A guide for families on temporary visas, bridging visas, or without permanent residency in Australia
If your family does not have Australian citizenship or a permanent visa, your child may be considered a "non-resident" for healthcare purposes. This includes families on bridging visas, student visas, work visas, and other temporary visas.
You are not alone. Around 2.8 million people are living in Australia on a temporary basis, including many families with children.
Medicare is Australia's public health system. Whether your child has a Medicare card depends on your visa. Medicare cards come in different colours:
If your family does not fit into one of these groups, your child most likely does not have Medicare. Hospital or clinic staff can help you check.
If your family is in Australia on a student visa, you are usually required to have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for time spent studying in Australia.
Other temporary visas may also require health insurance as a visa condition. Health insurance is recommended for all families who do not have Medicare, as it can help cover the cost of healthcare.
Hospitals set fees for patients who are not eligible for Medicare. These fees are based on Department of Health guidelines. In Victoria, asylum seekers get free care in hospitals and most other public health services. Non-resident children seen at the Royal Children's Hospital Immigrant Health Service are not billed for clinic appointments, but other hospital visits and tests (for example blood tests or x-rays) will be billed.
If you are worried about the cost of healthcare, talk to hospital staff before your appointment. Asking about cost or needing financial help does not affect your visa.
Being born in Australia does not give automatic citizenship unless at least one parent has permanent residency or citizenship. Babies need to be linked with their family's visa process. See the Department of Home Affairs 'You had a baby' for what to do next. If your child was born overseas and your family is applying for permanent residency, your child will need a health assessment as part of the visa process. This checks whether expected future healthcare or support costs are below a set limit (currently $86,000 over 5 years). If a health condition means costs are expected to be higher than this, it can affect the outcome of your family's permanent visa application. This can feel worrying to hear. Your doctor and a migration agent can help explain what this means for your family's specific situation. Since October 2024, children who were born in Australia and usually live in Australia may be eligible for a waiver of these health requirements for their family's permanent residency application.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is only available to Australian citizens or permanent residents.
If your child is not eligible for the NDIS, other support may still be available in Victoria:
Most non-resident children are not eligible for the Child Care Subsidy through Centrelink. However, other options may help:
For schools, fees are set by the Department of Education and depend on your child's visa type. You can contact the department on 03 7022 1000 or international@education.vic.gov.au for more information.
New Zealand citizens usually receive a Special Category Visa (subclass 444) automatically on arrival in Australia, without needing to apply. This generally gives access to Medicare and some Centrelink payments.
From July 2023, New Zealand citizens who have lived in Australia for 4 years or more may be able to apply directly for Australian citizenship. Children born in Australia after 1 July 2022 to a New Zealand citizen parent may automatically become Australian citizens at birth.