457 Health Insurance
Updated: 9 May 2022
APPLYING FOR A 457 VISA? YOU MUST HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE
Before a 457 visa is granted, you must show that you have adequate medical insurance. You must also maintain this level of insurance throughout your time in Australia on the 457 visa. You should consider:
- What the 457 health insurance requirements are
- A 457 health insurance comparison: which company will offer you the best deal?
457 HEALTH INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS
All 457 visa holders must have “adequate health insurance” arrangements. You must show proof of this when applying for your visa.
EVIDENCE OF 457 HEALTH INSURANCE
To prove your health insurance is adequate, you must provide evidence of this. This would be in the form of either:
- Evidence of enrolment with Medicare, under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement; or
- A certificate of cover from a private health insurance company
These will be discussed separately below.
RECIPROCAL HEALTH CARE AGREEMENTS (RHCAs)
The following countries currently have RHCAs with Australia:
- United Kingdom
- Sweden
- Netherlands
- Finland
- Norway
- Malta
- Italy
- Belgium
- Ireland
- New Zealand
An RHCA means that people from the above countries can enrol with Medicare in Australia, and receive the same level of cover that you would if you needed treatment back home. It’s worth noting, however, that an RHCA does not replace travel insurance or other, more comprehensive, insurance policies.
For example, the RHCA does not cover things such as:
- Ambulance cover
- Dental care
- Elective treatment
- Funerals
- Medical evacuation to your home country
- Treatment that is not immediately necessary
The RHCA is different between every country. Therefore, it’s important to look up what exactly your specific RHCA covers.
To be eligible for RHCA cover, you need to enrol in Medicare (requiring a passport, valid visa and sometimes, proof you’re enrolled in your country’s national health scheme). You’ll then be sent a reciprocal health care card.
This entitles you to make a claim for a doctor’s bill or access subsidised prescriptions.
457 HEALTH INSURANCE COMPARISON
If you’re not from a RHCA participating country, you’ll need to organise private health insurance. To compare the price and cover of different policies, go here.
Once you decide on the right policy for you, the Department of Immigration has a template to be completed by your health insurance company. This acts as evidence of your cover, and includes details such as level of cover, period of insurance and the names of family members covered by the policy.
457 HEALTH INSURANCE MONITORING
You must maintain your 457 visa health insurance. The Department of Immigration swaps information with insurance companies to verify that you are meeting this obligation. Cancelling your health insurance could lead to your visa being cancelled.
QUESTIONS?
PocketLegal has expert knowledge about the healthcare requirements for 457 visa holders. If you have any questions on 457 health insurance requirements, get in touch today. We’re here to help.
Related Posts
About us
PocketLegal is available to assist with all aspects of the Australian immigration process from beginning to end. If you need help with visa applications, sponsoring staff members, AAT Appeals, Federal Circuit Court hearings, or any other migration related issue then book in a time to speak with one of our experts.
Book a Consultation