Finally, you have decided to apply for an Australian student visa (Subclass 500). Congrats! You are one step closer to your dream study destination. Australia is well known for providing quality education; students around the world migrate to Australia because of its world-ranked universities, great employment opportunities, rich culture and more.

This Australian student visa allows you to stay for up to five years and work unlimited hours till 30 June 2023; it also counts as one of the most popular visas for immigration.

Nevertheless, you can enrol in your desired course and university or choose the course and university wisely because you may get the chance to avail scholarship/fellowship for that particular degree.

What is the Student Visa Requirement?

To fulfil the requirements of a student visa, you must:

provide Confirmation of Enrollment (CoE)
share your academic records
be 18 years old
make a welfare agreement; if below 18 years
provide proof of English language proficiency (PTE, IELTS, etc. test results)
fulfil character and health requirements
have adequate health insurance (OSHC)
provide bank statement
sign the Australian value statement
provide SOP (Statement Of Purpose)
provide LoR (Letter of Reference)

While collecting all these documents, you must first purchase Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) policy before applying for the visa application.

Note: The Australian Government declared that all international students must maintain adequate health insurance, known as OSHC policy; if someone does not buy the policy, they will become ineligible to apply for a student visa.

What is OSHC Policy?

The Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) policy will cover all your medical and hospital expenses in case of getting injured, mishap, disease, etc., for your entire stay in Australia. The general benefits of having an OSHC policy are doctor visits, ambulance services, medication, and hospital treatment. Some extra benefits are dental, optical and physiotherapy, but to get these benefits, you must pay an additional amount, as these extra benefits do not count as general benefits.

International students from Belgium, Norway and Sweden are not required to purchase OSHC policy because of the Australian Government Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RHCAs) with these countries' governments.

So, these countries' students will benefit from Medicare (Public Healthcare System). Medicare provides public hospital services at free or low cost to Australian citizens/PR holders or New Zealand citizens living in Australia and some countries people covered under RHCAs.

Where to Buy OSHC Policy?

When buying the OSHC policy, you must contact various health insurance providers because you can learn more about the policy and other relevant information provided by each health insurance provider. This helps you compare OSHC with each provider and choose the most suitable one according to your profile.

Wrap Up

If you are unsure where to buy the policy or who can help you choose the OSHC policy, feel free to get in touch with Budget Policy; it is a third-party company associated with top leading health insurance providers named BUPA, nib, Medibank, Allianz-care, AHM etc. Their team members provide high-quality services at lower than the market price and assure to provide the policy within 24 hours, except on national holidays.