement

You, and any family members who apply for the visa with you, must meet our health requirement.

Family members not included in the visa application might also need to meet the health requirement.

You should not organise your health examinations until after you are successful in the ballot and invited to apply for the visa.

The results of health examinations are generally valid for 12 months.

Meet the character requirement

You and family members aged 16 years and over who apply for the visa with you must meet our character requirement.

Family members not included in the visa application might also need to meet the character requirement.

Have paid back your debt to the Australian Government

If you or any family members owe the Australian Government money, you or they must pay it back or have arranged to pay it back. This includes family members who did not apply for the visa with you.

Sign the Australian values statement

You, and any family members aged 18 years or older in your visa application, must have:

read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia booklet
signed an Australian Values Statement. This confirms you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.

Best interests of the child

We will not grant this visa if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18.

Meet all these criteria? Check how to apply in our step by step guide.

How to apply

Step 1

Before you apply

Read the comic (3MB PDF) to learn more about the Pacific Engagement stream visa (PEV)

You can only apply for this visa if:

you registered in the Pacific Engagement stream visa (PEV) ballot
you have been randomly selected as a participant to apply for this visa
you use the link to the online visa application form that we sent in your Notification of Selection letter or apply through ImmiAccount.

You must lodge a valid visa application on or before the expiry date specified in your Notification of Selection letter.

Check your passport is up to date

You (the primary applicant) must have a valid passport or travel document to submit an application for this visa.

It is preferred that your family members also have a valid passport or travel document at the time of application however, if they do not have one this information can be provided to the department at a later date.

Get help with your application

Only some people can help you with your application. If you appoint someone to give you immigration assistance they must be either:

You can appoint anyone to receive documents on your behalf relating to your visa matter. We call this person your authorised recipient

Assistance outside Australia

The Australian Government is providing a free service to connect you with employers in to help you meet the job requirement for the visa and prepare for life in Australia. You can find more information at The Pacific Engagement visa Support Service.

Meeting the job requirement does not guarantee you will be granted this visa. To be granted this visa, you need to meet the other eligibility criteria.

Step 2

Gather your documents

Before you apply for your visa, gather and prepare your documents.

You will need to provide identity, character and other documents. You will also need to provide documents for your partner and any dependent children included in your application.

The Pacific Engagement stream document checklist (414KB PDF) may assist you to gather your documents for your visa application.

Provide accurate information

You must provide accurate information. See what happens if you can't prove your identity or do not provide true information.

Offer of employment

You must provide evidence that you or your partner included in your application has an offer of employment in Australia.

This must be a written job offer or employment contract for ongoing employment in Australia that includes:

details of the position
details of the wages and conditions that are no less favourable than those that apply, or would apply, to a Australian citizen performing equivalent work at the same location
details of the Australian employer, including business registration and contact details
the Australian workplace standards or industry award that applies to your position.

It may take time to arrange employment in Australia. If you are unable to provide this information at the time of submitting your application, you must provide it as soon as you can after you submit your application.

Means to support yourself and any migrating family members

You may be required to demonstrate that you have access to adequate means of financial support for your first 12 months in Australia.

This may include:

earnings from your current employment offer in Australia such as payslips or bank statements
potential earnings from your, or your spouse or de facto partner’s employment offer in Australia
access to personal funds
support from family members in Australia who are citizens or permanent residents.

Identity documents

You must provide the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates.

You must also provide:

a national identity card, if you have one
proof of change of name, if relevant.

Documents that prove a change of name include:

a marriage or divorce certificate
change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, or the relevant overseas authority
documents that show other names you have been known by.

Documents that prove that you or your parent was born in a participating country include:

personal details page of your passport
personal details page of your parent’s passport
your parent’s birth certificate.

For more information, go to Eligibility.

Relationship documents

You must provide proof if you are or have been married, widowed, divorced or permanently separated. Documents that prove this include:

marriage certificates
divorce documents
death certificates
separation documents
statutory declarations.

