On 1 July 2026, the application charge for Australia’s Return (Residence) visa, including the Subclass 155 and Subclass 157 Resident Return Visas, increased from approximately AUD 490 to AUD 1,475 for most applicants.

This represents an increase of AUD 985, or approximately 201%. In other words, the fee has more than tripled overnight.

The relevant regulations were registered on 30 June 2026 and commenced on 1 July 2026, leaving permanent residents and migrant communities with effectively no meaningful advance notice or opportunity to prepare for, question or provide feedback on this extraordinary increase.

A Resident Return Visa does not grant a person permanent residency for the first time. It provides a travel facility that allows an existing Australian permanent resident to return to Australia as a permanent resident after their previous travel facility has expired. It may be essential for permanent residents who need to travel overseas for family emergencies, employment, caregiving responsibilities, medical matters or other unavoidable reasons.

The Government’s explanatory statement indicates that most visa application charges increased by approximately 25%, while the Return (Residence) visa was subjected to a separate targeted increase. However, the published material offers only broad references to administrative costs, demand patterns and policy objectives. It does not provide any RRV-specific cost calculation, financial modelling or evidence demonstrating why an increase of approximately 201% is necessary, reasonable or proportionate.

The explanatory statement also indicates that consultation with stakeholders outside Commonwealth government agencies was not considered necessary. This is deeply concerning given the unprecedented scale of the increase and its immediate effect on permanent residents and their families.

This new fee is excessive, disproportionate and unfair.

It places a substantial financial burden on families, retirees, lower-income permanent residents and people temporarily overseas who need to return to the country they call home. For families in which several members require separate visas, the combined cost may amount to several thousand dollars.

Permanent residents have already undergone extensive immigration assessment and have contributed to Australia through employment, taxation, business, education and community participation. Their practical ability to return to Australia should not depend on whether they can afford a sudden and unexplained threefold increase in a government application charge.

We therefore call on the Australian Government to:

Immediately suspend or reverse the AUD 1,475 Resident Return Visa charge and restore the previous fee, or introduce a reasonable fee linked to actual processing costs and normal indexation.
Conduct an independent and transparent review of the pricing of Subclass 155 and Subclass 157 visas.
Publish the evidence used to determine the new fee, including processing-cost data, financial modelling, expected revenue and an assessment of the impact on permanent residents and families.
Undertake genuine public consultation with permanent residents, migrant communities, community organisations, immigration professionals and other affected stakeholders before implementing any major future increase.
Introduce transitional arrangements, including the previous fee or an appropriate refund, for people whose travel was arranged or whose need for an RRV arose before the increase was announced.
Establish a reasonable minimum notice period for significant future changes to visa fees so that affected people have time to understand and prepare for them.
Ensure that future visa charges are transparent, evidence-based and proportionate to the actual service being provided.
Permanent residents should not be confronted with an overnight threefold charge merely to maintain the practical ability to return to Australia.

Government fees must be reasonable, accountable and supported by transparent evidence. We urge the Australian Government and the Department of Home Affairs to reconsider this decision and correct this unfair pricing without delay.