lakram5455

Hi Guys,

I have received my PR status this month and planning to go to Australia next March.Actually my husband will be travelling first in March and I might join him later since I am currently working in India.We are planning to have a baby.I have seen most of them suggesting to get delivered in Oz in other threads here for getting Citizenship status for the kid directly.My questions are:

1)If I opt to have my delivery in Oz,what about the medical costs involved in that?Will I be completely covered under Medicare or do I have to bear half the cost and Medicare will bear the remaining?

2)How much would it approximately cost for a delivery in Oz,say Melbourne?
Heard that it is better to have delivery in India itself and then travel since the costs are high but not sure of how high it is.

3)If I plan to have delivery in India,will it be a cumbersome process to get the child added to our PR status?Few people say that the cost and efforts required to add the newborn is not easy.So its best to have delivery in Oz itself.

4)How to get the citizenship status for a newborn of a PR holder in Oz?Do I have to apply for the Australian Passport and how much will it cost?

5)If the kid has to travel back to India for visiting grandparents for a short while,do I have to apply for Indian Visa that time?

Very thankful for your valuable suggestions.
Thanks a lot in advance.

Regards,
Paddy.

old.sparkles

Congrats on the visa

You will both need to travel to Australia to validate the visas - not sure if OH can enter before you if you are main applicant - others might know.

Not sure of costs for birth, and it will vary if the birth is straight forward or complicated. If the child is born in India, you will need to apply for a child visa - they cannot be added to your visa if it has already been issued. They would be eligible for citizenship when you are though.

If the child is born in Australia, he or she will be a citizen from birth I think and you would need to apply for an Australian passport for him / her if wanting to travel outside Australia. I would assume you would need to apply for a visa for India unless they are also eligible for an Indian passport - you may want to ask about that in the Indian section of the forum.

lakram5455

Hi Old.Sparkle....Thanks for the reply.
Yes we have decided to validate the visa first by going in March together as you said.
But after that I might stay back and he will be going alone for job hunting.Planning to join him after a while to give him sometime to settle down.

But I am still not 100% clear with the questions I have asked.
I understand that the costs will differ case to case but I am looking for a rough estimate for a normal birth.

If in case I have got pregnant during visa grant phase and I have intimated to the CO and I am granted PR,will there be no costs involved at all for the newborn to get the PR status(except getting the Indian passport though)?How will the child enter Oz-without any Visa or with temporary Visitor visa?

Any past experiences regarding child birth in Oz with Medicare and applying for citizenship/child birth in India and applying for Child 101 Visa would be really helpful in deciding since we are still in planning phase to get pregnant.

Looks like for some people it took almost 14 months to get 101 visa for the child and it will be a nightmare if it happens to us.So just validating the best option.

Thanks once again.

Bermudashorts

PR holders are entitled to Medicare, which will cover most of the costs I believe.

If the baby is born overseas then you will have to get the child visa which as you know will take a year or so. If you don't want to wait, then move before it is born and have it in Australia.

old.sparkles

I'm confused as to whether you have the visa already or not? Also if you are pregnant already or planning for the near future?

Edit - scratch the second part - not yet pregnant, just planning.

lakram5455

Sorry for the confusion Old.Sparkle.
I received the PR visa already a month back.
I am planning for the kid in FUTURE
I am not pregnant yet but planning to get pregnant by Jan-Feb 2015 so that I can have the delivery by Sep-Oct 2015.
Asked about the pregnant DURING PR visa grant case just for my knowledge.Very sorry if it created a lot of confusion.It is not applicable to me right now though.
Thanks.

lakram5455

Thanks Bermudashorts for the quick reply.
I am really worried about the costs involved for delivery there.Heard that with Medicare you get only partially covered...for eg.out of consultation fees $200 you get $79 from Medicare and remaining you pay out of your pocket.We can manage till this.But this continues for every consultation,immunisation,hospitalization and delivery charges,etc.Finally you have a big hole in your pocket even with Medicare
Ofcourse my newborn is my responsibility and I should be happy to pay for him/her but is it not always good to compare and make informed decision ?
I just don't have a clear picture about pregnancy with Medicare.
Thanks again.

Pollyana

There are many threads int he main Australia forum about the costs of having a baby in Aus, maybe do a search through there

lakram5455

Will do it.Thanks Pollyana,as usual for the prompt reply

spouse of scouse

Hi Lakram, this may assist. I believe your out of pocket expenses will be minimal, regardless of whether your pregnancy and birth is simple or complex, as long as you are a public patient. Congratulations on your PR visa

Cost Of Baby - Cost Of Labour - Having A Baby

lakram5455

Thanks spouse of scouse for your reply.

lakram5455

Thanks Pollyana for directing me to other threads similar to my query.
I have got the information I needed
Feeling a bit relieved now after going through so many positive experiences from others.