OSHC for an Australia Student Visa: What It Covers and How Long You Need It

TL;DR: OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover) is the health insurance an Australian Student visa requires. You must buy it from an approved insurer before you lodge your visa, and keep it for your whole stay. The key check is the end date: your visa usually runs past your last exam, so your cover must run to your visa expiry date, not your course end date. Basic OSHC covers doctors and hospital care, not general dental or optical care.

Most students treat OSHC as a box to tick on the way to a visa. It is more than that. It is the cover you will use when you see a doctor in your first winter, and it is a visa condition you must keep for every day you hold a Student visa. Applicants preparing an OSHC for a student visa from Sri Lanka, or anywhere else, usually get the cost right and the dates wrong.

Not sure your course plan and visa dates line up for an Australian start? Check your eligibility with Prosper.

What OSHC is and why the visa needs it

Australia's Department of Home Affairs attaches condition 8501 to the Student visa (subclass 500). It means you must hold adequate health insurance for the whole time you are in Australia. For most international students, that insurance is OSHC.

OSHC is sold only by insurers approved by the Australian Government. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing publishes the rules for what OSHC must include, and the government's privatehealth.gov.au site lists the approved insurers and lets you compare policies.

Two points catch people out:

• It is not optional for most students. Only a small group of students covered by specific agreements, such as some students from Belgium, Norway and Sweden, can rely on other arrangements. Everyone else needs OSHC.
• You need it before you lodge. The visa application asks for your OSHC details, so the policy must exist before you apply.

What OSHC covers, and what it does not

OSHC is designed to cover the basic medical care a student is most likely to need. The government's OSHC fact sheet sets out the minimum.

Insurers sell higher levels of OSHC and separate "extras" cover for the items in the right-hand column. Read the policy summary before you choose. A lower-priced policy with a large gap between the doctor's fee and what the insurer pays can cost you more over three years than a slightly higher price.

Want a second view on your visa documents before you lodge?

Check your eligibility ›

Waiting periods to check

Policies can have waiting periods, for example for pre-existing conditions and pregnancy-related care. If either may apply to you, check the exact periods in the policy before you buy.

How long your OSHC must run

This is the part most applicants get wrong. Your Student visa usually lasts longer than your course. Home Affairs normally grants the visa for your course plus an extra period after it ends, so you have time to finish and leave or apply for your next visa.

Your OSHC must cover the full length of the visa. If the visa runs to March and your policy ends in December, the policy is too short for the visa.

A gap in cover is a breach of a visa condition. It is easy to avoid with a calendar reminder a month before your policy ends.

Single, couple or family cover

If your Student visa includes family members, your OSHC must cover them too, with a couple or family policy. Since 2 October, most Student visa applicants can no longer include family members. Our guide to Australia student visa dependants explains who still can.

How to buy OSHC

1. Accept your offer. Many universities offer to arrange OSHC with their preferred insurer and add it to your first invoice. You can accept that or choose any approved insurer.
2. Compare policies on the Australian Government's OSHC page on privatehealth.gov.au. Check the cover level, the waiting periods and the start and end dates.
3. Pay for the full period your university or insurer quotes, and keep the policy certificate.
4. Lodge your visa with the policy details. Our guide to the Confirmation of Enrolment for Australia covers the other document you need at this stage.
5. Register on arrival with your insurer's app or member portal so you can claim from your first week.

OSHC is a cost you pay, not money you show. Our guide to the Australia student visa cost sets it beside the visa charge, and our guide to genuine access to funds covers the money you must show.

Applying from Sri Lanka

• Sri Lanka does not have a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia, so applicants from Sri Lanka need OSHC for the full visa period.
• OSHC is priced and paid in Australian dollars, usually by card or international bank transfer. Allow for the exchange rate on the day you pay.
• If your university adds OSHC to your first invoice, check the cover dates on the invoice before you send the transfer.

FAQ

Is OSHC mandatory for an Australian Student visa?
For most students, yes. Condition 8501 requires adequate health insurance for your whole stay, and for most students that means OSHC from an approved insurer.

How long should my OSHC be?
For the full length of your Student visa, which usually ends after your course does.

Does OSHC cover dental and optical care?
Not under basic cover. You need extras cover for general dental, optical and physiotherapy.

Can I change my OSHC insurer?
Yes. You can move to another approved insurer, as long as the new policy starts when the old one ends.

Do I need OSHC before I apply for the visa?
Yes. The visa application asks for your OSHC details.

Is OSHC included in the visa charge?
No. You pay it separately to the insurer.

PS: The right OSHC is the one whose dates match your visa, not the one with the lowest price. If you want help lining up your course, CoE, insurance and visa dates for an Australian start, check your eligibility with Prosper.

Check your eligibility ›