If your partner or dependent children are not included in this application, tell us why. For example, they may already hold Australian citizenship or be a permanent resident.

Character documents

You must provide an Australian police certificate if you have spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since you turned 16.

We only accept complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police. We do not accept standard disclosure certificates or national police certificates issued by Australian state or territory police.

For immigration purposes, Australian police certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue.

You must also provide an overseas police certificate from every country where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16. This includes your home country. For information for each country, go to our

If you have served in the armed forces of any country, you must provide military service records or discharge papers.

Learn more about police certificates.

Partner documents

We need to see evidence of your partner's identity and relationship with you.

You must provide:

identity documents and photos
character documents
your marriage certificate, if applicable
documents about other relationships, if applicable.

For de facto relationships, provide either:

evidence that your relationship is registered by an Australian state or territory
documents to prove you have been in a de facto relationship with your partner for at least 12 months before you apply.

For both married and de facto applicants, you must provide evidence that you are in a genuine and continuing relationship. Evidence can include but is not limited to:

joint bank account statements
billing accounts in both names
joint leases or mortgages
documents that show your partner has lived at the same address as you.

Parental responsibility documents

You must get consent for any applicant under 18 years of age to migrate to Australia from anyone who both:

has a legal right to decide where the child lives
is not coming to Australia with the child.

They must complete either:

Form 1229 Consent form to grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18 years (276KB PDF)
a statutory declaration which gives their consent for the child to migrate to Australia on this visa.

Alternatively, you can show us either:

an Australian court order that allows your child to migrate to Australia
that the laws of your home country allow them to migrate.

You must include:

an identity document that shows the signature and photo of the person who completed the form or declaration, such as a passport or drivers licence
adoption papers or other court documents, if applicable.

Documents for dependants under 18

For every dependant 18 years old or younger who is applying with you, you must provide:

copies of birth certificates or the family book showing the names of both parents of all your dependent children
copies of the adoption paper, if applicable
parental responsibility documents, if applicable.

Where a non-biological child is included as a member of the family unit due to adoption, further supporting evidence is required. Adoption can be either formal or customary.

In a formal adoption, the child who is adopted becomes the legal child of the adopting parents and a legal member of the adopting family.

Documents for dependants over 18

To include your child who is over 18 in your visa application, they must hold an eligible visa that was granted on the basis that they were a member of your family unit.

You must provide:

identity documents
proof of your relationship with the dependant such as a birth certificate or adoption papers
completed Details of child or other dependent family member aged 18 years Form 47A
character documents
marriage certificate, if applicable
documents about other relationships, if applicable.

English language proficiency

You must provide evidence that you, or your spouse or de facto spouse meet the English language proficiency for the PEV.

Evidence of English language proficiency may include:

an official education transcript showing completion of secondary school in a Pacific island country
evidence that you worked or studied in either Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, or Republic of Ireland for a period of 12 months or more.

You can still apply for this visa if you or your spouse or de facto partner do not currently meet the above English language proficiency requirements. However, you will need to undertake to enrol in the Adult English Migration Program (AMEP) when you arrive in Australia.

To undertake to enrol in AMEP when you arrive in Australia, you must attach the Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) English Language Undertaking form to your application.

For more information, go to Eligibility.

Tell us you are getting help

To nominate someone to:

receive your correspondence, use Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (301KB PDF)
provide immigration assistance, use Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person (308KB PDF).

Upload your written notification or your forms to ImmiAccount.

Prepare your documents

Translate

You must have all non-English documents translated into English.

You must provide both the original and translated documents in your application.

Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.

Translators outside Australia do not have to be accredited but on each translation, they must include their:

full name
address and telephone number
qualifications and experience in the language they are translating.

These details must be in English.

Scan or photograph

Scan or photograph all documents (English and non-English) in colour.

The scans and photos must be clear.

You do not need to have any documents certified.

If a document is more than one page, save it all as one file.

