Understanding Medicare

[Blossom]

My employer sponsored me for PR without a 457 first. If you can pass the skills assessment then it's more than possible.

[Sylvian]

OK great, thanks. My wife's employer did say she would be encouraged to apply for PR almost immediately, as she has a pretty unique skills set. So this all makes perfect sense. Ta.

 

Incidentally, for anyone who wonders what the answer to my (deeply nerdy) question was... here it is:

 

- the Lifetime Healthcare Loading only applies once you are a Permanent Resident, so you can forget it if you are on a 457 visa

- however, if you earn enough, the Medicare loading does apply to anyone with a 457 visa. The only way to avoid it is to take out domestic hospital cover (it seems you can have it if you are non-resident) BUT you are also supposed to keep the OVHC cover.

 

So in effect you have two policies doing the same thing - one to cover hospital charges to comply with the 457 visa requirements, and one to prevent the Medicare extra levy becoming payable. At least that's what the experts tell me...

 

Fortunately (or unfortunately, whichever way you look at it) the MLS loading is very unlikely to ever be relevant to us, so perhaps I should stop worrying about it now

 

S

[Blossom]

Your hospital cover is covered under Medicare if you are from the UK. You don't HAVE to have the overseas health cover.

[Sylvian]

When we arrive I'm just going to walk into the first Medicare office I see, sit down, and cry... until they sort everything out

 

Edited March 24, 2016 by Sylvian

[Blossom]

When we arrive I'm just going to walk into the first Medicare office I see, sit down, and cry... until they sort everything out

 

 

i speak from experience. That doesn't help lol.

They are useless. They kept giving me temporary Medicare cards which lasted two months as I didn't have an end date on my bridging visa.

When I finally got PR they wouldn't believe it was pr as it said it expires after five years. I tried telling them they ALL expire after five years, but it's only the travel portion. You can stay indefinitely. It even said permanent visa on the bloody thing! I had a fair fight.