Australian permanent residence

Australian migrants are residents of Australia that hold migrant or permanent resident visas and may remain in Australia indefinitely. While migrants are not citizens, they do have the option to become citizens after meeting the residency requirement. There are several ways to immigrate to Australia - through family, employment, refugee or humanitarian status.

Australian migrant visas are issued in increments of five years, subject to renewal. As long as your visa is valid, you may enter and leave Australia freely. Other benefits of permanent residency include:

• Right to work;
• Right to apply for citizenship;
• Right to public education;
• Right to sponsor relatives to immigrate to Australia; and
• Right to travel freely between Australia and New Zealand without a visa.