Rand does see the location where Perrin is whenever he does think of him however. Thats how Cadsuanes groupies located Tam in the frist place. If Perrin had returned, Rand would surely have known about it since the moment Tam mentioned Perrin, Rand would have had a vision of Perrin in a location he would recognize as being nearby.

Did Rand not mention that he did not want to waste his time with Tam discussing what had happened, since he could get a report from Perrin. That might suggest that Perrin had indeed returned, and Rand saw it in his mind and knew that Perrin was available to talk to.

You know, I wonder why Rand himself did not bother going to fetch either Mat or Perrin? I mean he can travel and he can see where they are located. He also complains about the fact that they are absent from him. Why the heck did he not travel to them to fetch them back. Mat for instance would not have needed Verin at all if Rand had actually used the vision-link effectively.