I'm looking into a working holiday or skilled migrant visa (social work) for Australia or New Zealand. One requirement for whv is buying a health insurance policy and I was wondering if anyone had any idea where I could get more information about the cost of a policy. Also, I have a medical condition requiring taking one medication and was wondering if this will make it harder or impossible for me to qualify for either a working holiday or skilled migrant visa.
I called the Aussie embasssy and was told every case is handled individually and I couldn't get anything else out of them. I'd greatly appreciate anyone who has been in a similar situation or who knows whom to ask.
shudarsana
1
everbrite
Does the application for the WHV ask if you have a medical condition? If not, then I don't see that this would make a difference.
If you are stable on your medication and have been stable fora while and don't require much in the way of services, then I suspect that it would not be a problem. BUT as the embassy told you every case is handled individually and without more particulars about your personal situation (which I don't want) I can't imagine how any one could give you an answer that wasn't general.
Getting overseas health insurance with a preexisting condition is a different matter altogether. I think there is a thread about travelers health insurance on this branch or the RTW branch. Try searching. Recognize that again the particulars of your case including the diagnosis, the treatment recommendations and the degree of stability willl make a difference as to the cost and availabilty of policies.
The cost and availability of insurance is based on statistical information. Statistics indicate that persons with certain conditions have more health problems (sometimes seemingly unrelated to their primary condition), shorter life spans, higher risk of being disabled at a young age, etc. These factors are all taken into consideration when setting up cost tables. Your personal situation will be considered less than the statistical sum of others experiences. Sorry but that is how insurance companies operate. They are betting on your not getting sick but need to cover the likelihood that you might so they use statistics to make the assessment and determine the cost.
Ruth
3
emjane
I don't think the medical condition will be a problem but you might have trouble getting a skilled migrant visa as social worker. They tend to only award them to professions that are a) in short supply or b) can't fill jobs from people in NZ/OZ. You might be better on a working holiday visa.
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