Health Requirements and Health Waivers for Australian Visas Explained (Part 1)
If you are planning to apply for a visa to visit, study or work in Australia, you are likely to have to meet certain health requirements and undergo a health examination. In this two-part blog series, we will outline the types of health examinations required, how to book and what to expect after your appointment. In the second part, we will explain the Significant Cost Threshold, what is a health waiver and how to make a health waiver request.
Why do you need Health Examinations?
The health requirement is designed to protect the Australian community from public health and safety risks, and to ensure that Australian citizens and permanent residents have access to health and community services that are in short supply. The health requirement also aims to prevent visa applicants from imposing a significant cost on the Australian health system.
What are the Health Examinations required?
The health examinations you need depend on various factors, such as your visa type, your intended length of stay, your country of origin and residence, and your planned activities in Australia. Some visa applicants may need more tests than others, depending on their individual circumstances and medical history. Applicants must undertake medical assessments by reference to their country of citizenship or residence, intended activities and their intended stay period in Australia.
For example, those intending to study to become or to work as a doctor, dentist, nurse,
ambulance paramedic, aged care and disability care worker may be required to complete additional types of medical examinations.
The types of medical tests you need will be listed on your request for medical letter after you lodge your visa application.
Who is Required to Undergo Medical Examinations?
Visa applicants for most visa classes are required to undergo medical examinations before a visa can be granted. Visa subclasses with no health requirement include Subclass 155 & Subclass 157 Resident Return Visa (RRV) and Subclass 444 (Special Category) Visa for New Zealand citizens. Applicants for the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) and Subclass 651 eVisitor Visa are usually not required to undergo health examinations.
Members of your family unit (MoFU), including your spouse or de facto spouse and children, may also be required to undergo medical examinations even if they are not themselves a secondary applicant of the visa. This is called non-migrating MoFU. One example is the subclass 103 Parent Visa which requires all non-migrating MoFU to clear their health examinations as one of the visa eligibility criteria.
Health Examinations for Pregnant Visa Applicants
Most visa applicants including pregnant women are required to undergo chest x-ray. This is to check for tuberculosis (TB), a serious infectious disease that can affect your lungs and other organs. You may need a chest x-ray if you are applying for a permanent visa, a provisional or temporary visa for more than 6 months, or a visitor visa for more than 3 months. You may also need a chest x-ray if you have spent more than 3 months in a country with a high incidence of TB in the previous 5 years.
Pregnant women can choose to defer their chest x-ray until after delivery, but they need to provide a letter from their doctor confirming their pregnancy and due date.
If you are pregnant and intending to give birth in Australia, you will also need to attend a hepatitis B test.
A visa cannot be granted until all deferred health examinations are completed.
Aged Visitors over 75 years old
If you apply for a subclass 600 Visitor Visa and are aged 75 or over, you will be required to undergo a medical examination regardless of your proposed length of stay. You may be able to request for an exemption based on being a high profile visitor (e.g. head of states or religious leaders) or an APEC Business Travel Card holder. Another exemption is for those aged visitors from PRC China applying under the Approved Destination Status (ADS) stream and have provided their ‘Yellow Book’, a health certificate issued by the State Administration which shows that they are cleared of any public health concerns.
Health Examinations for Children
Your child may need immunisation records if they are under 18 years old and applying for any type of visa. These are to show that your child has received the recommended vaccinations according to the Australian National Immunisation Program Schedule.
Health Examinations for two-stage processing visas
Some visa categories involve two-stage processing. These include Partner Visas, Prospective Marriage Visa, Contributory Parent Visa, Business Innovation and Investment Visa (BIIP) and Skilled Regional Visa (Subclass 491 and 494).
When the time comes to processing of the permanent visa application at the second stage, applicants who received a permanent health clearance for their first stage provisional visa (or had a health waiver exercised) are not usually required to undertake any additional health checks.
There are certain exceptions to the above exemption. Where a child was born after the first stage provisional visa was granted, the child is required to undergo health examinations at the second stage of their visa processing. If you remain in a higher TB-risk country for more than 18 months after receiving their previous health clearance at the provisional stage, you will also be required to attend further medical examinations at the second stage.
When should I book a health examination?
You should wait until you receive a request letter from the Department with a unique HAP ID for each person required to undergo health checks before booking in your appointment.
You have 28 days to book your appointment. If you are unable to attend your health examinations within the following 28 days after receiving your request letter, you should upload a copy of your booking confirmation showing your appointment date within the 28 days period to your online IMMI account.
If you do not attend an appointment or do not provide a booking confirmation within 28 days after receiving your request, the Department has the right to refuse your visa application without sending further request.
Those seeking a deferral of their medical examination based on medical reasons should upload a request letter and substantial evidence supporting their deferral request to their IMMI account. These include pregnant visa applicants seeking to defer their chest x-ray.
Where do I complete my Medical Examinations for Australian Visas?
The medical examination can only be performed by a panel physician who is approved by the Australian Department of Home Affairs. You cannot use your own doctor or a non-panel physician for this purpose.
To find a panel physician near you, you can use the online locator tool on the Department of Home Affairs website.
Once you have selected a panel physician, you can contact them directly or book online to make an appointment. You will need to provide them with your visa application details, such as your visa subclass, your HAP ID and your passport number. You will also need to bring your passport and any other documents requested by the panel physician to the appointment.
The cost of the medical examination varies depending on the panel physician and the tests required. You will need to pay the panel physician directly for their services. The Department of Home Affairs does not cover or reimburse any costs associated with the medical examination.
How to prepare for your health examinations?
To prepare for your health examinations, you should:
- Make an appointment with an approved panel physician or clinic in your country of residence.
- Bring your passport, visa application number and any relevant medical records or reports to your appointment.
- Follow the instructions of the examining doctor or nurse and answer their questions honestly and accurately.
- Pay the fees for your health examinations directly to the panel physician or clinic. The fees may vary depending on the type and number of examinations required and the country where you have them done.
- The panel physician or clinic will also send your health examination results electronically to the Department of Home Affairs for assessment.
What to expect from your health examinations?
You can expect your health examinations to take between 1 to 4 hours, depending on the type and number of examinations required. You may need to wait for a few days or weeks for your health examination results to be assessed by the Department of Home Affairs. You can check the status of your health assessment online using the Health Assessment Portal (HAP).
If you meet the health requirements for your visa, you will receive a health clearance digitally which is shown in the ‘health assessment section in your IMMI account.
If you do not meet the health requirements, you may receive a referral letter from the Department of Home Affairs asking you to provide more information or undergo further tests or treatment. You may also receive a notice of intention to refuse your visa application based on your health examination results and an invitation for you to respond to the adverse information received about your health conditions.
Health clearance certificates are in most circumstances valid for 12 months only. In very limited situations, health clearance can be extended by a maximum of 6 months if there are compelling or compassionate reasons and a request to extend is granted by the case office.
Next up in part two of this blog series, we will explain what happens when you are assessed as not meeting the health requirements and how to request a health waiver if available.
Book a consultation with one of our Registered Migration Agents at Miet Migration and let us assist with your Australian visa application.
Disclaimer: Any posted material is not intended to be immigration advice and does not purport to represent all requirements for a successful application or applications. No person should act on the basis of the material contained in any post without obtaining advice relevant to their circumstances, and without considering and taking professional advice.
