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Immigration Daily News New health requirements mean processing delays, especially for sc457 visas
New health requirements mean processing delays, especially for sc457 visas
An estimated 180,000 visa applicants currently doing an x-ray only to meet the health criteria will soon be required to complete a medical examination as well, under the department of immigration’s new health standards. In addition, 30,000 children under 11 years, will be required to be screened for TB.
The new health requirements announced by the DIBP last Friday, mainly affects temporary visa applicants and will come into effect on 20 November 2015. It is expected to slow down visa processing times - particularly those of sc457 applications from selected countries who will be required to undergo more thorough health checks.
DIBP announced that a new health matrix will be introduced whereby there will only be two risk levels with health examinations: required or not.
Under the new system, visa applicants from over 100 countries considered ‘safe’ will generally not be required to undergo health checks for stays in Australia of six months or less. DIBP estimates that 40,000 applicants per year will not be expected to undergo medical examinations.
However, the nationals from several countries including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Singapore and South Africa are among those not on the ‘safe list’.
The new Health Policy Advice Manual (PAM) will be released on 20 November 2015 and will be available on LEGENDcom. This will contain policy details of the changes. Enquiries, including questions related to operational arrangements, can be made to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Countries on the ‘safe list’: No health examinations are generally required for the countries below. Countries not listed will generally require health examinations as per the matrix.
Albania; American Samoa; Andorra; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Aruba; Australia; Austria; Bahamas; Bahrain; Barbados; Belgium; Belize; Bermuda; Bonaire; Bouvet Island; Bulgaria; Canada; Cayman Islands; Chile; Christmas Island; Cocos (Keeling) Islands; Cook Islands; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cuba; Curacao; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Dominica; Egypt; Estonia; Falkland Islands; Faroe Islands; Finland; France; French Polynesia; FYR Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia); Germany; Gibraltar; Greece; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Heard and McDonald Islands; Hungary; Iceland; Iran; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Jordan; Kosovo; Kuwait; Lebanon; Lichtenstein; Luxembourg; Malta; Mauritius; Mexico; Monaco; Montenegro; Montserrat; Netherlands; Netherlands Antilles; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Niue; Norfolk Island; Norway; Oman; Palestinian Authority; Pitcairn Island; Poland; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Reunion Island; Saint Eustatius & Saba; Saint Helena (Ascension and Tristan da Cunha); Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Martin (Dutch); Samoa; San Marino; Saudi Arabia; Serbia; Seychelles; Slovakia; Slovenia; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Spain; Svalbard & Jan Mayen; Sweden; Switzerland; Tokelau; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Tunisia; Turkey; Turks and Caicos Islands; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom (British citizen); United States of America; Uruguay; Vatican City; Virgin Islands (British); Virgin Islands (US); Wallis and Fortuna Islands.
Immigration blog
Tuberculosis, also known as “consumption,” “phthisis,” or the “white plague,” was the cause of more deaths in industrialized countries than any other disease during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
By the late 19th century, 70 to 90% of the urban populations of Europe and North America were infected with the TB bacillus, and about 80% of those individuals who developed active tuberculosis died of it.
Causes of Tuberculosis
For most of the 19th century, tuberculosis was thought to be a hereditary, constitutional disease rather than a contagious one. By the end of the 19th century, when infection rates in some cities were thought by public health officials to be nearly 100%, tuberculosis was also considered to be a sign of poverty or an inevitable outcome of the process of industrial civilization. About 40% of working-class deaths in cities were from tuberculosis.
Robert Koch’s identification of the tuberculosis bacillus in 1882 helped to convince members of the medical and public–health communities that the disease was contagious. Preventing the spread of tuberculosis became the motivation for some of the first large-scale public health campaigns.
The rise of multi drug resistant TB is a real cause of concern and there are real problems on our door step in Papua New Guinea and there is health survelliance on the borders in Torres Strait to identify potential carriers who cross the water borders and island hop towards Australia.
TB is a killer and has killed more people than islamic terrorists.