While Australia welcomes migrants, the country wants to maintain their excellent health standards and ensure that newcomers are of good character.

It’s for these reasons that the Australian government requires migrants to meet certain health and character criteria.

Below we’ll go into more detail so you can get an overview of both sets of requirements.

Who should meet Australia’s health and character requirements?

Most migrants hoping to move Down Under should be able to meet the health requirements. This includes all permanent provisional and certain temporary visa applicants.

However, the character requirements apply to all visa applicants.

Health requirements

Australia enjoys some of the best health standards in the world. The government wants to keep it this way. It is for this reason that migrants have to meet certain minimum health standards.

Looking at it in more detail, the Australian government aims to:

• Protect the Australian community from public health and safety risks, particularly active TB (tuberculosis).
• Contain public expenditure on health and community services, including social security benefits, allowances, and pensions.
• Safeguard the access of Australian citizens and permanent residents to healthcare and community services in short supply.

For these reasons, the government requires migrants to be free from a disease or condition that is:

• Considered to be a threat to public health or danger to the Australian community.
• Likely to result in significant healthcare and community service costs to the Australian community.
• Likely to require healthcare and community services that would limit the access of Australian citizens and permanent residents to those services as they are already in short supply.

Meeting the health requirements

To determine whether or not you meet the health requirements, you must undergo certain health examinations. Please note that there are specific requirements for the health exams.

You’ll be considered for a waiver of the health requirements if you failed to meet the health requirements for a visa where a waiver is available.

Where further tests are required once you’re in Australia, you may be required to sign a Health Undertaking.

Health insurance

Certain temporary visas require proof of adequate health insurance for the duration of your stay in Australia. This would be on top of meeting the health requirements.

Character requirements

To live in Australia, you must be of good character. If any of the following is true, you won’t pass the character test:

• You have a substantial criminal record. Australia defines a substantial criminal record as:
  • A prison sentence of 12 months or more; or
  • Multiple sentences adding up to more than 12 months in prison.
  • Please note: A suspended sentence is considered a prison sentence.
• You are or have been a member of a group or organization, or had or have an association with a person, group or organization that the Minister for Immigration reasonable suspects of involvement in criminal conduct.
• The Minister for Immigration reasonable suspects that you have been involved in:
  • People smuggling or trafficking;
  • Genocide;
  • A war crime;
  • A crime against humanity, a crime involving torture or slavery, or a crime that is of serious international concern;
  • Whether or not you have convicted of such an offence.
• Your past and present criminal or general conduct show you are not of good character.
• There is a risk that while you are in Australia you would:
  • Engage in criminal conduct;
  • Harass, molest, intimidate, or stalk another person;
  • Vilify a segment of the Australian community;
  • Incite discord in the Australian community or in part of it;
  • Be a danger to the Australian community or a part of it.
• You have been convicted of, or found guilty or had a charge proven for one or more sexually based offences involving a child;
• You are subject to an adverse security assessment by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
• You’re subject to an Interpol notice, from which it is reasonable to infer that you are a direct or indirect risk to the Australian community or a segment of the Australian community.

Proving your character

You might be asked to provide police clearance certificates to if you are of good character. You’d have to provide police clearance certificates for each country you’ve lived in for 12 months or more.

This would be for over the 10 years prior to lodging the visa application, since turning 16 years of age.

In summary

Australia’s government wants to uphold their health standards and migrants are of a certain caliber. Hence, the government has put in place health and character requirements for migrants.

As explained on the Home Affairs’ website: ‘What you’ll need to do to meet the health requirements will depend on your personal circumstances and the visa you have applied for or intend to apply for’.

Lastly, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Our agents can advise on all matters related to Australia’s immigration requirements.

Source: www.homeaffairs.gov.au

Why do so many people emigrate to Australia from South Africa?

In our experience, the number one reason is that Australia is a safe place to raise a family.

Coming in at a close second is that Australia can still sort of feel like home. Both Australia and South Africa are known for sunny days, the great outdoors and being sport mad.

Our guess is that it doesn’t hurt that Australia is one of the most prosperous countries in the world. Or that three out of the world’s 10 most liveable cities are in Australia.

And you know what else? Australia’s healthcare system is rated as the second best in the developed world.

The only downside? Well… It doesn’t really seem like there is anything.

Let’s hear from some South African migrants

The best way to get information on how life in Australia is, is to find out about the experiences of other migrants. Here are two stories of people who’ve been living in Australia for the past couple of years:

Lynne, a South African who emigrated to Brisbane in 2013

Lynne, born and bred in Cape Town, emigrated with her husband and child to Brisbane in 2013. After an unexpected hiccup with an employer, Lynne’s husband managed to find a job and the family could settle in their new city.

Lynne says she and her husband are able to give, Tristan, their son much more than what would have been possible in South Africa. Tristan walks home from school with his friends, sometimes even on his own.

The safety of life in Australia is one thing Lynne and her family cannot get enough of. The family can be at home with the doors open and go for walks without feeling like they have to be on guard at all times.

Lara Davis, who’s been living in Australia for 7 years

Lara Davis emigrated from Cape Town, South Africa, to Australia in 2011. When she first arrived, Lara chose to live on the Sunshine Coast. She’s since moved and now lives on the Gold Coast, south of Brisbane.

Lara says the quality of life is better than she could possibly have imagined. The Gold Coast has a city, the beach and a rainforest all within 30 minutes of each other.

Lara feels that although the cost of living seems more expensive in Australia, the minimum wage is a lot higher than in South Africa. This makes it possible for her to live well within her means and live a good lifestyle.

Is it your dream too to emigrate to Australia from South Africa?

If you’re reading this and it’s your dream to live in Australia, you should absolutely do these three things first:

1. Find out if you qualify

This is always worth repeating – if you want to emigrate to Australia from South Africa, you have start with an immigration assessment.

The immigration assessment will assess your chances of qualifying for an Australian visa. It’s only after completing the assessment that you’ll know which, if any, migration pathways are open to you.

The benefit of this? You set yourself up for success from the start. You won’t spend money on an impossible dream either.

2. Decide if you want to go it alone or with the help of an agent

Immigration assessment should be non-obligatory. This gives you the option of shopping around or deciding to apply for your visa on your own.

Our advice is to always choose the agent route. Ensure it’s an immigration agent licensed with MARA!

A MARA licensed immigration agent is well-versed in what’s required and up-to-date on immigration developments. By working with such a person, you’ll give yourself the best shot of getting your application correct the first time.

3. Find a job

While it is possible to emigrate to Australia without a job, you’ll make things much easier on yourself if you do have a job. Just make sure you first know which visa you qualify for.

Also be sure to read these articles:

• How to get a job in Australia.
• Ace your Australian job interview.

Final thoughts

Australia regularly makes changes to their immigration laws, so it’s always better to start your emigration sooner rather than later. You don’t want to wait for ages, only to find out that you are not too old or won’t earn enough to earn permanent residency. It’s happened to many people – trust us!