A 5-year initial travel facility, which corresponds to the underlying migration program, is granted alongside the permanent visa.
Until the travel facility expires, the visa holder may leave and re-enter Australia freely.
Permanent residents enjoy many of the rights and privileges of citizens, including access to free or subsidised legal, education and health services.
[2] There are a number of programs under which a person may enter and obtain permanent residency in Australia, including: Citizens of New Zealand are allowed to enter Australia to live and work indefinitely under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement, without applying for a visa but instead are automatically granted a Special Category Visa (SCV) on arrival.
Between 2001 and 2023, SCV holders who wanted to become Australian citizens first needed to apply for and obtain a permanent visa under one of the migration programs.