The Resolution of Status (RoS) visa — subclass 851 is a permanent Australian visa that provides a pathway to permanent residence for holders of the Temporary Protection visa (TPV, subclass 785) and the Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (SHEV, subclass 790) who arrived in Australia before 14 February 2023. The RoS visa resolves the long-standing situation of TPV and SHEV holders who had been living in Australia on temporary protection for years — sometimes decades — without a pathway to permanent residence. The RoS visa has no application fee, and persons granted the visa receive full permanent resident status with immediate access to social security, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and higher education assistance. For TPV/SHEV holders who arrived on or after 14 February 2023, the RoS pathway does not apply — they are assessed for subsequent TPV or SHEV grants only.

For current application requirements, the application process, and information for TPV and SHEV holders, refer to the DHA Resolution of Status page and the DHA TPV/SHEV holder information page.

• Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994 — Subclass 851 (Resolution of Status) — the visa criteria
• Migration Amendment (Resolution of Status) Act 2022 — the legislation that established the RoS pathway
• DHA: Resolution of Status (subclass 851) — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/851
• DHA: TPV/SHEV transition to permanent visas factsheet — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/ros-factsheet
• DHA: Information for TPV and SHEV holders — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/tpv-shev-holders

Who is eligible for the RoS visa

The RoS visa (subclass 851) is available to persons who:

• Hold a current TPV (subclass 785) or SHEV (subclass 790) at the time of applying — the application must be lodged while the current TPV or SHEV is still valid; the visa cannot be applied for after it has expired
• First arrived in Australia before 14 February 2023 — this is the key cut-off date; persons who arrived on or after 14 February 2023 are not eligible for the RoS
• Continue to engage Australia's protection obligations — they must still be a person to whom Australia owes protection (as a Convention Refugee or on complementary protection grounds) at the time the RoS application is decided
• Meet character and health requirements

No application fee

The RoS visa has no application fee — DHA waived the visa application charge for all eligible TPV and SHEV holders as part of the RoS pathway design. This reflects the policy intent of facilitating the transition of long-term protection visa holders to permanent status without additional financial barriers.

How to apply

Eligible TPV and SHEV holders can apply for the RoS visa online through ImmiAccount. The application requires:

• Evidence of current TPV or SHEV visa status
• Updated protection claims (if circumstances have changed since the original protection assessment)
• Character documentation (police clearances from Australia and any country of residence)
• Health examination if required

Applications should be lodged as soon as possible and before the current TPV or SHEV expires — DHA strongly recommends not waiting until close to expiry.

What the RoS visa provides

A person granted the RoS (subclass 851) receives:

• Permanent resident status — the same rights and entitlements as any other Australian permanent resident
• Immediate access to all social security payments — including income support and family payments (no waiting period, unlike most other PR pathways which involve a 4-year waiting period for social security)
• Access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
• Eligibility for higher education assistance (HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP student loans)
• The right to live, work, and study anywhere in Australia
• A pathway to Australian citizenship after meeting the residence requirements

The SHEV pathway — alternative route to subclass 851

Holders of the SHEV (subclass 790) have an additional pathway to permanent residence through the SHEV regional work/study pathway:

• The SHEV holder must have completed at least 42 months (3.5 years) of work or full-time study in a SHEV designated regional area during their SHEV period
• They must not have received Special Benefit social security payments during the 42-month qualifying period
• If these conditions are met, the SHEV holder is eligible to apply for permanent residence through the SHEV pathway, which also results in a grant of the subclass 851 RoS visa

The SHEV pathway was the original design of the SHEV — offering a potential permanent residence incentive for persons who lived and worked in regional Australia. The broader RoS pathway (available without regional work/study requirements) now covers the same population through a simpler mechanism. For details on the SHEV pathway, refer to the DHA SHEV pathway page.

Post-February 2023 arrivals — not eligible

Persons who arrived in Australia on or after 14 February 2023 without a valid visa (irregular maritime arrivals or other unlawful arrivals in the post-cutoff period) are not eligible for the RoS visa. They are assessed for subsequent TPV or SHEV grants only. For information on the TPV/SHEV framework and what applies to post-cutoff arrivals, see the TPV and SHEV page.

The Resolution of Status pathway represented a major policy change in Australia's treatment of long-term temporary protection visa holders. Many TPV and SHEV holders had lived in Australia for a decade or more in limbo — unable to sponsor family, unable to travel freely, and facing repeated assessments of their protection claims with each visa renewal. The RoS visa resolves that situation for those who arrived before the February 2023 cut-off, providing them the permanence and certainty of permanent residence. The zero application fee and immediate welfare access were designed to make the transition as barrier-free as possible. For eligible TPV and SHEV holders, applying as early as possible — before the current visa expires — is strongly recommended. For the current application guide, eligibility conditions, and information for TPV and SHEV holders, refer to the DHA subclass 851 page.