Attach your documents to your application

Attach a document only once, even if you are using it to show more than one thing.

Learn more about attaching documents.

Step 3

Apply for the visa

You can only apply for this visa if you have been randomly selected in the Pacific Engagement stream visa (PEV) ballot. If we have invited you to apply, you will have received a Notification of Selection letter.

The letter provides a link to the visa application and details on how to apply for this visa.

You can be inside or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance, when you apply for this visa.

Apply for this visa online

Access the online visa application form through the link provided in your Notification of Registration Selection letter or online through the link generated in your ImmiAccount.
Complete the online application form.
Attach your documents.
Pay the visa application charge. We will not process your application until you pay the visa application charge.
Note your transaction reference number (TRN).

Step 4

After you apply

We will let you know when we have received your application.

If you are granted a bridging visa, you will receive notification of your visa grant.

We may send you a letter if we need further information for your visa application.

You will have 28 days to respond to this letter and give us the information or documents requested. If you need more time to give us this information you can ask for an extension. Tell us how much time you need and attach a letter with what steps you have taken to obtain the requested information to immiAccount.

You may attach evidence of the following to your ImmiAccount to show what steps you have taken:

Evidence of applying for a police check
Evidence of contacting the Pacific Engagement Support Centre about obtaining employment
Evidence of your appointment to complete health examinations
Evidence of steps you have taken to obtain other information we may have requested.

Organise health examinations

You might not need to have all the health examinations again if you had any in the last 12 months. We will let you know if you need to complete health examinations.

You can check if we need more information from you in ImmiAccount.

Find out more about the examinations you might need and how to arrange them.

Status updates

We do not give updates on applications under assessment. We will let you know if you need to provide any further information.

You can check if we need more information from you in ImmiAccount.

Travel after you apply

You don't have to tell us if you want to travel outside Australia while we process your application.

If you leave Australia, make sure you have a valid visa to return. To see if you can return on your current visa, check VEVO.

Learn about visa expiry.

Biometrics

We might ask you for biometrics. This includes things like your fingerprints or a photo. We will let you know if you need to provide them.

Attach more information

If you did not attach all documents when you applied, attach them as soon as you can in ImmiAccount.

We might ask you to provide more information. However, we do not have to do so and we may make a decision on your application without asking for more documents.

Stay lawful

If you apply for this visa in Australia, make sure you stay lawful by holding a valid visa while we process your application.

If you apply for this visa in Australia, you may be automatically granted a bridging visa (BV). If your current visa expires before we decide on your application, the BV will come into effect. We will notify you of the grant of your BV. You can stay in Australia on the BV while we process your new visa application.

For more information, go to:

Do not ask to have the visa you currently hold cancelled. If your visa is cancelled:

you will be staying in Australia unlawfully
your BV will cease.

Learn more about visa expiry.

Newborn child

If you have a child after you submit your application but before we decide on your visa, you must tell us as soon as possible.

Find out what to do if your child is born after you apply.

Mistakes on your application

You must tell us as soon as possible if you made a mistake on your application.

Complete Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers (168KB PDF). Then, attach the completed form in ImmiAccount.

Help with your application

Let us know if you no longer want someone to:

receive your correspondence - complete Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (301KB PDF)
provide immigration advice - complete Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person (308KB PDF).

Upload your written notification or your forms to ImmiAccount.

For more information, see Who can help you with your application.

Tell us if things change

You must let us know if things change after you have applied but before we make a decision. Changes you must notify us of include:

changes to your phone number, email, address or passport
changes to your marital or de facto status
if you want to withdraw your application.

Removing your application from ImmiAccount does not withdraw it.

See how to tell us if your situation changes.

Step 5

Visa outcome

You can be inside or outside Australia when we decide your visa application. We will let you know our decision in writing.

If we grant you the visa, we will tell you:

your visa grant number
the date your visa starts
your visa conditions, if applicable.

Keep a copy of the decision.

