Health Insurance for Visa Holders in Australia: The 2026 Rules Explained
October 12, 2026
Why health insurance for visa holders matters now If you are an Australian visa applicant
These visas allow skilled workers to live and work in Australia permanently or temporarily, based on their qualifications, work experience, and meeting points-tested criteria, often with state, territory, or family sponsorship.
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Skilled Visa
: Requirements, Application Process,
and Benefits for International Students.
Subclass 189
Australian visa for professionals and skilled applicants: migrate independently
You’d like to come to Australia and you have professional or trade skills that may qualify you for Permanent Residency. The General Skilled Migration Program is based on meeting a points test, currently set at 65, and does not require sponsorship from an employer.
Subclass 190
Australian visa for professionals and skilled applicants: migrate independently
You’d like to come to Australia and you have professional or trade skills that may qualify you for Permanent Residency. Each State and Territory Government publishes a list of occupations in short supply in their area.
Subclass 858
The National Innovation Visa (formerly Global Talent Visa – Subclass 858) offers a direct pathway to permanent residency in Australia for individuals with internationally recognised, exceptional achievements in areas such as research, entrepreneurship, innovation, sports, the arts, and investment.
This visa is designed to attract global talent who can contribute to Australia’s innovation, economy, and international standing. It allows successful applicants to live and work in Australia permanently, access Medicare, apply for citizenship, sponsor family members, and enjoy many other benefits.
Applications are prioritised based on sector impact and level of international recognition, with top-tier global experts, researchers, entrepreneurs, and creatives receiving faster processing.“
Subclass 191
Subclass 491
This visa is no longer available to primary visa applicants, please check the new regional visas available.
We are a team of immigration specialists guiding individuals, families and corporates who aspire to migrate to Australia. Our migration consultancy has a successful track record in visa approval, with a fair fee structure.
We guide individuals, families, and businesses through
Australia's immigration process with a successful track record.
AustraliaMigrate Pty Ltd has been helping people around the world successfully apply for Australian visas for over 25 years. Our professional specialists are highly experienced in the migration environment.
We guide individuals and businesses through the complex migration process to Australia. With long years of industry experience, our immigration specialists have built a reputation of providing accessible, accurate and genuine advice to our esteemed clients.
We were contacted by a client who dreamed of becoming a primary school teacher in Australia. Although she had some teaching experience overseas, she didn’t hold a formal qualification that met Australian standards.
She reached out to us to explore her options. After assessing her background, we recommended enrolling in a recognised teaching degree in Australia. We helped her secure admission into a two-year Master of Teaching (Primary) program and supported her throughout her student journey.
After completing her degree, we assisted her in applying for a Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa, which gave her the opportunity to gain local teaching experience. She soon began working as a primary school teacher in Australia—a big step forward in her career.
Knowing her long-term goal was permanent residency, we advised her that state nomination could be a viable pathway, especially as her occupation was in demand. We prepared and lodged an Expression of Interest (EOI) and a Registration of Interest (ROI) with the state of Victoria.
The timing couldn’t have been better—just as her 485 visa was nearing expiry, she received an invitation for Victoria state nomination under the Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated visa.
This case highlights how the right guidance, combined with careful planning and timing, can turn a student visa into a permanent future in Australia.
If you’re looking to transition from study to skilled migration, contact AustraliaMigrate. We’ll help you make a clear plan—every step of the way.
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An EOI is not a visa application, it is an application that you would like to be invited to apply for a skilled visa. It’s an online form, with no fee which asks you a series of questions about how you intend to score your points for a subclass 189, 190 or 491 visa application. It is imperative that your points are calculated accurately so that when a visa application is lodged after being granted an invitation, the points in the visa application are the same as the points claimed in the EOI. An EOI does not result in a bridging visa.
No, not necessarily. You must obtain a minimum of 65 points to lodge an Expression of Interest. The higher the points, the more likely it is that you will receive an invitation to lodge a visa application.
However, depending on the volume of applications with the same occupation received by the Department of Home Affairs, a higher score than 65 is usually required to be granted an invitation to lodge a visa application. As an example, accountants may require 90 points or more to be granted an invitation whereas high school teachers may only require 80 points. The way the Department of Home Affairs will issue an invitation depends on a lot of factors, which could be what occupations are in most need at that point in time, such as medical occupations in the covid – 19 era receive the most invitations.
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