Guest bll2109 Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Hi Looking for anyone with Haemophilia and experience of applying for a visa to move to Australia either on a temporary visa (such as 457) or a permanent one. My company wants to send me from the UK to AU via intercompany transfer on July 1st. We are in the process of applying for my 457 visa. My employer is already approved as a sponsor and they have submitted the nomination application and told me to go ahead and make my visa application. I have a blood disorder - haemophilia, type B. The blood disorder is a deficiency of factor 9 which means my blood doesn't clot as well as someone without the condition. Its a mild form of the condition and doesn't affect my day to day life at all, but if I require surgery or have any medical emergency where bleeding is an issue, I would require recombinant factor 9 replacement, which is quite expensive! Other than this I am perfectly healthy. I require an annual "health check" that I have in the UK with a Haemophilia centre which is just a general checkup and a blood test to check my factor 9 levels and immunisations, but generally thats pretty much the only cost I put on the NHS. I have had 2 instances in my lifetime (I am 25 years old) where I have needed factor replacement. This is quite low for someone with Haemophilia (someone with a severe form of the condition would need factor replacement on a regular basis for life). I had to have it once for an operation and another when I dropped something heavy on my toe! :err: I started to fill out my online application for the 457 and now I am panicking! I started to read through the visa application form and then saw "blood disorder" at top of the list for the question: "During your proposed visit to Australia, do you, or any other person included in this application, expect to incur medical costs, or require treatment or medical follow up for.." I guess I should be answering "Yes" to this question as I will indeed require a "medical follow up" for this while in AU. Has anyone with Haemophilia on here been through this process and successfully made it to Australia? My logical side tells me as it doesn't affect my day to day life and I would only potentially incur cost when unexpected medical attention is required, that this shouldnt be too much of a problem. Also the fact I am applying for a temporary visa (vs. permanent) will hopefully not impede my application. Currently I have no intention to stay in AU forever, but I hadn't ruled it out, but I figured if I can get out to AU on a 457 first, I will cross that bridge as and when I need to. If anyone can give my any insight into their experience if they have the same/similar circumstances I would be extremely appreciative of someone taking the time to get in touch. And if anyone has any advice for me on where I may be able to get some advice on how to fill out the form etc under these circumstances, any do's/don't's etc, that could also be good. I am just really worried right now that this amazing opportunity might be pulled from underneath me :sad: Thanks in advance to anyone who can help, Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige123456 Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Hi Ben, Can you please share your experience of going through the medical examination? Did it delay the decision on your visa? Thanks, Paige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bll2109 Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Hi Paige No - it didn't affect me at all. My 457 was granted without issue back in 2011 and I went on to spend 2 wonderful years in Sydney. I did unfortunately get referred for a medical examination during the application process and I believe this was due to the answers I provided re blood disorder. However at the medical in Hampshire they were more interested in the chest x ray and doing the TB check. My haemophilia came up briefly during the medical but because I do not require treatment unless undergoing surgery or have an accident, it didn't seem to cause any red flags. The reality of health care once I was in Australia was much easier than I expected. I am British, so our reciprocal health care with Australia provisioned me with essential health care while in Australia which included my Haemophilia. I also ended up getting private medical insurance to get a tax incentive, so naturally that included the haem cover. The australian balance between public and private healthcare is great. I then went on to live in the USA for 2 years - now that is a different situation. Didn't affect visas because they have no gov healthcare so you won't be a burden, but the cost to me as an individual was very high. Good luck on your move to straya! