Travel Insurance

[grandad]

We have a years visitors visa, and now we are planning our trip to Adelaide.

I have looked at buying 'Long Stay Travel Insurance', and this, because of out ages (61) can be anything from £500 - £1000 for the both of us.

We would also be looking into the possibility of applying for 'Contributory Parent Visas' and probably a 'bridgeing Visa'. I know that there is a RHCA (recipricol Health Care Agreement) with UK, and this seems to cover most things.

My thoughts are that if I just get travel insurance for the journey out, then sort out any additional cover (i.e. Ambulance) then this should be fine.

Am I missing anything ?

[Gollywobbler]

Hello Grandad

 

My mother has a Contributory Parent Visa and before that she was a veteran of several long-stay tourist visas for Australia.

 

On the Health front, there is a very good Reciprocal Health Care Agreement between the UK and Australia. The details are here:

 

http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/public/migrants/visitors/index.shtml

 

Mum has been in hospital in Australia twice. Both times she had better care – in the ordinary public hospital in Fremantle, near Perth – than we could ever have hoped for. You must obtain ambulance cover because that is not part of the RHCA but it is only about $50 each and you can arrange it very quickly once you get to Oz.

 

Mum has never had private medical insurance in Oz because the cost of it for a year's visit is out of all proportion to the risk in our view, given that the RHCA is so good anyway.

 

Has Condition 8503 – no further stay – been imposed on your tourist visas? Please see this link:

 

http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/52cImposition_of_visa_condition.htm

 

I can’t see any reason why they would impose it because you are both too young to be able to apply for Aged Parent or Contributory Aged Parent visas. However do bear in mind that if Condition 8503 has been imposed then both you and your wife will need to be outside Australia at the time when your CPV application is submitted to DIAC. You will also need to be outside Australia when the CPVs are granted because they are offshore visas, and the need to be outside Oz at the time of the grant is an absolute – it has nothing to do with Condition 8503. The usual drill would be for you and your wife to nip to Auckland for 5 days or so once DIAC are ready to grant your CPVs.

 

There is some information about Bridging Visas here:

 

http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1024i.pdf

 

The UK/Oz RHCA would continue to cover you in spite of what the form says.

 

The best news for prospective Contributory Parents at the moment is that last week the Minister increased the annual quota of CPVs to 6,500 a year with effect from 1st July 2008, an increase of 3,000 visas. This should really help to keep the waiting times down to around the 12-15 month mark, which is better than about 18 months at present and the possibility of the wait becoming even longer than that, as everyone feared.

 

One thing I am curious about though is why you want to wait until after you reach Oz before applying for your CP visas? If you can get your application prepared and submitted before 30th June 2008 you would be able to beat the increase in fees which will happen on 1st July 2008. The 2nd Instalment for the CPV usually rises quite significantly each year, in line with the predictions for the inflation in Health costs in Oz. The increase on 1st July 2007 was 7.5%. The 2008/9 figures have not been announced yet.

 

If you are under the impression that you cannot apply for CPVs until your Sponsor has lived in Oz for two complete years, this is a common misapprehension. The following article by Alan Collett of Go Matilda may be of interest:

 

http://www.gomatilda.com/news/article.cfm?articleid=441

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

[Guest Roo1]

Hmmm, you seem very familar to me "Grandad". We shall have to get you an Avatar sorted out. Maybe a Kangaroo?

 

Gill, thanks for going to the time and trouble with your explanation over health cover. I'm sure it will be very useful to others in Grandad's position.

 

Judi x