Medical for an Australian Visa: Health Examinations Explained

A medical for an Australian visa is a set of health examinations that shows whether you meet the Department of Home Affairs' health requirement. Permanent and provisional visa applicants, and family members applying with them, generally must have them. Temporary visa applicants may or may not, depending on the visa, the length of stay and where they come from. You book with a HAP ID the Department gives you, at Bupa Medical Visa Services in Australia or an approved panel clinic overseas, and the results are generally valid for 12 months.

Below are the tests you'll need, how to book, what happens after, and what to do if a health condition is flagged. Everything comes from the Department's health requirement pages and the Migration Regulations.

Health issue flagged on an application? Book a consultation before you reply.

What the health requirement actually tests

You meet the health requirement if you're free from any disease or condition that would be a significant cost to Australian health care and community services, or would limit Australians' access to services in short supply. Tuberculosis and conditions that threaten public health are assessed separately.

People misunderstand the cost test more than any other part. A Medical Officer of the Commonwealth (MOC) looks at the services a hypothetical person with your condition, at the same severity, would be likely to need. The MOC can't take your personal circumstances into account. Private health insurance, savings or a promise not to use public services don't change the assessment.

"Significant" has a number. The Department's significant cost threshold is $86,000, last updated on 1 July 2024 and reviewed every two years. If the MOC estimates the cost of your condition above that figure, you don't meet the health requirement. How far ahead the MOC counts depends on the visa:

• Temporary visa: the period of your stay in Australia.
• Permanent or provisional visa: generally 5 years, or 3 years if you're 75 or older.
• A permanent or ongoing condition with a reasonably predictable course: your remaining life expectancy, up to a maximum of 10 years.

Some services are judged differently, because they're in short supply. The Department currently lists two: organ transplants and dialysis. A condition likely to need them can fail the requirement on access grounds, whatever the dollar cost.

On refusal letters you'll see this called public interest criterion 4005 or 4007. Which one applies to your visa decides whether a health waiver is possible, as we explain below.

Which tests you'll need

For permanent and provisional visas, the tests depend on age.

Extra tests apply in some situations. Anyone 15 or over who intends to work or study as a doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic needs hepatitis B and C tests. A pregnant applicant who plans to give birth in Australia needs a hepatitis B test.

Temporary visas work differently. For a stay under 6 months, generally no tests are needed unless special circumstances apply. For a stay of 6 months or more, only applicants from a country the Department rates as higher risk for TB generally need tests: a medical examination, a chest x-ray from age 11 and a kidney function test from age 15. Health care and childcare work, and visitors aged 75 or over on a subclass 600, can trigger tests regardless.

Take a nursing student from India applying for a subclass 500 student visa. India isn't on the Department's low-risk TB list, the stay is longer than 6 months and she'll train as a nurse. So she should expect the full set: a medical examination, a chest x-ray, a kidney function test, an HIV test and hepatitis B and C tests.

Visas with no health requirement

A handful of visas carry no health requirement, so no medical is needed for them: the Resident Return visas, subclass 155 and 157, the Maritime Crew subclass 988, the Diplomatic (Temporary) subclass 995, the Special Category subclass 444, the Privileges and Immunities stream of the subclass 403, and special purpose visas.

How to book your medical

Every clinic needs your HAP ID, a reference the Department gives you. If you applied online, you get it by clicking "View health assessment" in ImmiAccount, then "Organise health examinations", and completing your medical history. If there's no such link, the Department doesn't need tests from you at that point.

Where you go depends on where you are:

• In Australia: Bupa Medical Visa Services, the Department's migration medical provider. You book online or by calling 1300 794 919.
• Outside Australia: a panel physician or clinic approved by the Department. Results from an eMedical clinic reach the Department straight away.

Bring your original passport (copies aren't accepted), your HAP ID referral letter, glasses or contact lenses, any specialist reports for known conditions and any previous chest x-rays. Without the HAP ID the clinic can't find your case.

Examinations are at your own cost, including any extra tests, specialists and courier fees. Overseas costs vary by country, so ask the clinic before you book. Accepted refugee and Special Humanitarian Program applicants don't pay.

