fishface

hi we left oz after 8 months to return to uk and my visa expires march 09. does anyone know if we went back b4 expiry date, but not allowing enough time for 2 years as resident what would happen to my visa?
In addition would the 8 months we were already there count, or does it need to be 2 years straight through.. ? forever hopeful of a return- fishface

Bordy

As long as your in Australia before it expires your ok. If you take citizenship it doesn't have to be two years straight although with the change in law possibly coming soon you may need to be here for 3 years before you can apply.

fishface

thanks for that, thats a great help, that australian visa website dima or whatever it is is sooo tedious, i need caffine to search through it, thanks for saving me a job!

Centurion

If you return before the expiry date then nothing will happen. You can remain resident in Australia still after that date. Just make sure you get back here before then otherwise you cant get back in!

The expiry date is not actually that per se, its the date by which you must have entered permenantly - see it that way.

Once you are in Australia you will need to (by then) clock up 3 years residence to obtain citizinship. Any time spent up till then will count for you.

However, should you wish to leave Australia after your residency visa has expired then you would need to apply for a RRV (Residence Return Visa) to be able to come back into the country, showing your strong ties to Australia and the like, although apparently they can take a dim view of why you have not settled within the five years since granting...

Hope that helps.