... is it standard that the sponsoring employer covers medical costs because of the medicare exclusion on a 457
DH has had a job offer but it does not include medical insurance. What are your experiences??
Leigh

Why not fix the problem at source and get the employer to sponsor you for a permanent visa (if you qualify for one)?

some info here:
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=358422

Thanks Luma, don't know how I missed that! Really useful

Glad to be of help - I been searching for info on 457 visas for a while - so I had that one saved.

Luckily our sponsoring company will pay for our medical insurance however they are not paying for our medicals.

We are here on a 457 while the comapny sponsored PR goes through and have found that medicare covers most things. Ian's company have taken out a private policy to cover the shortfall but to be honest we rarely use it and I am here with 4 kids who have made full use of the local medical facilities . 457 is an excellent stop gap or great if you have no intention of staying long term and it has worked well for us (just another month or so and the OR should be finalised).
Good luck.
Nicky

Part of my conditions of employment is that I take out private medical insurance within 1 month of arriving. My understanding of this is that the employer is responsible for medical costs under a 457 visa and by making it a condition of employment they eliminate/reduce their liability for covering any medical costs.

Some people refuse to accept conditions of employment like that.

Some people might think this is a worthwhile sacrifice, giving them an opportunitry to come to Australia that may not be available to them via other means.
We could not have come here without sponsorship, and some of the compromises that entails...

It's up to the individual (some people would prefer to stay at home or try another country rather than accept the 457 terms and conditions). But a lot of people do seem to accept the employers terms and conditions without question.

If employers are keen enough to sponsor, they ought to be keen enough to sponsor for PR and not a temporary visa. Sometimes an employer will sponsor for PR once they realise that if they don't, the deal is off and they'd have to find somebody else .... it's much easier to negotiate if you are prepared to walk away if they say no.

Mine offer to sponsor for PR if my time with them is successful and they want it to continue (and if I want to stay) so that seems reasonable to me.

You are correct regarding the negotiation, but as you say, it depends how much you want to come, your personal circumstances and to have the balls to risk it all going wrong if you push to hard (it may be your only chance!).

We are currently on a 457, although doing the ENS route right now - just waiting for medical clearance. Dh's employer has provided cover through Medibank, but tbh we haven't been able to claim on it. We have, however, had help from Medicare. We applied for our card three months ago - although we were told we could have done that immediately we arrived - and have made three claims after my husband ruptured a disc. All have been reimbursed without argument, but Medibank will basically only pay out if one of us is hospitalised.

Totally agree with this.
We're in the same position. DH's employers do ENS & have stated they would proceed with this when his probation period is over (try before you buy, so to speak ) & if it's what we want to go for.

We are currently attempting to negotiate/pushing our luck on the whole package (re salary, medical, LAFHA) & I'm feeling very anxious.
Just hoping my next thread isn't 'the dream is over'.

Leigh

It has not been unknown for companies to backpedal when it comes to applying for the PR visa.

Basically, on a 457, they have you by the balls.

Be careful.

G

I agree .......from my personal experience it is much better to apply independantly if possible.

Cas