GreenSauce

Hello BE!

We're regular visitors, but now we actually have a question and hope someone can help so here goes:

we were wondering if we are entitled to having our medical insurance paid by hubbies employer?? Because on a 457 visa the sponsor is responsible for medical costs, we thought we should at least ask them. But before we do we would like to know from other 457ers if thats a completely ridiculous, outrageous question to ask an employer - any experiences from here?
We are not entitled to Medicare as we are not from Britain by the way.

Thanks for any answers

GreenSauce

JAJ

If you are not entitled to Medicare then it's perfectly reasonable to expect your employer to provide full medical cover.

Why not fix the problem at source though and get sponsored for a permanent visa?

GreenSauce

Hi JAJ,
thanks for your answer, thats what we thought but somehow wanted someone elses opinion.
We will eventually apply for PR, but when everything got going we had no idea whatsoever on visa issues. So we left things to the sponsor and are quite happy with them and the way things are going. If we are as happy in Perth, we will definitely go through things a second time for a PR.
We'll see how it goes.

Cheers GS

Luma

Don't know if you are from any of these other countries......

The Australian Government has signed Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RHCA) with the governments of the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Malta and Italy which entitles you to limited subsidised health services for immediately necessary treatment while visiting Australia.

Luma

Sorry forgot to say "Welcome to the forum"

Here are some 457 threads which you might find helpful....
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=358422
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=363725

GreenSauce

Thats nice Luma, seems to be a friendly place here

I will check into those threads. Its not always that easy finding info on 457, as almost everybody else seems to be going for PR. What about you?

We're from Germany, and they dont have the agreement Im afraid. But would that mean Id be left in the ditch or not scraped off the road in REAL emergency ?? Oh, I guess they wouldnt know where I come from then would they. And afterwards they'd send the bill to our sponsor...

Luma

We fly to Perth in 9 days time on a 457 visa. We'll apply for PR in Oz.

There a quite a few people on here that are going on 457 visas.

Something you should also negotiate with your sponsoring company is relocation costs.

Here is a thread re: average relocation costs.....
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...location+costs

GreenSauce

Yes, relocation has been a topic, but now they're paying 3 months rent plus car. And as we are not taking the complete household, just bits and pieces we thought thats fine.
We're going to Perth too! Hope to be there in August/September

Cheers GS

George Lombard

Dear GS,

Most sponsors will insist that you pay for medical insurance out of your salary. The sponsor's obligation is to ensure that there is medical coverage, not to pay for it. But it's worth bargaining over.

Cheers,

George Lombard

www.austimmigration.com.au

mvt550

Yes - this is my understanding from the other side of the fence as a GP.

In a REAL emergency of course you would receive treatment but YOU would be sent the bill, not your sponsor (unless it's a work related injury). If you can subsequently get your sponsor to reimburse the cost to you, that's between you and them (but sounds unlikely really unless you already have agreed on this) but the bill would be sent to you!

Madhu

Juanita

Hi I am on the 457. At my workplace all 457s get $1,500 per year (tho this works out significantly less after tax) in their pay packet as part of a 'health insurance loading' - I think that this is just something that my employer does rather than standard practice. Anyway, the irony is that whether there is a reciprocal arrangement for medicare or not you still get the money. So I've not bothered with health insurance and have just pocketed the cash - whereas my colleagues from the US are paying out heaps for private medical care.

andrew63

GS
I was in the exact same situation.
My employer/sponsor initially thought I would be covered by Medicare under the reciprocal agreement but as I had been out of the UK for the last 5 years I was not. He checked with the immigration agent that we used and he considered himself obliged to pay for health insurance for me and my family.

My employer/sponsor agreed to pay for the MBF Overseas Family cover.

Once I became PR and legible for PR, he stopped paying but that was fine.

Good luck.

Andrew

GreenSauce

Hi guys!

Thought there wasnt any common rule to this, we've asked very friendly how our sponsor thinks to deal with things. Good to know though there is hope!Thanx for helping anyway.
Lucky ones who get it paid!

GS

Evelin

If you are from Germany, have you thought about posting in http://www.laenderinfo-forum.de/foru...name=index.php

the question comes up regularly. Check forum no 4 (dauernd Auswandern).

Apart from that the Migration Act says:

MIGRATION REGULATIONS 1994 (Einwanderungsgesetz)
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/c..._reg/mr1994227

457 visa:

Division 1.4A Temporary business entry: sponsorship and nomination

1.20CB Sponsorship undertakings

(1) For subsection 140H (1) of the Act, an applicant for approval as a standard business sponsor must make the following undertakings (Verpflichtungen):

(a) to ensure that the cost of return travel by a sponsored person is met;

(k) (ii) for an application made on or after 1 November 2005 — to pay all medical or hospital expenses for a sponsored person arising from treatment administered in a public hospital (other than expenses that are met by health insurance or reciprocal health care arrangements);

I do know people on 457 visas in perth where the employer is paying the health insurance. Germans often get a health insurance in German that covers them in OZ for up to 3 years.

Unfortunately it is so that many employers know that many nominees desperately what to come to work/live in OZ and employers take advantage of their situation. Often they don't pay them what nominees are legally entitled to. The situation is worse when it comes to jobs in rural Australia.

Evelin

JAJ,

the latest gazetted annual base salary for 457 visa holders for most occupation is $41,850 from July 06 (not rural). I tried to find the definition of "annual base salary" without success. In my view the act is not specific in such that it

a) does not define weekly hours and/or

b) hourly pay

I know cases where people on 457 visa receive $41,850 because of endless hours of overtime. In one case, a person gets paid $14,85 which is well below an annual income of $40,000.