Can I Get Medicare on a Partner Visa?

Who decides whether a partner visa applicant gets Medicare?

Whether a partner visa applicant gets Medicare is decided by Services Australia, which applies the eligibility rules under health law, not migration law. The Department of Home Affairs grants the visa, but it does not enrol anyone in Medicare. Applicants should therefore check their position with Services Australia and keep their visa grant notice or acknowledgement of application ready when they enrol. Our article on partner visa Medicare explains the general rules.

Can I get Medicare while my Subclass 820 is processing?

An onshore applicant can generally get Medicare while a Subclass 820 is processing, because the combined Subclass 820 and Subclass 801 application includes an application for a permanent visa. Services Australia usually enrols people who have applied for a permanent visa, other than a parent visa, where they are in a relationship with an Australian citizen or permanent resident or meet another link it accepts. The applicant usually needs the acknowledgement of application, a passport and evidence of the relationship. Our article on the Subclass 820 visa explains how the combined application works.

Can I get Medicare on a Subclass 309 visa?

A Subclass 309 holder can generally get Medicare after arriving in Australia, because the Subclass 309 is granted as part of a combined application that includes the permanent Subclass 100. The holder enrols once in Australia, using the visa grant and passport. Before the Subclass 309 is granted, an applicant visiting Australia on a visitor visa is usually not covered and should hold private travel health insurance. Our page on the Subclass 309 visa explains the offshore process.

Do I need private health insurance as well as Medicare?

Private health insurance is not a requirement of the Subclass 820 or Subclass 309, but it may still be sensible for periods when the applicant is not yet enrolled in Medicare. Some other visas held before a partner visa application carry their own insurance condition, which continues while that visa is in effect. Our article on partner visa conditions explains which conditions attach to each stage.

Does Medicare enrolment help my partner visa evidence?

Medicare enrolment can help partner visa evidence in a small way, because a shared Medicare card or records at the same address show the couple presenting as a household to a government agency. A sponsor who adds the applicant to the sponsor's Medicare card is a practical example. This evidence supports the nature of the household but is never enough on its own, as our article on partner visa household evidence explains.

Does a health condition affect the partner visa itself?

A health condition can affect the partner visa itself, because applicants must meet the health requirement, usually through health examinations arranged after lodgement. Medicare access does not change that assessment. Where a condition may involve significant cost, a health waiver may be available for some partner visa applicants, as explained in our article on partner visa health requirements.

How does My Migration Lawyers help with health and Medicare questions?

My Migration Lawyers helps with health and Medicare questions by confirming which visa the applicant holds at each point, whether that visa carries an insurance condition, and how any health condition is likely to be treated in the health assessment. The firm leaves Medicare enrolment decisions to Services Australia, but makes sure the couple has the application documents needed to enrol. Applicants with health concerns can speak with our partner visa lawyers.