If you are planning on living in Australia for an extended period, looking to study or to work, you need to make sure you apply for the right visa. Both the 457 and 485 visas are subject to condition 8501, meaning that the visa holder is responsible for taking out adequate health cover while residing in Australia unless they are covered under the reciprocal health care agreement.
The 457 Temporary Skilled Work Visa allows you to work for a sponsoring employer for up to 4 years. There are three stages to the application:
Sponsorship
Your employer needs to be approved as a business sponsor. They’ll need to provide some background on the business, evidence of training of Australians in the business, and financial records.
Nomination
Your occupation needs to be on the approved list of occupations. The minimum salary level is $53,900 for the 457 visa, and in some cases the employer will need to show that they’ve been unable to fill the position locally.
Visa application
You’ll need relevant skills for the occupation, and you’ll need to meet the English requirement – an average band score of 5 in the International English Language Testing System or equivalent. You’ll also need to have health insurance that meets Australian Government requirements. This is a requirement for grant of the 457 visa, as well as an ongoing condition of your visa.
You may be eligible for a 485 Temporary Graduate Visa if you’re an international student who has completed qualifications requiring at least two years of study in Australia. The 485 Visa provides full work rights, and is a great way to extend your stay after your studies and get into a position to apply for permanent residence.
Eligibility requirements
You might be eligible to apply for a 485 Visa if you:
The 485 Visa has two streams:
The graduate work stream
The graduate work stream requires you to pass a skills assessment in an occupation on the Skilled Occupation List. You can complete studies at a university, college or TAFE. The visa is valid for 18 months.
The post-study work stream
The post-study work stream is only for students who applied for their first student visa on or after the 5th of November 2011. You must complete 2 years of study at the bachelor, masters or doctorate level, and the visa can be valid between 2 years and 4 years depending on your course. There is no skills assessment or occupations list for this stream.
Medical treatment in Australia can be expensive. Australia has a public health insurance system, known as Medicare, and a public hospital system. The only overseas visitors eligible for Medicare or free treatment in public hospitals are those from countries with reciprocal health agreements.
Australia has reciprocal health arrangements for overseas visitors on temporary visas with the following countries: Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK.
Visitors from countries without reciprocal health agreements who need hospital or medical treatment while they are in Australia will have to pay for these services, and the costs can be significant – in many cases hospital treatment can cost more than 1500 Australian dollars per day.
Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC)
International visitors from countries without reciprocal arrangements need health insurance cover that meets the relevant Australian Government visa requirements and contributes towards the costs of:
If your visa is subject to visa condition 8501, you must maintain adequate health insurance while you are in Australia. To find out if your visa is subject to visa condition 8501, visit the Department of Immigration website.
According to visa condition 8501, overseas visitors who do not maintain adequate health insurance are at risk of having their visa cancelled.
Find out more about visas for Australia on www.ovhcallianzassistance.com.au