The Best Overseas Health Cover for International Students

OSHC is health insurance to assist Overseas Students and their dependants meet the costs of unplanned medical and hospital care which they may need while undertaking formal studies in Australia. OSHC includes ambulance cover and limited pharmaceutical items.

Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is health insurance for international students which provides cover for the costs of:

• Out of hospital medical treatment

• In hospital medical treatment

• Prescription medicines

• Surgically implanted prostheses

• Emergency ambulance transport

What is OSHC?

OSHC is health insurance to assist Overseas Students and their dependants meet the costs of unplanned medical and hospital care which they may need while undertaking formal studies in Australia. OSHC includes ambulance cover and limited pharmaceutical items.

Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is health insurance for international students which provides cover for the costs of:

• Out of hospital medical treatment

• In hospital medical treatment

• Prescription medicines

• Surgically implanted prostheses

• Emergency ambulance transport

The Department of Health regulates OSHC and OSHC providers.

OSHC Requirements

Migration Regulations 1994 - Schedule 2, requires Overseas Students to provide evidence of adequate health insurance in Australia before the visa can be granted.

Under policy, OSHC is considered adequate health insurance. There are several circumstances where an Overseas Student would be exempt from requiring OSHC, which are detailed below.

On 20 April 2010, as part of the Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) International Student Strategy for Australia, COAG required that Student Visa applicants must show that they have OSHC for the duration of their visa before a visa can be granted, “….to guard against failure by students to renew coverage…”.

The Department of Home Affairs will check the student’s OSHC policy period prior to granting a Student Visa (subclass 500). It is a condition of the student’s visa that they maintain adequate health insurance for the duration of the student visa and must not enter Australia until the health insurance policy has commenced.

Further, students are required to provide evidence of OSHC for accompanying Dependants for the proposed duration of (the student’s) visa.

OSHC Exemptions

Overseas Students are exempt from requiring to purchase OSHC if they are from countries that have a specific (government-to-government) agreement with Australia that covers their insurance requirements.

Residents from Norway are provided with adequate health insurance by the Norwegian Government (the National Insurance Scheme).

Residents from Sweden can take out health insurance with Kammarkollegiet (the Swedish Legal, Financial and Administration Agency). This insurance is considered adequate health insurance. However, this insurance is not universal and student visa applicants must present evidence of cover with their application or they are required to hold OSHC.

Residents from Belgium are specifically covered by their Reciprocal Health Care Agreement, which is considered adequate health insurance.

Who is considered an Overseas Students?

The definition of an Overseas Student applies to primary and secondary Student Visa holders, both of which are required to have adequate health insurance.

Consistent with the definition set out in the Deed as well as Rule 18 of the Health Insurance Business Rules, an Overseas Student is:

(a) a person who is the holder of a Student Visa; or

(b) a person who:

(i) is an applicant for a Student Visa (Subclass 500); and

(ii) is the holder of a Bridging Visa (Subclass 10, 20, 050-051); and

(iii) was, immediately before being granted the Bridging Visa, the holder of a Student Visa.

This definition ensures that a student visa holder who intends to continue studying after their visa expires, and holds a bridging visa while waiting for the outcome of a new student visa application, is eligible to obtain OSHC and is required to hold OSHC.

As per the definition above, a student visa holder who applies for a permanent visa must comply with the conditions of the student visa until it expires. A bridging visa comes into effect when the student visa expires. A former student visa holder who holds a bridging visa in association with a permanent visa application is not an Overseas Student and therefore is not required to hold OSHC.

Before a Student Visa is granted to a family member, the Department of Home Affairs will assess the applicant’s relationship to the primary visa holder/applicant.

The Department of Home Affairs do not allow dependent children over the age of 18 at the time of application to be granted a Student Visa as a secondary holder. If a person turns 18 during the visa period, they may hold a Student Visa as a secondary holder for some time. Visas for people who turn 18 after grant are usually granted until:

• if the dependent child’s birthday falls between 1 January 30 June – until 31 July in the year the dependent turns 18

• if the dependent child’s birthday falls between 1 July and 31 December – until 31 December in the year the dependent turns 18.

This allows the dependent child to complete their current semester of study if enrolled. This will also avoid a situation of a dependent child who is about to complete their course of study needing to apply for a further Student Visa as a primary applicant for only a very short period. In some circumstances, the Department of Home Affairs may choose to depart from this policy and grant a longer or shorter visa as deemed appropriate.

A secondary Student Visa may cease before the primary visa expires. A dependent child may then choose to apply for a visa in their own right.