Australia has a special system of health cover for International students which is the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC). You will need to buy OSHC before you come to Australia to cover you from when you arrive. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship requires you to maintain OSHC for the duration of your time on a student visa in Australia.

A bare minimum standard policy or an OSHC basic policy does not cover for Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Chiropractic treatments, Dental and Orthodontics treatments Optical treatment – including contact lenses and eye glass prescriptions One can purchase an OSHC extras policy if they need extra coverage for the above treatment purposes

If your family is coming overseas with you, your spouse (husband or wife) and children must also be covered by OSHC cover. If you decide that your chosen OSHC cover is too expensive or doesn’t cover what you want, you can switch to a different insurance provider, as long as your cover with them matches the length of your visa.

The extent of the OSHC coverage depends on the health insurance purchased. The fine print of the insurance policy document will help understand what are the specific costs covered under a policy. An OSHC policy generally covers : Medical Costs, Hospital Costs,Ambulance service costs, Limited Pharmaceutical costs

You must have OSHC cover for the whole time you are here on a student visa or bridging visa, and you must prepay for OSHC cover for the length of your visa before you come to Australia. If you extend your visa, you must renew your OSHC policy.