jmcasablanca2

Our 410 retirement visa expired in 2008 and since then we have been living in the UK. It appears from Australia Government website that we can renew our old visa and live in Australia again on this visa even though the 410 visa is no longer open to new applicants. The information regarding this is very vague, we have downloaded the form 1383 and are in the process of getting police checks done.

Can anyone help with answers to the following questions:-

1. What private health insurance company can supply the correct cover for this visa? (We have spoken to several but they don't seem to know about the 410 visa)

2. Does anyone know a contact number to speak to someone in the Australian Immigration office in Hobart other than the 131 881 number. The operators on this number don't seem to know much about this visa either.

Pollyana

Call centre operators only know about the more general stuff and to be honest if they did give out info about the 410 'd treat it with suspicion. You would be better to call a registered agent - someone like Alan Collet or George Lombard - and discuss it with them. Even the office in Hobart probably won't be much help as they are only there to process visas, not to give advice on them.

tomar

We have been on the 410 visa since 2003.
It was closed to new applicants in 2005.
I don't quite understand when you say it expired? It is an ongoing renewable visa, originally We had to renew every 2 years, then it changed to 4, and finally to renewing every 10 years. We have never had a problem renewing the visa.
So my question is did you not get it renewed?
I would have no idea if there is a possibility of reinstating the visa.

Hobart definitely deals with the 410 visa.

We insure with Medibank, possibly BUPA insures for this visa as well.
The costs have increased enormously up 42% last year and another 10% this year
We pay double for top cover compared to Australian friends, but no choice if you want to stay here.

jmcasablanca2

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We left Australia in 2008 when our visa expired and have not been back since but looking at the website we can renew it. The problem is the health cover. Now the 410 visa doesn't exist to new applicants mos of the insurers won't cover the 410. We were with Medibank previously but they say they don't do it for retirees any more only for existing ones. Would you be so kind, if you don't mind, what the top cover is called.

Dorothy

What website says you can renew a visa after being out of the country for 8 years? I think you might be getting confused with the return resident visa which is not the same as "renewal" of your long expired 410.

tomar

Sorry but I don't understand how your 410 visa expired? It was up to you to renew it, which was not a difficult thing to do, as I mentioned it is a constantly renewable visa and it it is up to the visa holder to renew. There is a fairly large group of 410 visa holders locally and we meet up fairly regularly and I have never heard of anyone having any problem renewing, as it goes through in days.
Can't help with insurance, as we have always kept ours ongoing, so have no idea about the rules in place for new applicants.

Dorothy

The OP couldn't renew it because they no longer live in Australia. You have to actually live here to keep the visa active.

tomar

Friends of ours kept renewing for quite some years even though they hadn't moved here so not sure about that? Will ask them how they managed to do that. Perhaps while visiting.
I still can't understand why the OP didn't renew if they were in Australia as it only costs about $300 to renew, in 2008 it was a 4 year visa and went to 10 years in 2009. You can come and go as much as you like, we have even spent 6 months away one year.
I suppose the moral is keep your options open.

Dorothy

Yes, in 2008 it was a 4 year visa. This is 2017, so.9 years after they left. The visa was only valid for 4 years so it is now expired.

louie

www.border.gov.au does: "The Retirement visa (subclass 410) is only available to

• existing Retirement visa (subclass 410) holders and their partners (if any)
• former Retirement visa (subclass 410) holders and their partners (if any) who have not held another substantive visa since last entering Australia" and also

"Former Retirement visa (subclass 410) holders and their partners who have been granted any other substantive visa, including Visitor visas and Electronic Travel Authorities, are not able to reapply for this visa" (so presumably other former holders can reapply).

and the website goes on to say:

"Since 1 July 2009, Retirement visa holders have been able to apply for a visa which is valid for 10 years from the date of grant and does not have any restrictions on the hours they are able to work.

You can apply for this visa whether you are in or outside Australia:

• If you apply for this visa in Australia, you must be in Australia when the visa is granted.
• If you apply for this visa outside Australia, you must be outside Australia when the visa is granted"

The 410 visa seems to be very different from the run of the mill PR ones, maybe simply because it isn't permanent?

Dorothy

That's encouraging for the OP, but it's still an application and not just a renewal. Hopefully they will be able to be granted a new 410.

tomar

Sorry Dorothy no offence meant when I posted about renewing/reapplying for the 410 visa. It's a bit of a one off visa and It's described as a rollover visa for existing holders somewhere, and as we hardly have to do anything to get it renewed, and it's almost reissued instantly, in contrast to friends on the 405 visa who have to make a brand new application from scratch every 4 years and wait quite a while to hear if it's granted, so I suppose we interpret ours as a renewal rather than reapplying.

Spoke to our friends and they renewed/reapplied several times from UK before they finally moved here.

It's interesting to read that it would appear you can have the visa reinstated if you haven't had another visa issued, do hope the OP lets us know how they get on.

Dorothy

No offence taken at all. The 410 sounds like a good visa if you were fortunate enough to get one before they stopped them.

jmcasablanca2

Thank you all for your info about our visa 410 renewal/application. We are now sure we can renew. All we need is insurance cover. Is there anybody out there who has a 410 visa and would not mind telling us which company they are with, what cover they have and how much it costs per month or year? If needed our e-mail address is: <snip>
Thank you.

tomar

Had to go into Medibank today, so asked about your health cover situation.
Was told by Medibank in the Sunshine Plaza Maroochydore that you can get health cover in your situation.

Overseas Visitors Health cover.
That's the good news.
Unfortunately you can now only have the very basic cover, so there are lots of things you won't be covered for.
If you go into Medibank private it brings up what is or isn't covered.

Hope that helps