Australian Permanent Resident visas

If granted Australian permanent residence you have the right to live, work and study in Australian indefinitely. Australian permanent residence visas allow you unlimited travel to and from Australia for 5 years from the date of grant. After this time, visa holders must obtain a resident return visa if travelling overseas and wanting to return to Australia as permanent residence.

Work
Permanent residence holders are entitled to work for any employer in any occupation. However, employment in the Australian Public Service or Defence forces is restricted to Australian Citizens. Permanent residents are protected by the same industrial laws as Australian Citizens. They can join trade unions and claim workers compensation.

Social Security
New migrants must wait 2 years before they can receive most social security income support payments.

Health care
Permanent residence holders are entitled to immediate entitlement of public heath care through a Government scheme called Medicare.

Schooling
Children aged between 6-18 are entitled to attend public (government-funded) schools.

Family tax benefit
There are no waiting periods for family tax benefit, which can be paid to people with dependent children who have a permanent visa or specified classes of temporary visa (including temporary protection visas, partner, spouse and interdependency visas).

Parenting payment
Generally, to qualify for a parenting payment, a person has to live in Australia as a permanent resident for at least 2 years. Different rules apply for single parents.

Aged Pension
Generally to qualify for an aged pension, a person has to have lived in Australia as a permanent resident for at least 10 years.

Disability Support pension
If a permanent resident becomes unable to work for at least 30 hours per week because of a disability, they are entitled to claim a disability support pension no matter how long they have been living in Australia . People with pre-existing disabilities generally cannot claim a disability pension for 10 years.

Permanent residents are not entitled to vote in federal, State or local government elections or stand for election as a candidate in these elections

AustraliaVotingn Citizenship
Permanent residents may apply for Australian Citizenship after they have lived in Australia continuously for 2 years from the date of grant of permanent residents or accumulated a 2 year period of residency between the date of visa grant and 5 years, providing one of those years was in the 2 years before the application for citizenship.