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Hi there
My disabled Mother of 86 has recently migrated to Oz on a Contributory Parent visa giving her Permanent Residence. I am aware of a child who is registered blind in the UK migrating recently too. A Court case last year has confirmed that they have to consider the exact circumstances of the applicant concerned. They cannot treat any medical condition generically instead.
The "rule of thumb" you have been told about does exist. It is prima facie "significant cost" if the cost of health and community care combined would be likely to exceed $20,000 in the person's first 3-5 years in Australia. However, this is just a general guide for the processing staff. who are not medically-trained.
The Medical Officer of the Commonwealth is likely to want to see up to date specialist's reports about the medical condition itself, and reports from a suitable expert about howyour daughter is coping at school, what her future job-prospects are and so forth. What they worry about is that the child might become entitled to a Disability Pension when they grow up. If you can get one Benefit you can usually get others on top. The costs of the Benefits, calculated over the person's likely lifespan, can push up the overall care-costs exponentially, even though the actual medical bill might be negligible - eg for a condition that cannot be treated or cured such as blindness.
I think that you would be wise to use an Agent such as Alan Collett, with experience of handling applications where the medical stuff could get tricky. Sometimes in a borderline case, the skill with which the facts are presented can make all the difference.
Sing out if I can help further.
Cheers
Gill
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