drog1998

Hello,

I was hoping for some advice on a couple of questions that I have. My parent has arrived and once their 3 month tourist visa lapses they will go onto Bridging Visa A.

My questions are;
Do they have to apply for a tax file number and lodge a tax return at the end of the year?
Can they apply for a Medicare card and have the same right level of care as an Australian Citizen
Can they apply for a concession card (as she is over 75)
And lastly healtcare is reciprical I believe with the UK but does that mean she can get a routine operation done or will that need to be paid for privately? Not a big issue but dont want it to look bad when it comes to the visa review and that they are just a medical tourist.

Thanks in advance for any help.

old.sparkles

Which visa are they applying for? If it is a parent visa then looking at results in Google it is a no to medicare and concession card.

I think the reciprocal care only covers emergency treatment.

ETA - and I think yes to TFN and tax returns.

Nannycarol

We applied for Contributary Aged Parent (over 65 years) 864 Visa in September 2018 and were given BVA which we are still on. There has been a huge delay in granting these Visas and we have only just had medicals and Police Checks. Just so you know the expected delay for people applying now is 12 years! However, the way to look at it is 'At least they are here."
Go to Centrelink with the Bridging Visa - we were given, and still hold "Yellow Medicare Cards, called "Visitor' and "Reciprocal Care". We get some rebate on Doctors Fees and X-Rays are free. Emergency treatment appears to be covered, but I have had cataracts and knee replacement surgery, which I have had to pay for in FULL. You can get Health Insurance, but it doesn't cover Hospital Stays. It's worth asking I suppose, but that's our experience. All we seem to get partially paid for via Health Insurance is Dental, Optical, Physio.
Perhaps check on Gov website about concession cards. We found out by accident that if you have applied for 864 Visa you CAN get concession cards in WA (which we have done)- not certain that this would apply in Sydney??? The main concessions come with the Commonwealth Card which you don't get until you become a citizen.
Oh, and all prescription drugs have to be paid for until you are a Permanent Resident.
Hope this answers your questions.

quoll

If she is going to be resident in Australia then yes she will need a TFN and file a tax return on her worldwide income. She wont get full medicare cover only "necessary" treatment and what she may deem necessary like a knee replacement would not necessarily be considered necessary by the medicare bean counters so she should take out private health insurance and I am sure you should be able to get one which has hospital cover. Many of us citizens have private health because we would like to be seen in this lifetime. Prescriptions arent going to be free any time soon, we all have to pay something even with concession cards. Expect to have to pay full price for everything then if you do get a discount it will be a bonus.

She wont be allowed to leave the country and return on her BVA so beware of that. If she needs to go home to sort out her affairs or just go home for a holiday she needs to apply for a BVB. Also, if she does go home she wont be entitled to NHS cover, other than reciprocal, because she is no longer a UK resident and in order to get NHS cover would need to reestablish her residency. That's a bit of a catch 22 because Australia believes she needs to go home for big medical things but the UK will no longer believe she is eligible for them.

She might get a NSW concession card but she wont get any Commonwealth concessions