What is the Health Care Eligibility for Onshore Parent Visa 804 Applicants On A Bridging Visa?
This post reflects the legal landscape as of the date of publication. Laws may have changed since then. Please consult a legal professional for current information and personalised advice.
Typically, if you are in Australia and have lodged an application for a permanent visa you are able to access Australia’s ‘free’ health care system, Medicare.
Unfortunately, as with most things in life there is an exception to almost every rule.
In accordance with the Health Insurance Act 1973, those applying for permanent residency under a parent visa are not entitled to Medicare for the entire period that they are waiting for the decision of their visa application. Eligibility for Medicare occurs only after the parent visa is granted and when the parent is residing in Australia (can’t just fly over for medical treatment and live elsewhere permanently).
Of course, there is even an exception to that rule too! Certain parent visa applicants in Australia who are citizens of a country that has a reciprocal health care agreement (RHCA) with Australia may have limited access to Medicare services. These countries are listed below and the RHCAs can also be accessed by people in Australia who are not applying for a parent visa.
- Belgium
- France
- Italy (don’t need to have been living in Italy, but you must be an Italian citizen and meet the other agreement conditions)
- Malta
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Ireland
- Slovenia
- Sweden
- United Kingdom