As part of the permanent visa application process, you and your dependent family members will be required to undertake health examinations and meet the health requirement. As a general rule, these examinations will include:

• A medical examination for all applicants, with blood testing required for applicants aged 15 years and over; and
• A chest x-ray for all applicants aged 11 years and over.

The health requirement is an important aspect of your application. It has been put in place by the Australian Government to:

• protect the Australian community from public health and safety risks, especially active tuberculosis
• help the Australian Government control how much it spends on services such as social security benefits, allowances and pensions
• ensure Australian citizens and permanent residents can access health and community services that are in short supply.

To meet the health requirement, you must be free from any disease or condition that is seen to be:

• a significant healthcare and community service cost to the Australian community
• likely to limit the access of Australian citizens and permanent residents to healthcare and community services that are in short supply by placing additional demand on these services.

If you do not meet the health requirement for the visa, the visa application will be refused.

At the time of writing, the 5 most common conditions leading to a visa applicant failing the health requirement are:

• intellectual impairment
• HIV infection
• functional impairment
• renal disease or failure
• cancer

There are very limited visa categories that may allow you to access a health waiver provision. A health waiver is considered on a case-by-case basis and can provide you with the opportunity to give the Department additional information on why your application should not be refused on health grounds. These situations are complex and require detailed submissions and supporting documentation from medical specialists.

If you have any questions regarding the health requirements of a permanent visa, please contact our team of registered migration agents today.