lucyb

Hi all,

Please can you give us advice for our friend, who is also considering emigrating to Australia.

He is concerned that he would fail to gain a Visa as he has a prosthetic valve on his heart and takes medication daily. Is he likely to fail to pass his medical because of this? He hasnt applied yet as this is holding him back.

Thanks for any advice.
Lucy

mlbonner

Hi Lucy

He'd more than likely get put in Cat B and be assessed from there. Basically it comes down to how much of a 'drain' he'd be on the Australian economy. There is a set amount of money designated and only if his condition was deemed to cost more than that would he be refused/have to appeal.
I don't know the cost of the medication he's on, but the allowance is upto $2 million I think. TB is the only condition that automatically precludes a visa (though HIV/AIDS are usually assumed to be very close to a no as well).

This (& others) may help some more http://www.immi.gov.au/facts/22health.htm - heart conditions are fairly common as well (I was originally told I had one) so a search on here could also be useful for you

IMO, as longs he's not deemed to be a drain on the economy above the level, all its going to do is slightly lengthen his application process whilst its being reviewed (doesnt matter if he has lots of money either btw, they dont take this into consideration)

Cheers

soapy©

what a great answer, thats what this forums all about

lucyb

Indeed it was!!!Many thanks for that reply! He's down visiting for the weekend so will show him in a minute.

Thanks again,
Lucy

soapy©

hi lucy. one thing ive learned so far is....Australians dont take no for an answer. tell your friend to do the same !
no for some reason, no doesnt mean no here

mlbonner

No problem - just done a bit more research and come up with these;

"As a general guide an assessment is made of the likely health costs over 3-5 years. If these costs are greater than $20,000 they are considered ‘significant’. In calculating these costs factors taken into account include use of Health and Community services, Costs of Support Services (carer payments, disability support pensions, residential care, respite care and home help, disability equipment, supported education, palliative care) -October 2003

[not sure about this $20,000 figure in light of the immi website $2million - though I think there is a higher allowance for family sponsored visas]

-also

"I even know a man who had a heart valve replaced and still got his visa 2 years down the line afer getting the all clear." - Nov 2003


This may also help - http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1071i.pdf

Sandra

I have a bit of a personal insight into the medical requirements and believe me the 2 mil cost factor on the dimia site is an explanation not a stated limit.

$20K is also another value used/talked about ................what is definite is that certain medical cases can go to the MOC .....and a case by case evaluation is taken. If the cost of medical care for the person coming to Aus is likely to be above limits (arbitory for the decison) then the person can be refused with no appeal.

I have no experience with the medical condition you are talking about, but I would think (my opinion only) if the condition is stable and not likely to change then it might be a case of the cost of drugs that is taken into account.

Not many agents will have dealt with these cases but a good agent might be the key in terms of providing an upfront detailed medical case with the standard medical reports when they go in.

If you do a search on this site you will find many cases of further medical details being required like mlbonner said Cat B details etc.

The difficult thing for most people in these circumstances is you cannot get a yeh/ney from anywhere prior to putting in an application and then going through the medical. Doctors in the UK charge you heaps for a medical but none of them know what will happen when those results are sent in along with your main application.

I have loads of sympathy for people in "not sure" situations.

Please note - so all those new peops reading with minor medical items please do a search on this site cause I am only talking about this heart condition or possible long term disability items.

Best of luck to your friend lucyb, and let us know how it goes.

Regards

sj oldfield

Geoge Lombard has the email address of some one who apparently specialises in medical conditions. might be able to advise in depth...

Sandra

Like the other Sandra says try George Lombard.

In my opinion he is a top agent.

mlbonner

Well remembered!

This is the agent George recommends


"Third, you should check with a reputable agent before doing anything. The best agent on medical issues is Peter Bollard, http://users.bigpond.net.au/onk/ "

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...+medical+agent

(I found his email as well - [email protected])

maxpaxx

The guy who fixed my washing machine has a brother livivng in Aus. He failed his medical because he needed new valve! After the op and the all clear he got the visa - took a while 2 years I think he said but shows it does not stop you from getting a visa!

Max

walla

Hi Lucy

Uncle got in after a triple heart by pass aged 60

Walla

alkristensen

this is great news to my ears too i had a valve replacement 2 years ago and had a human valve fitted.

At my yearly outpatients appointment with my surgeon recently, he said that i will be no strain on aussie nhs for years, just a quick annual appointment and the valve should start to murmur in about 8 years

and then its a long process of monitoring it(another 8 to 12 years if everytrhing ok,

which hopefully by then will be an in and out in a day operation as they are mastering keyhole heart valve replacements in the USA at the moment and my surgeon(mr hooper,wythenshawe hosp, my messiah!!) is also doing them in the uk.

So fingers crossed i should pass!

i wish everyone luck with a heart prob and medicals and hope that the visa process doesnt take more years off us all!!

i will keep everyone informed in the future.

alk