Moving on a 457 or 482 Visa?
Before you are granted a 457/482 Visa in Australia, you are required by the Department of Home Affairs to organise adequate private health insurance for yourself (as well as any family members travelling with you) and to maintain the cover for the duration of your stay. By not doing so would mean you are in breach of a mandatory Visa requirement.
COMPULSORY INSURANCE
Having health insurance while you’re in Australia on a 457 Visa/482 Visa is not just a good idea – it’s compulsory.
Is it Needed?
Namely the health insurance for Australian Visas?
YES - It is mandatory to hold valid and adequate health insurance when you come to Australia on temporary work (sponsored) Visas.
Health Options
What To Look For
UNDERSTANDING HEALTH INSURANCE
It is important that you check and satisfy all visa conditions before entering Australia
What Kind Of Health Insurance Do I Need For My Work Visa?
To be granted one of the Visa above, for example 482 Visa or 485 Visa for Australia, you must purchase a suitable level of health cover. Medibank offers Working Visa Health Cover, Bupa, you can check their working Visa health insurance here.
A working Visa health insurance plan must provide coverage for in-patient medical services and hospital cover, plus ambulance cover. This will help with the costs of some doctors and hospital visits, should you need them.
Most working Visa health covers don’t cover you for services such as dental, optical or physiotherapy. If you want any of these services covered, you can purchase a higher level plan, or take ancillary or extras cover.
What Kind Of Health Insurance Do I Need For My Student Visa?
To be granted a Student Visa for Australia you must purchase Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC). There are some countries with special agreements with Australia, and people from those countries may be exempt from needing OSHC.
At the least, an OSHC plan must provide adequate medical and hospital cover, plus emergency ambulance transport and limited pharmaceutical cover. This will help with the costs for some doctors and hospital visits, should you need them.
OSHC generally doesn’t cover you for services such as dental, optical or physiotherapy. But if you’d like to be covered for these services, you can take out ancillary or extras cover.
Visas With Mandatory Health Insurance
-
482/TSS Visa: Employer-sponsored Visa
-
485 Temporary Graduate Visa: This Visa is available for recent graduates and enables them to work full time in Australia after they finish their studies.
-
408 Temporary Activity Visa: This temporary Visa allows you to come to Australia to do specific types of work on a short-term, temporary basis.
-
400 Temporary Work: (Short Stay Specialist) allows applicants to do short-term, highly specialised, non-ongoing work and in limited circumstances, participate in an activity or work relating to Australia’s interests.
PRIVATE HEALTH REQUIREMENTS
Health Insurance
Some Australian visa types suggest or make it compulsory that you take out adequate Private Health Insurance