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Be aware that rules and regulations change on a constant basis. So, what was applicable 4 years ago, may not be now. I would advise you speak to a specialist agent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 Be aware that rules and regulations change on a constant basis. So, what was applicable 4 years ago, may not be now. I would advise you speak to a specialist agent Also thats for a 457, if Paige is going for PR it may be rather different as the reciprocal healthcare won't be applicable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige123456 Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 Thanks Ben for the insight. Thanks guys for your advice. I am going for PR, so there might be a different outcome. However, it's nice to know that there are happy stories Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bitmonk Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 On 14/12/2015 at 08:47, Guest bll2109 said: Hi Paige No - it didn't affect me at all. My 457 was granted without issue back in 2011 and I went on to spend 2 wonderful years in Sydney. I did unfortunately get referred for a medical examination during the application process and I believe this was due to the answers I provided re blood disorder. However at the medical in Hampshire they were more interested in the chest x ray and doing the TB check. My haemophilia came up briefly during the medical but because I do not require treatment unless undergoing surgery or have an accident, it didn't seem to cause any red flags. The reality of health care once I was in Australia was much easier than I expected. I am British, so our reciprocal health care with Australia provisioned me with essential health care while in Australia which included my Haemophilia. I also ended up getting private medical insurance to get a tax incentive, so naturally that included the haem cover. The australian balance between public and private healthcare is great. I then went on to live in the USA for 2 years - now that is a different situation. Didn't affect visas because they have no gov healthcare so you won't be a burden, but the cost to me as an individual was very high. Good luck on your move to straya! Hi Ben, You mentioned that you found a private insurance that covers haemophilia, Do you still remember the name of the cover? I'm haemophilia A moving to Australia with temporary working visa, so I'm facing the same problem you are having. If I can find a private insurance that covers haemophilia A, it will solve most of the problem. Thanks! Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 7 minutes ago, Bitmonk said: Hi Ben, You mentioned that you found a private insurance that covers haemophilia, Do you still remember the name of the cover? I'm haemophilia A moving to Australia with temporary working visa, so I'm facing the same problem you are having. If I can find a private insurance that covers haemophilia A, it will solve most of the problem. Any private insurer will cover your haemophilia. Health insurers in Australia are not allowed to exclude anything, (unless the insured person chooses not to be covered for something). However, all health insurers will have a probationary period, when you first join. Typically they won't cover ANY pre-existing conditions for the first six months, but after that you are covered. If you are currently living in a country which has a reciprocal agreement with Australia (e.g. the UK), then you will be able to access Medicare for essential treatment from the day you arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bitmonk Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 21 hours ago, Marisawright said: Any private insurer will cover your haemophilia. Health insurers in Australia are not allowed to exclude anything, (unless the insured person chooses not to be covered for something). However, all health insurers will have a probationary period, when you first join. Typically they won't cover ANY pre-existing conditions for the first six months, but after that you are covered. If you are currently living in a country which has a reciprocal agreement with Australia (e.g. the UK), then you will be able to access Medicare for essential treatment from the day you arrive. Hi Marisawright, Thank you so much for replying, your advice gives me a new direction of search. I looked into Bupa policies, seems temporary visa holders can purchase Essential Visitors Cover: https://www.tga.gov.au/prescription-medicines-and-biologicals-tga-annual-summary-2017 The policy says "overed up to 100% of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee" but for selected pharmacy items, it says: "up to a maximum of $300 per person per calendar year." For haemophilia, the major cost was the medicine we have to inject every few days. I'm not sure does it counts as a MBS fee or Selected Pharmacy item. From the haemophilia treatment guidance I can see the medicine was provided by National Blood Authority (NBA) https://www.blood.gov.au/haemophilia-guidelines Do you know more details of that? Thanks! Wei Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 (edited) If your country does not have a reciprocal agreement with Australia, then your only option is Overseas Visitor Health Cover. Note that most of the basic health insurance policies cover hospital treatment ONLY. You will need to choose a higher level of cover, one that includes prescriptions and doctor visits. The MBS is the body that sets advisory prices for procedures and tests, not prescriptions. Doctors and clinics are free to charge more than the MBS and often do, so you'll often find yourself paying out of pocket if the policy only covers the MBS fee. Prescriptions are managed by a separate body, the PBS. You won't be eligible for PBS prices, so you'll have to pay the full private cost and I don't know how you find that out. However, here is the PBS site: https://www.pbs.gov.au/browse/medicine-listing $300 for a full year isn't nearly enough. My asthma inhaler costs $40 (on the PBS) and I use one a month, so even I would be over that! Edited June 21, 2022 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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