
Get exclusive healthy living offers and guides
Straight to your inbox
We’re reader-supported and may be paid when you visit links to partner sites. We don’t compare all products in the market, but we’re working on it!
If you're a recent graduate and coming to Australia on a 485 visa to live, study and work after you have finished your studies, you will be required to purchase overseas health cover for the duration of your stay. This is to make sure that if you require medical assistance while you're here, you'll be covered. It's also a great way to protect yourself from large medical bills should the unexpected occur during your stay!
Health.com.au, HIF, Australian Unity and Nib all offer cover on the 485 visa. From as little as $65 per month, these brands will make sure you are covered for the important things, should you stay in Australia after completing your studies. Like many policies in Australia, dental & optical generally come under extras. The main features include:
Regardless of whether it's you or your partner applying for a visa, you both need health cover. That's why it's worth considering a Couples policy. It's convenient and provides you and your partner with one policy under the same insurance provider. After all, if you live together, lead similar lifestyles and have a shared income, Couples cover is a practical and logical option. They offer slightly more expensive policies that provide a more comprehensive level of hospital cover and also allow you to add extras cover.
Young couples considering starting a family in the near future should strongly consider a higher level of cover. If you're planning on starting a family and want to be covered for birth-related services, you should get insurance well ahead of time. Many policies have a 12 month waiting period for pregnancy and birth-related coverage in private hospitals so its essential you get cover beforehand.
Until your children turn 18, they are considered dependents and are automatically covered under a family health insurance policy. Family policies help cover major dental work when your kids grow older, as well as hospital bills should they get hurt or injured.
For anyone who becomes a citizen, you’ll have access to Medicare. Whilst this covers you for the basics – things like emergency services – it’s really worth looking at more comprehensive cover should you be settling in to stay here long-term. Remember, things like dental and optical care not covered by Medicare, so it’s worth looking into extras cover.
You'll also be able to switch to domestic health insurance, which offers more choice and is available to Australian residents. With over 600 health insurance policies to choose from, there are a lot of options out there to suit your individual needs.
The 485 visa health insurance requirements are the same as those for the 457, or Temporary Work (Skilled), visa. Under condition 8501, to be granted a visa you must have a minimum level of private health insurance cover in place.
These types of policies are typically referred to as Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) and they are offered by a select group of private health funds. To satisfy the conditions of your visa, an OVHC policy must provide cover for certain features, including:
It’s important to check the fine print of any OVHC policy to make sure it matches all the relevant requirements of the 485 visa.
Visa condition 8501 requires you to “maintain adequate arrangements for health insurance during your stay in Australia”. It applies to most temporary Australian working visas and all student visas, and is designed to ensure that foreign visitors can meet any hospital or medical treatment costs they incur while in Australia.
If this condition applies to your chosen visa, you will need to purchase health insurance cover in order for your visa application to be approved. Working visa applicants need to take out Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) while student visa applicants must purchase Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
Many temporary visas include the 8501 condition regarding health insurance, such as the 457 temporary work (skilled) visa and the 485 temporary graduate visa. Condition 8501 also applies to all student visas, but Belgian, Norwegian and some Swedish students are exempt from this requirement under Reciprocal Health Care Agreements.
Contact the Australian Government’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection to find out whether the health insurance requirement affects you.
Below you can find Finder partners offering visitor health cover in order of cheapest first. Prices quoted are based on a single policy:
When you shop around for OVHC you will find that most private health funds offer an affordable policy that only satisfies the bare minimum of the health insurance requirements for the 485 visa. If you’re on a tight budget or only want cover for the absolute essentials, these types of policies will do just fine.
However, most health funds also offer slightly more expensive policies that provide a more comprehensive level of hospital cover and also allow you to add extras cover. Choosing one of these higher-level policies means you are covered for many more features, including:
So while high-level cover costs more, the benefits it offers could be well worth the expense. It’s important to shop around and find a policy that meets all your requirements.
Although cover differs between health funds, there are specific treatments and procedures that are commonly excluded from OVHC policies. These include:
OVHC policies must also feature only the following waiting periods:
A range of other high-cost medical procedures are also commonly excluded or available with only a limited level of cover on OVHC policies. These include:
If you’re holding a valid student visa when you apply for a 485 visa, you will already be covered by Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) as a requirement of your student visa. The OSHC you have in place is an acceptable level of health insurance to apply for a 485 visa, and you’ll need to supply evidence of this cover along with your visa application.
However, while your application is being processed, you will need to take out 485 visa-compliant health insurance. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection will contact you during processing to request evidence that you have taken out an adequate level of OVHC.
Finally, it’s important to remember that under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreements in place between their countries and Australia, Belgian, Norwegian and some Swedish students are not required to take out OSHC. However, if transitioning to a 485 visa, these students will need to take out OVHC.
Compare visitors health insurance for 485 visas
Picture: GettyImages
Extras cover is the number one drawcard for Australians who take out private health cover, new research from Finder, Australia’s most visited comparison site, reveals.
Millions of Australians could be missing out saving money on their health insurance policy, according to Finder, Australia’s most visited comparison site.
Millions of Australians are shopping around for cheaper health insurance in the new year, according to new research by Finder, Australia’s most visited comparison site.
Find out how much dentures cost in Australia and how you can get cover with mid-level health insurance.
$100,000 life insurance policies can be very affordable. Compare costs and cover here.
Compare $500,000 life insurance policies, costs and cover here.
From qualifications to getting the right insurance in place, here’s our guide to starting your beautician business.
It’s possible to get life insurance if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer's. Find out how.
Find out how to get cheap health insurance for young people.
A single IVF treatment typically costs over $8,000 in Australia. Here’s how Medicare and private health insurance can help.
Get cover to suit your budget and lifestyle.
Great offers, promos, and deals for today.
Hospital, extras, or neither? Find out in 1 minute.
Compare visa-compliant OVHC today.