If we refuse you the visa, we will tell you:

why we refused the visa
whether you have a right to a review of the decision.

We will not refund the application charge if we refuse your application.

The Australian Government’s free support service will offer information sessions in your country that include:

Information on travel and relocation
Practical advice about living in Australia
Information on community and government support.

You can find more information at The Pacific Engagement Visa Support Service.

When you have this visa

Coming to Australia

In Australia

Leaving Australia

Coming to Australia

Before you travel

Check your travel documents

You must have:

a valid visa to enter Australia
a valid passport or other travel document.

Arrive before first entry date

Your first entry to Australia must be on or before the date provided in your visa grant notification letter. The first entry date is generally 12 months from the date of visa grant.

If you do not enter Australia before this date, your visa will cease. You will no longer be allowed to travel to Australia as the holder of a permanent resident visa.

At the border

Complete an Incoming Passenger Card

All people arriving into Australia must complete the Incoming Passenger Card.

Use the SmartGate

We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. You might be able to leave the airport faster if you use SmartGate.

In Australia

When you have this visa, you can:

live, work and study anywhere in Australia
travel to and from Australia for 5 years, as long as your travel facility permits
sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia
access Australia's public health care scheme, Medicare
if eligible, apply for Australian citizenship.

For more information about travelling on this visa, see Overseas travel as a permanent resident.

What you must do on this visa

You and your family members must obey all Australian laws.

You can check visa details and conditions in VEVO.

Tell us if things change

See what to do if your situation changes.

How long you can stay

This is a permanent visa. It lets you stay in Australia indefinitely.

Access Australian Government benefits

As a newly arrived resident, you might have to wait to access certain Australian Government payments and benefits. Learn more about newly arrived resident’s waiting periods from Services Australia.

Settlement support

You are entitled to a range of settlement support services that will help you and your family have a positive experience settling into Australia. These include:

The SETS program gives settlement-related information and assistance, and referral to relevant services.

As a permanent resident, you will have access to certain Australian Government benefits, including:

Medicare
Commonwealth-supported university places
the Child Care Subsidy
Family Tax Benefit Part B.

As a PEV holder, you will have access to additional supports to help with the cost of education, training and raising a family in Australia. These include:

Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
VET Student Loans (VSL)
Youth Allowance (Student)
Youth Allowance (Apprentice)
Family Tax Benefit Part A.

Travelling on your visa

You can travel to and from Australia for 5 years from the date we grant the visa. After the initial 5 years, to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident you will need a Resident Return (RRV) visa (subclass 155 or 157).

To see when your travel facility ends, use VEVO.

Proving you have a visa

To prove you have a visa and show your conditions to someone, use VEVO.

Working

You are protected by Australian workplace law. See your workplace rights and entitlements.

Bringing family

As an Australian permanent resident, you might be able to sponsor eligible family to come to Australia.

To find a visa for your family member, explore visa options.

Becoming an Australian citizen

After a certain amount of time, you might be eligible for Australian citizenship. Find out more about becoming a citizen.

For citizenship purposes, your permanent residence starts on either the day:

we grant the visa if you are in Australia
you enter Australia on this visa if you are outside Australia.

Leaving Australia

Before you leave

Check your travel documents

You must have a valid passport or other travel document to leave Australia and return.

Ensure your visa is still valid and will allow you to re-enter Australia

Check the travel component of your visa in VEVO.

See what to do if your visa has expired or is about to expire.

At the border

Leaving the airport faster

We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. You could leave the airport faster if you use SmartGate.

After you leave

Proving you have been to Australia

To get proof of your travel in and out of Australia, you can request a copy of your international movement records.

Return to Pacific Engagement landing page

Official Information

For complete eligibility requirements, application process, processing times and costs, visit the official Department of Home Affairs page.

View on Home Affairs

Important Disclaimer

The information on this page is intended as a general guide only. Always verify the latest details on the official Department of Home Affairs website or seek help from a registered migration agent.