Cost of the Resident Return Visa tripled from July 1 to $1475 as permanent residents label price hike ‘unfair’

The fee for a common visa has quietly tripled, blindsiding the permanent residents who regularly renew it.

Melbourne-based Ellinor Webster has been a permanent resident in Australia for more than four decades, and has paid for the Resident Return Visa — which allows permanent residents travelling overseas to return.

But on July 1, the cost of that visa, which expires after a five-year period, was increased from $490 to $1475.

Austrian-born Ellinor emigrated to Australia from South Africa, where her late husband was from, with him and their daughter in 1982.

Now widowed and with their children all grown up, Ellinor’s heart remains Down Under.

She had been dabbling in online dating and, fed -up with a largely fruitless pursuit for love, was about to close the RSVP website for good, when she stumbled across the profile of her now-husband, Ross Webster.

“Both of us were just about to get off the site because, let me tell you, both of us had the most dreadful dates you can imagine,” Ellinor said.

“Then suddenly there he was.”

While Ellinor’s heart has kept her in Australia, much of her family remain in Austria — but Austria is one of many countries which do not allow dual citizenship.

Ross and Ellinor believe the recent price hike unfairly targets permanent residents from nations with such citizenship policies.

Ellinor returns to visit relatives roughly once a year.

On top of the $4410 that Ellinor already spent on the visa, she will now be paying an extra $197 annually to keep her freedoms, and says that the visa fee hike unfairly targets people in her situation.

“The visa is due to be renewed next year sometime So that’s close to $1500 ... We’ll have to dip into our savings account,” she said.

“I’m just flabbergasted because that is a huge amount of money.”

Ross and Ellinor live in a coastal, shoebox apartment in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton, and while they live comfortably, they have not been immune to the cost of living pressures gripping the nation.

Ross came across the visa price hike by chance, while reading the news, and was shocked to find little information about why the visa was being targeted and why the fee was increasing by so much.

“There was no explanation at all,” Ross said.

“When times are tough and any additional cost increases should be both justified and told in advance.”

The couple said they worry for other permanent residents not yet aware of the financial blow awaiting them when they need to renew their visa.

Petition slams lack of justification

A parliamentary petition expresses hopes the fee increase can be reversed, or replaced with “a reasonable fee linked to actual processing costs and normal indexation”.

“The Government has provided no RRV-specific evidence, cost modelling or clear justification for this unprecedented increase and confirmed that no public consultation was undertaken,” it says.

“This excessive fee unfairly burdens permanent residents, families, retirees, lower-income migrants and Australians overseas who need to return home.”

A Department for Home Affairs spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au that revenue from the Return Resident Visa fee hike “will support migration system reform and other government priorities”.

“The Australian Government is investing in reforming the migration system through the 2026–27 Budget to ensure it operates in the national interest.

“The increased Resident Return Visa (RRV) application charge reflects the importance of permanent residents retaining their eligibility to travel to and live in Australia.

“The value of an RRV extends beyond a single journey, as it enables eligible permanent residents to retain access to the benefits and privileges associated with permanent residency.”

Migration minister goes mute on money moves

The 201 per cent Resident Return Visa fee increase is just one change in a sweeping overhaul of the migration system that Immigration Minister Tony Burke has introduced without public consultation or explanation.

Burke was set to address his overhaul during a National Press Club speech earlier this month, but pulled out last-minute over policy concerns that erupted during a Labor caucus meeting, and has not yet set a new date for the postponed address.

He defended the delay, saying that consequences of his yet-to-be-announced plan need to be further examined.

Burke instructed his department in late July to prioritise visa applications from migrants already in Australia ahead of people applying from overseas.

A 25 per cent increase in fees for a range of other visas were also among July 1 changes.

But the Temporary Graduate Visa — which allows international students to work for a period after they graduate — was another visa which had fees tripled this year, doubling in March from $2300 to $4600, and going up again to $5750 last month.

Education Minister Jason Clare acknowledged that increase was “not very popular” and “had some impact on reducing the number of applications” during the AFR Higher Education Summit on Tuesday, but added, “how do you think we’re funding the Accord?”

The migration system changes also come amid a One Nation revival fuelled by rising anti-immigration sentiment, with the party’s leader Pauline Hanson calling for a cut to the nation’s student intake, which she said offered a “back door” into Australia.

Department of Home Affairs data shows the number of working visa holders in Australia exceeded 210,000 in June 2025, and the government is yet to announce how it will meet an annual net overseas migration forecast of 225,000 a year in the May budget.