Doing your medical before you apply

For some visas you can have your medical before lodging, using the My Health Declarations service to get a HAP ID. It saves time, but there's a catch. Results are generally valid for 12 months, so if processing runs long you may have to repeat the tests at your own cost. The Department itself suggests checking processing times first. For a visa with a long queue, such as an offshore subclass 309 partner visa, doing it upfront can mean paying twice.

What happens after the examination

Don't expect the clinic to tell you whether you've passed. It sends the results and its recommendation to the Department, and you're either cleared or referred to a MOC. Track it in ImmiAccount under "View health assessment".

If your case goes to a MOC, it will report one of three outcomes:

• you meet the health requirement;
• you'll meet it if you sign a health undertaking, a promise to attend follow-up checks with a state or territory health service; or
• you don't meet it.

Sometimes the MOC asks for more information or more tests first. Respond quickly, and in full.

Results are valid for 12 months from the date you had the examinations, and a health undertaking is valid for 6 months.

Children who reach a birthday that brings in new tests need to come back. If a child turns 2, 11 or 15 after the medical but before the visa is granted, the Department requires the extra examinations for the new age, unless a MOC exempts them. On a long partner or parent visa wait, a 14-year-old who turns 15 will usually need the HIV, kidney function and, where relevant, hepatitis B tests before grant. Budget for it.

Can a visa be refused because of the medical?

Yes. If you don't meet the health requirement, the visa is refused unless a health waiver is available for your visa and the Department exercises it. A separate exception applies to some children born and ordinarily resident in Australia.

Whether a waiver exists depends on the visa. Visas tested under public interest criterion 4007 allow one; those tested only under 4005 don't. From the current regulations:

That's a short sample. Check your own visa's criteria, because several visas, including the subclass 189, the subclass 186 and the 500, use different criteria for different applicants or streams.

You don't apply for a waiver. If one is available, your case officer will contact you and ask for a submission explaining why it should be exercised. The Department considers whether you or your family can reduce the cost of your condition, and any compassionate and compelling circumstances. A waiver can't be granted for active tuberculosis or a condition that threatens public health.

In our experience, the waiver submission is where these cases are won or lost. It needs medical evidence about the actual cost and support available, not a general appeal, and it has to be ready inside the timeframe the letter gives you. If your visa is refused anyway, our guide to refusal options and the ART deadline explains the review clock.

FAQ

What medical tests are done for an Australian visa?

For a permanent or provisional visa, applicants 15 and over generally have a medical examination, chest x-ray, HIV test and kidney function blood test, plus hepatitis B if born in a higher-risk country. Younger children have fewer tests. Temporary visa applicants may need fewer or none, depending on the visa, length of stay and country.

How much does a medical test for an Australian visa cost?

You pay the clinic directly, including any extra tests, specialists and courier fees. The Department says overseas costs vary by country and are similar to a local comprehensive health examination, so ask the clinic before booking. In Australia, Bupa Medical Visa Services publishes its own prices. Accepted refugee and humanitarian applicants don't pay.

Can a visa be rejected after the medical?

Yes. If a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth finds you don't meet the health requirement, the visa is refused unless a health waiver is available for your visa and the Department exercises it. Waivers exist only for visas tested under public interest criterion 4007, and never for active tuberculosis.

How long is a visa medical valid in Australia?

Health examination results are valid for 12 months from the date you completed them. A health undertaking, if you're asked to sign one, is valid for 6 months. If you had examinations in the last 12 months, your referral letter tells you which ones you still need.

Where can I get a medical examination for an Australian visa?

In Australia, at Bupa Medical Visa Services, which you book online or on 1300 794 919. Outside Australia, at a panel physician or clinic approved by the Department of Home Affairs. You need your HAP ID and original passport for either.

What medical conditions cause an Australian visa to be refused?

It depends on the effect of the condition, not its name. A visa is refused where a condition would likely cost more than the Department's $86,000 significant cost threshold, need services in short supply such as dialysis or organ transplants, or threaten public health, including active tuberculosis. The assessment uses a hypothetical person with the same condition and severity.

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Worried about how a known condition will be assessed, or holding a letter about a health waiver? Book a consultation and we'll look at the timeframe and evidence before you respond. If a visa has already been refused, our refusals and appeals team can help.