Australian migration legislation requires that almost all applicants seeking a visa to travel to, or remain in, Australia must meet prescribed health criteria. These criteria are intended to protect the Australian community's standard of public health and safety, expenditure on health and welfare, and access to health services.

What you need to do to meet the health requirement will depend on your personal circumstances and the visa that you have applied for. All permanent visa applicants and certain temporary visa applicants will be required to undergo health examinations as part of the visa application process.

If you fail to meet the health requirement your visa may be refused, however this will depend on the visa subclass you have applied for. Some visa subclasses allow a health waiver to be exercised in certain circumstances.

If you are applying for a temporary visa, the type of health examination you need to undergo will depend on a number of factors including:

• The type of visa that you are applying for
• The length of your intended stay in Australia
• Your country level of tuberculosis risk as explained below
• Your intended activities in Australia
• Any special circumstances that may be applicable
• The presence of any significant medical conditions.

If you are applying for a permanent or provisional visa you will generally need to complete:

• A medical examination
• A chest x-ray and (if aged 11 years or older or considered appropriate on clinical grounds)
• An HIV test (if aged 15 years or older or considered appropriate on clinical grounds).

You may also be required to complete additional tests if you:

• Are aged 15 over and are intending to work as (or study to be) a doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic in Australia (hepatitis B and C testing will also be required)
• Are pregnant (hepatitis B testing will also be required)
• Are aged 15 or over and applying for a protection or a humanitarian visa (hepatitis B and C, and syphilis testing is required)
• Are an unaccompanied humanitarian minor, a child for adoption or a child in the care of an Australian state or territory government welfare authority (HIV and hepatitis B testing is required)
• Have a specific health condition that is identified during your initial health examinations or as part of the visa application process.