Everything about Health and Safety Services for Australia Student Visa Holders

Australia is consistently ranked among the safest countries in the world to live, work or study. However, if you are aspiring to migrate to Australia on a student or work visa, you must be aware of the existing risks and ways to curtail them.

Knowing about the health safety risks and finding the right ways to minimize them are particularly important when arriving in Australia for the first time and adjusting to an all-new way of life.

Overseas Student Health Cover for Australia Student Visa Holders

If you are an international student studying in Australia on a temporary visa, you must maintain adequate health insurance for your stay. You must buy an Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) and keep your health policy up to date while studying as an Australia student visa holder.

The Student Health Cover (OSHC) help overseas students meet the medical and hospital care costs they might need while staying in Australia. The health cover also includes limited pharmaceuticals and ambulance costs.

Please note, A few exceptions are also applicable to students from Sweden, Belgium, or Norway. If you are from any of the three countries, you may get special arrangements under the national schemes of the Department of Home Affairs.

If you fail to make payments or renew your cover on time, you'll be able to continue your health cover but might fail to claim for healthcare services you received.

In case your Australia student visa status or eligibility criteria for Medicare change at any time, you must inform the insurer as early as possible and find out whether your cover level is still suitable or not.

Once your student visa expires, you'll no longer be eligible to hold OSHC.  In this case, you may swap over to an Overseas Visitors Health Cover plan or a residents' cover.

What does Australia OSHC cover?

You must read the OSHC Deed to understand the minimum requirements of your OSHC policy.

Australia's OSHC policies assist in covering the medical and hospital treatment costs and sometimes for ambulance services as well. 

The OSHC never pays for your general treatment, like ancillary, or additional cover, like dental, physiotherapy or optical. If you need cover for such treatments, you can take Extras OSHC offered by an OSHC provider or your general treatment cover from a private health insurer. 

Basic safety and health practices to follow upon migrating to Australia

For Emergencies

Australian emergency networks and assistance services are well equipped and widespread to support all the citizens and permanent and temporary residents in case of any potential emergency. Ambulance, police and fire services can provide you with any health and safety assistance as and when you need it.

Most educational institutions offer on-campus security for those studying in Australia, which you can quickly contact. The contact details are mentioned in a student's enrolment information, or you can get the international student support staff for office number or location.

Whether studying or working in Australia, you can always 000 in case of a life-threatening emergency. An operator will answer the call and ask which service you require:

• Police
• Fire
• Ambulance

You should call 000 in case:

• Someone is seriously injured or urgently need medical help
• If your property or life is under threat
• If you witness a serious crime or accident

Please note, in case you are unsure which one you require, you can tell the purpose, and the operator will guide you. Moreover, the operator will connect to a translator even if you don't speak English for better assistance.

In Public Transport 

Australia's public transport system is highly reliable and is widely used in urban and metro areas. The Australian government implement various security measures to ensure maximum safety of people travelling in public transport, including security guards and officers, assistance points, working security cameras and proper lighting.

However, you should always be cautious while travelling in Australia on any mode of public transport:

• Always avoid isolated bus, tram or rail stops.
• Always check timetables to avoid long waiting time, especially at night.
• Ensure that train carriages near to the guard or driver are always lit at night.

At school or on campus in Australia 

If you are at your school or college as an Australia student visa holder, you must follow the following tips to keep yourself safe:

• Always stay aware of the emergency and security arrangements at the institution and local area. The institution must inform you about the arrangements once you arrive or in your information pack.
• A few big institutions provide bus shuttle and security escort services out of working hours for those working in Australia. You may contact your institution to confirm such services.
• If you drive to the institution, always park at the closest destination and use well-lit parking.
• When leaving the institution at night, try to walk with your friends or in a group, and take well-lit roads.

Tips for Sun and water safety

Australia is famous for its beautiful beaches and warm climate, but once you migrate to Australia, you must ensure to stay safe during outings. 

You may follow a few tips to stay safe:

• Never dive into water before knowing the right depth. 
• Swim only at patrolled beaches with lifeguards on duty and swim between the red and yellow flags always.
• A lot of beaches in Australia have rips, having strong underwater currents, which are difficult to spot. Thus, by swimming between the flags you can stay safe from those rips. 

Tips for Fire Safety 

Fire awareness is important in Australia, whether you are in rural or urban Australia, you may follow a few practical tips to prepare yourself in case of fire emergency:

• Call 000 
• Say fire to the telephone operator
• Even if you don't speak English, just tell your language to the operator and wait for instructions
• Answer all the questions properly to the operator

Eligibility Criteria to Apply for an Australia Student Visa in 2022

To apply for student visa subclass 500, you must meet the selection criteria as mentioned below:

• Get enrolled in a full-time course and obtain a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) when applying outside Australia.
• Meet minimum language requirements for English
• You and your accompanying family members must have health insurance for the entire duration of your stay in Australia.
• Show enough proof of funds to pay tuition fees, living expenses and return expenses.
• Prove intention to return to India upon course completion
• Meet health and character requirements of Australia
• Must age 18 years or above and sign an "Australian Values Statement" to confirm that you'll obey the laws and way of life
• Ensure that you never got a visa cancelled earlier or that your visa application was never refused

For more information about Australia Immigration, you may talk to our advisor at Visas Avenue on Toll-Free No. 78-18-000-777 or drop an email at info@visasavenue.com.