A petition calling on the federal government to reverse a 201 per cent increase in the cost of Australia’s Resident Return Visa has attracted nearly 7,000 signatures within two days of opening on the Australian Parliament’s official petitions website, signalling growing opposition to one of the largest increases in this year’s migration fee changes.
The petition, listed as EN10273, had reached 6,900 signatures by Friday afternoon and remains open until 2 September. It asks the House of Representatives to review and reverse the increase in the Subclass 155 Resident Return Visa application charge, which rose from $490 to $1,475 on 1 July.
It comes alongside a separate Change.org campaign that has attracted more than 36,000 verified signatures, highlighting concern among permanent residents both in Australia and overseas.
The latest petition follows reporting by The Indian Sun last month on the sharp increase, which formed part of a wider package of visa fee changes introduced from 1 July. While most visa application charges increased by around 25 per cent, the Resident Return Visa and Bridging Visa B both rose by more than 200 per cent.
Unlike visas used to obtain permanent residency, the Resident Return Visa is required by existing permanent residents whose five-year travel facility has expired and who need to leave Australia and return while retaining their permanent resident status.
The parliamentary petition argues the increase is unjustified and disproportionate, saying permanent residents already contribute through work, taxation and community participation and should not face what it describes as an “exorbitant” increase simply to maintain the ability to travel overseas and return to Australia.
It also questions whether there has been any corresponding improvement in processing times or service delivery to justify the higher charge and calls for the application fee to better reflect the administrative cost of processing the visa.
The parliamentary petition argues the increase is unjustified and disproportionate, saying permanent residents already contribute through work, taxation and community participation and should not face what it describes as an “exorbitant” increase simply to maintain the ability to travel overseas and return to Australia
The growing campaign is also evident in Parliament’s petitions register. As of Friday, 14 of the 83 petitions open for signatures related to the Resident Return Visa fee increase, covering similar requests for the government to review or reverse the decision.
The petitions have been lodged by people from a range of backgrounds, reflecting the diverse permanent resident community affected by the changes.
One of the recurring concerns is the timing of the increase. The regulations were registered on 30 June and took effect the following day, leaving applicants with little opportunity to lodge applications under the previous fee schedule.
The explanatory statement accompanying the regulations says the changes reflect administrative costs, demand patterns and government policy objectives. However, it does not publish detailed Resident Return Visa-specific costing explaining why this visa category received a 201 per cent increase while most other visa charges rose by around 25 per cent.
For many permanent residents, particularly those with ageing parents overseas or family responsibilities across multiple countries, the Resident Return Visa is an essential part of maintaining family connections rather than a discretionary travel document.
The Department of Home Affairs has previously said visa application charges are reviewed annually and support the operation of Australia’s migration system. It has also argued that visa charges represent only a small part of the overall cost of migrating to or remaining in Australia.
However, as the parliamentary petition gathers momentum, campaigners are shifting the debate beyond the size of the increase itself. They are now asking why the increase was necessary, what evidence informed the decision, and whether a fee that has more than tripled should be supported by publicly available costings.
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