Australian Immigration News

Call for All Australian Visa Applicants to Have Medical Insurance

The Vice President of the Australian Medical Association's branch in Victoria, Stephen Parnis, has called for health insurance to become a mandatory requirement for all Australian visa applicants.

Dr. Parnis' comments come after a report released by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) to News Limited indicates that the number of Australian migrants treated in Victorian public hospitals had tripled in the six years to fiscal 2010-11. According to the statistics, the state's hospitals took care of over 30,000 non-Australian patients during the 2010/11 financial year.

Under current law, health insurance is a requirement for student visa and skilled work visa applicants, as well as families who move to Australia on 457 subclass visas but it is not required for Australian tourist visas. Therefore, Dr Parnis is worried that tourists could enter Australia for the purpose of undergoing an elective surgical procedure and leave without paying their bills.

Dr. Parnis claims that if tourists can afford an Australian holiday, then measures should be taken to ensure they do not abuse the rights their Australian visa affords. "If people have the means to come to Australia on an international holiday, they should have the means to make allowances for their own healthcare," said he.

In fact, due to Reciprocal Health Care Agreements Australia has signed with several countries including the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Italy, citizens of these countries are allowed to access Australia's healthcare in the same way as permanent residents. However, the most common nationalities of the non-Australian patients cared for in Victorian hospitals were Indian, Chinese, Malaysian and Indonesian.

If you are interested in Australian visas, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Australia.