a permanent resident visa lasts indefinitely in australia.
how long does a permanent resident visa last in australia?
indefinitely
on 26 february 2001, the howard government amended the social security act 1991 (ssa 1991). new zealand citizens may reside, work and study in australia indefinitely without needing to first apply for a visa. they are granted a special category visa (scv) sub-class 444 on arrival subject to meeting health and character requirements, however this is a temporary visa which was introduced on 1 september 1994. the amendment to the ssa 1991 excludes most nz citizens who arrived after 26 february 2001 from being eligible to apply for citizenship and claim social security payments. nz citizens who were in australia on 26 february 2001 or for 12 months in the two years prior, or who hold a centrelink certificate issued under the social security act 1991 stating that they were residing in australia on a particular date are considered to be "protected" scv holders. these people are entitled to much the same as australian permanent visa holders. they may also apply for citizenship provided they meet the residence requirement. "non-protected" scv holders (those nz citizens who don't meet the february 2001 criteria) who wish to become australian citizens must first obtain a permanent visa. about 60% of the nz citizens in australia do not qualify for any of the permanent visas. those nz citizens who are non-protected scv holders but who entered australia at any time before september 1994 may be eligible for a resident return visa (rrv). nz citizens who entered australia before september 1994 were granted permanent residence on arrival and the rrv reinstates that permanent resident status. many nz citizens who have obtained a permanent visa sponsor their nz citizen partner and nz-born children. the fees nz citizens pay for a permanent visa are the same as the fees people from other countries pay, even though the nz citizen applicants may have lived and paid taxes in australia since 2001, while those from other countries may have never contributed anything to australia at the time of applying for a permanent visa. the amendments to the ssa 1991 have created an underclass of residents in australia, from inaccessibility to assistance in the event of sudden job loss or severe illness, to being ineligible to access the recently introduced national disability insurance scheme which is funded via an increased medicare levy. non-protected scv holders are australian residents for tax purposes but cannot work for the federal government or join the defence force because they are ineligible to apply for citizenship, are currently ineligible for student loans, are not eligible for public housing or student travel concessions in some states, cannot work for state government in some states, are not covered by many insurance policies because they don't meet the insurer's definition of a permanent resident, are excluded from applying for some jobs because they don't meet the criteria of being a permanent resident and cannot access shelters in the event they are escaping a domestic violence situation.
howard government
after arrival in new zealand under the ttta, australian citizens and permanent residents may qualify for a permanent resident visa (prv) provided they have held a resident visa continuously for more than 24 months, and have met the prv criteria. however, resident visas held by australians expire upon exit from new zealand, so travelling in and out of new zealand can affect the requirement that the resident visa must be held for two years continuously. if an australian citizen or permanent resident is in new zealand on a resident visa and wishes to stay long term and apply for a permanent resident visa in the future, they should make an application for a variation of travel conditions (votc) if they wish to travel in the meantime to ensure that the resident visa does not expire when leaving new zealand.
trans-tasman travel arrangement