Know the health requirement for Australia Visa applicants

The Migration Regulations 1994 outlines the health requirement for Australia Visa applicants. The requirement which is under the Schedule IV of the Public Interest Criteria has the below objectives:

• To safeguard Australians against communicable/infectious diseases and to ensure public safety
• To protect access for Australian for medical supplies like organ transplants which are in short supply
• To streamline and control the spending on health and community services

Enforcing the above health policy is crucial to Australia and its visa programs. Incoming travellers and migrants should not be the cause of surging public health risks and health costs. Advocates, however, have been critical of the health cost requirement in Australia. They believe that the health requirement costs unfairly target people with a permanent disability. This is, thus, a breach of the International Human Rights which Australia should abide by. This is under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities under the United Nation’s Convention. The “Significant Cost Threshold Policy” of Australia decides whether an increase in the health costs is required or not. Australian Visa applicants who have a disability or a chronic medical condition do not meet this requirement. This happens when the cost of the medical condition is considered to be higher than the threshold by the Medical Officer of the Commonwealth. The current “Significant cost threshold” has been fixed at $40,000 by Australia, as per SBS News. When you apply for a Temporary Visa of Australia, your potential cost of services is calculated for the duration of your Visa validity. For example, the validity of a Student Visa for Australia is usually 4 years. So, the probable health costs are calculated at approx. $12,000 a year. An applicant who falls above this threshold does not meet the health requirement. The health cost for an Australia PR applicant under 75 years is calculated by the incurred costs over 5 years. For those who are above 75 years, the cost is calculated by the incurred cost over 3 years. If the health cost goes beyond the threshold, such applicants do not meet the health requirement. If you are looking to Visit, Study, Work, Invest or Migrate to Australia, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Consultant. If you found this blog engaging, you may also like… The new Parent Visa could swamp Australian hospitals