This is a common question, with implications that can be further-reaching that at first glance. If I’m on a 820 Partner visa, can I get Medicare?
Medicare is Australia’s Public Health scheme; if you are enrolled in Medicare you can access a range of treatments, including hospital treatments and bulk-billed doctors’ visits, for free.
For some Partner Visa applicants, this is also a critical consideration as eligibility to enrol in Medicare is often a requirement for a person to be added to their Private Health insurance policy.
When you need to provide evidence of private health cover in order to apply for a visa, this has the potential to save you thousands of dollars.
Normally, a person is only entitled to enrol in Medicare if they are an Australian Citizen, Permanent Resident or Eligible New Zealand Citizen. If you have applied for a Partner Visa onshore, you will most likely have a Bridging Visa A – which is not a permanent visa. If you applied from overseas, you will not have a visa associated with that application.
However, this does not mean you are not able to access Medicare for a partner visa.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) is the responsible agency for administering the Medicare program.
The requirements set by DHS for enrolment to Medicare are:
Applying for permanent residency
For each person you want to enrol, you need to give us a:
- passport, travel document or Immicard
- valid visa, and
- proof from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection you’ve submitted a valid permanent residency application
This includes you if you’ve applied for a combined spouse visa 309/100 or 820/801.
If your visa doesn’t let you work in Australia, you must prove you have a relationship with a parent, spouse or child who’s an Australian citizen, permanent resident or New Zealand citizen who lives in Australia. This proof can be a:
- birth certificate
- marriage certificate
- joint bank or utility account statement, or
- proof you own a home together
The summary of the above is that if you have made a Partner Visa application you are eligible to enrol in Medicare, provided the application is valid, you have adequate proof of your relationship and you are in Australia on a valid visa.
We have heard that, in some cases, applicants are being told that they are not eligible for Medicare until after their Partner Visa is granted. This is wrong – if you are told this, ask to speak to a Manager.
You can find the instructions and form to enrol in Medicare here: https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/enablers/how-enrol-or-re-enrol-medicare/36706
