Extend OSHC and OVHC with Visa Renewal in Australia

There must be many questions rising inside a person, like why do overseas visitors/students need to have health insurance in Australia? Is it necessary? Can’t we have Australian Medicare facilities? After purchasing the health insurance policy, is it compulsory to extend or renew the policy?

The Government of Australia has made it mandatory that every overseas visitor & student must maintain their health insurance before migrating to Australia. One cannot apply for a visa without adequate health insurance coverage.

Every overseas person must maintain their health insurance, whether they hold a visitor/student visa. For visitor visas, the Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) policy will be purchased by the visitors whether they are coming for work, travel or to visit family/friends. The same goes for a student visa; the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) policy provides health coverage for international students coming to Australia to pursue their studies.

The OSHC & OVHC policy covers all the medical and hospital expenses in case someone gets sick or has a mishap while staying in Australia. The overseas person cannot have Medicare benefits in Australia. The Australian Medicare system is only for Australian permanent residents or citizens; it’s a public health care system that covers all doctor charges at the public hospital.

Before purchasing the health insurance policy, the person on a visitor visa must compare OVHC policies from different providers and then buy. The same goes for student visa holders; they must compare OSHC policies from various providers before purchasing.

Both OSHC and OVHC provide health cover benefits in Australia during their stay. If someone’s OSHC/OVHC expires, they must renew or extend their policy and visa.

A person may change their policy provider after purchasing the OSHC/OVHC. For example — In case someone buys a health insurance policy from a provider and finds out the other policy providers are charging less for the same services as they have. So, the person can change their policy provider anytime and does not have to pay much.

A person must renew their OSHC & OVHC policy before renewing or applying for their student/visitor visas.

How to Renew OSHC and OVHC policy?

A person can renew their OSHC policy via:

• Online - one can prepay using a credit card.
• Educational institution campus - on behalf of a health insurance company, some educational institutions receive the OSHC prepayment.
• Post - one can send the printed renewal form with a money order/cheque by post.

After this, a person will receive a new membership card along with the new expiry date; then, they can extend or apply for a new student visa through the Department of Immigration.

A person can renew their OVHC policy via:

• Online - one can prepay using a credit card.
• Post - one can send the printed renewal form with a money order/cheque through the post.

After this, a person will receive a new membership card along with the new expiry date; then, they can extend or apply for a new visitor visa through the Department of Immigration.

What Will Happen If Someone Forgets to Renew their Health Cover?

• If OSHC expires while staying in Australia under a student visa, a person can renew their OSHC policy, but they need to pay for the time they did not have a cover. Also, a person cannot have any benefits during that time.
• If OVHC expires while staying in Australia, in that case, a person’s visa is no longer valid; they have to apply for OVHC and then for a new visa. Try to renew the OVHC policy before renewing the visa.

At the End

The OSHC/OVHC policy helps people live, work or study in Australia stress-free and focus on other relevant things. A person must remember their health insurance policy expiry dates and renew or extend it on time to avoid facing visa-related consequences; if one is unsure where to buy at the most affordable price and compare the policies. They can take guidance and services from Budget Policy.