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TSS 482 Visa Health Insurance
If you're coming to Australia on a 482 temporary skill shortage (TSS) visa, health insurance is a mandatory requirement for your stay. This ensures you'll be covered for any medical care in Australia. Compare your options from multiple providers below.
Pricing is based on a single live in the State of New South Wales on a visa , and is not from a country that Australia has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with and is not eligible for cover under Medicare. Prices are accurate for 2020 but are subject to change.
What is the 482 visa health requirement?
Overseas Visitors Health Cover is a type of health insurance designed for people who come to work in Australia on a temporary basis. Its aim is to ensure you have access to adequate health cover while they are here as you aren't generally eligible for Medicare. You must have started your cover from your first day in Australia.
In order to comply with the TSS 482 visa (previously the 457 visa), OVHC must be at least equivalent to public hospital cover and include cover for theatre, intensive care, labour ward, ward drugs and emergency department costs. It must also cover day surgery accommodation and treatment, some surgically implanted prosthetics, ambulance transport, PBS listed medications and MBS listed medical services.
All the OVHC policies above do that. They'll also send you a certificate to put with your visa application that proves you have health insurance in place.
How to provide evidence of your health insurance arrangements
"If applicants are required to provide evidence of their health insurance arrangements, any the following may be considered acceptable, unless a particular visa subclass instruction requires other specific information:
a copy of the insurance policy;
a written letter or cover note from an acceptable insurance provider, certifying that the primary visa applicant and any accompanying family members immediately upon visa grant or their arrival in Australia, are, or will be, covered by insurance that is at least as comprehensive as the prescribed adequate level of cover;
evidence that the visa applicant has lawfully enrolled with Medicare via Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RCHA);
evidence that the primary visa applicant and any accompanying family members immediately upon visa grant or their arrival in Australia, are, or will be, covered by health insurance that is at least as comprehensive as the adequate level of cover required under policy, with the understanding that the applicants will either enrol with Medicare under a RHCA or enrol in a private insurance arrangement after arrival; or
for citizens from the Republic of Ireland that may access RCHA, evidence that they hold an Irish passport.
Family members applying separately from the primary visa applicant or visa holder must produce evidence as per above, which clearly indicates that they, as dependant applicants, will be covered upon arrival in Australia by a policy with an adequate level of cover."
— Kaku Caro is a lawyer in LegalVision’s Corporate Immigration team. He has previous experience in the areas of commercial litigation, corporate and personal immigration. He also has experience advising on visa eligibility and preparing visa applications such as partner visas, employer-sponsored work visas, parent visas, and general skilled migration visas.
How does 482 Visa health insurance work for families and couples?
If other members of your family are coming over on the 482 visa as well, everyone is required to have OVHC. Most insurers offer singles, couples and family policies so that you can all be covered under the same policy.
It's really important that you make sure you get adequate health insurance on this visa, as without it, your visa won't be approved; it's part of the 8501 requirement.
What does 482 health insurance cover?
A basic Overseas Visitor Health Cover policy will pay benefits towards the following:
Hospital treatment, accommodation, operating theatre costs and prosthesis fees
Doctor, surgeon and specialist fees
Emergency ambulance transportation fees
Prescriptions and General Practitioner (GP) consultations
Did you know?
OVHC can also cover out-of-hospital services like dental, physio and chiro if you add extras cover to your policy.
What doesn't OVHC cover?
As with most private health insurance, there are certain service and treatment exclusions that OVHC will not cover, including:
Stem cell, bone marrow and organ transplant surgery
Treatment provided outside Australia
Treatment arranged prior to arrival in Australia
Treatment covered by compensation schemes
Treatment not covered by Medicare
Are there any waiting periods?
Some waiting periods will apply to your OVHC cover. These are periods of time you must serve before benefits will be payable on your policy and they normally include:
2 months. Psychiatric, rehabilitation and palliative care
12 months. Pregnancy-related conditions
12 months. Pre-existing conditions.
A pre-existing condition is any condition that you had symptoms of in the 6 months prior to your arrival in Australia or prior to your visa being granted (whichever occurred later).
Can I get Medicare on a 482 Visa?
Yes, some visitors on a 482 visa from countries which have a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with Australia are exempt from the need for OVHC because they're eligible to receive subsidised health care treatment. This is called Medicare.
Australia has agreements in place with the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, The Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Norway, Slovenia, Malta and Italy:
If you're visiting from any of these countries on a TSS visa, you should enrol for Medicare when you arrive in Australia.
RHCAs don't cover ambulance transportation, dental care, elective surgery, medical evacuation, private patient treatment in a private or public hospital or any treatment that is not immediately necessary. So even if you're eligible for Medicare, you might be wise to consider taking out OVHC as well.
How to compare OVHC policies
When comparing OVHC policies from various insurance providers, it pays to keep the following in mind:
Read the PDS carefully to understand what is and isn't covered and the level of benefits provided.
Buy the highest level of cover you can afford to reduce the amount of out-of-pocket expenses you would have to pay for medical treatment (the gap between the treatment fee and what is covered by your insurer).
Consider including Extras cover so you have cover for ancillary benefits such as dental, optical, chiropractic and physiotherapy if you need them during your stay in Australia.
Make sure the cover being offered is fully compliant with TSS visa requirements.
Anyone who possesses a skill that cannot be met by an Australian. In other words, this visa allows employers to bring in skilled workers from overseas when the role cannot be filled by an Australian.
This visa comes under the short-term stream classification which means that anyone on this visa can stay in the country up to 2 years (or 4, if an international trade obligation applies). You must be sponsored by an approved business but you can be in or outside Australia when you lodge your application.
This visa is valid for 1 to 2 years and can only be renewed whilst you are in Australia.
You must have two years work experience in a related field and evidence to prove this.
Applicants must show that they are Genuine Temporary Entrants – that means, you must show you have no intention of staying in Australia permanently.
A number of conditions have changed for the TSS Visa. Some of the eligibility criteria changes include:
Labour market testing (LMT) is mandatory with no exceptions
Employers must pay the minimum market salary rate
Police checks are mandatory
A non-discriminatory workforce test has been introduced
Applicants must have at least two years of relevant work experience
The overall list of eligible occupations has been reduced by 216
Employers in regional Australia will have access to a wider range of occupations
Higher standards of English proficiency are required
There is a maximum age limit of 45 at the time of application
Visa application charges will increase for both short and medium term streams
Companies will be required to pay an annual foreign worker levy to fund homegrown training and recruitment
You need to take out OVHC before you can receive your TSS 482 visa. Once you've found suitable cover, you'll need to provide the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) with a letter from your chosen health fund or your employer in Australia confirming that you have met this requirement. They can provide this for you as soon as you sign up.
Gary Ross Hunter is an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146).
HIF Overseas Visitors Health Cover provide varying levels of hospital and extras cover that complies with visa requirements for those coming to Australia for work or leisure.
HCF Overseas Visitor Health Cover offers hospital and optional extras cover for overseas visitors who are eligible to work in Australia but who are not covered by Medicare.
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