The Health Requirement for Australian Visas: Significant Cost Threshold and Waivers
Almost every Australian visa asks you to meet a health requirement, and for most applicants it is a formality. You attend a medical examination, the results are cleared, and you never think about it again. The point where it matters is narrow but serious: if you have a health condition that would cost the community more than a set threshold, or that would take up services others are already waiting for, the requirement can stand in the way of a grant. That threshold, the Significant Cost Threshold, sits at AUD $86,000. Over 99% of applicants meet the health requirement, so if you have a condition, the honest first step is to understand where you actually sit before you assume the worst.
This post explains what the visa health requirement in Australia is, why it exists, how the Significant Cost Threshold is assessed, the difference between the two public interest criteria that govern it, and what a health waiver can and cannot do.
What is the health requirement and why does it exist?
The health requirement is a check on whether a visa applicant’s health would impose a significant cost on the Australian community or take up services that are in short supply. You meet it if you are free from a condition that would do either of those things.
Australia’s health and community services are publicly funded and, in some areas, stretched. The requirement exists to protect those systems and to manage access to services that are already scarce, such as certain organ transplants or dialysis places. It is not a judgment about whether you are a “healthy” person. Plenty of people with ongoing conditions meet the requirement without difficulty.
The assessment looks at your condition against two limbs. The first is cost: would treating and supporting your condition cost the community more than a set amount. The second is access: would meeting your needs prejudice the access of Australian citizens and permanent residents to services that are in short supply. A condition only needs to cross one of those limbs to raise an issue, and most conditions cross neither. You can read the Department’s own overview on the Home Affairs meeting the health requirement page.
How the Significant Cost Threshold works in 2026
Here is the number to hold onto. The Significant Cost Threshold is AUD $86,000. If the estimated cost of your condition to the Australian community sits above that figure, it is treated as a “significant cost”, and that is what can put the health requirement in question.
The word “significant” is doing specific work here. The threshold is built around the cost above what the average Australian’s health and community services cost the community over a set period. In other words, it is not measuring your total future medical bills in isolation. It is measuring the extra burden your condition is expected to place on public health and community services compared with the ordinary baseline, across the period the assessment covers.
That distinction matters for two reasons. First, a condition that sounds expensive in private terms may still fall below the threshold once it is measured against the public cost baseline. Second, the assessment is an estimate of expected cost, not a bill you are handed. It is carried out by a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth (MOC) who reviews your examination results and forms a view on the likely course of your condition.
Because the threshold and the way it is calculated are reviewed over time, always confirm the current figure on the official Home Affairs health requirement information before relying on it. The $86,000 figure is the current Significant Cost Threshold, and it is the number the assessment turns on.
Meeting the requirement: cost and services in short supply
You meet the health requirement if you are free from a condition that would be a significant cost to the community, and free from a condition that would prejudice access to services in short supply. Both limbs have to be satisfied.
The cost limb is the one most people think about, and it maps to the Significant Cost Threshold described above. If the estimated community cost of your condition is below AUD $86,000, that limb is generally not an obstacle.
The services limb is different and easy to overlook. Some conditions do not necessarily cost a fortune but do call on services that are genuinely scarce. Dialysis is the classic example. Even where the dollar cost might not tip the scales on its own, a need for a service in short supply can, on its own, mean the requirement is not met. This is why two applicants with conditions that cost roughly the same can end up in very different positions. It is worth understanding which limb your situation touches before you decide anything.
PIC 4005 vs PIC 4007: the difference that decides everything
Two public interest criteria set the health requirement, and which one applies to your visa is the single most important thing to work out. The plain version is this: PIC 4005 has no waiver, and PIC 4007 does.
What is PIC 4005?
Public Interest Criterion 4005 is the standard health requirement. It applies to most permanent and skilled visas. Under PIC 4005, there is no discretion to overlook a condition that fails the health requirement. If the requirement is not met, the visa cannot be granted on health grounds, full stop.
That is why the health assessment carries real weight in skilled and general skilled migration cases. If you are applying under a visa governed by PIC 4005 and a condition crosses the Significant Cost Threshold, there is no waiver mechanism to fall back on. The relevant skilled pathways are ones our team covers in the context of the wider skilled visa service, where health is one of several requirements that need to be right before lodgement.
What is PIC 4007?
Public Interest Criterion 4007 is the version that includes a waiver. It applies to certain visa types where the law recognises that other factors can outweigh cost, including partner visas and refugee and humanitarian visas, among some others.
Under PIC 4007, if you do not meet the health requirement because of the cost limb, a decision maker can consider waiving that failure. The waiver is not automatic and it is not available for every reason a person might fail, but it exists. That single difference, the availability of a waiver, is why the same medical result can be a dead end on one visa and a manageable problem on another.
If you are unsure which criterion attaches to the visa you have in mind, that is worth confirming before anything else. Partner and humanitarian applications are two of the most common places a waiver becomes relevant, which is why health sits so close to the centre of the cases handled under our family migration service.
How a health waiver actually works
A health waiver does not pretend the condition or its cost does not exist. It weighs that cost against other factors, including compassionate and compelling circumstances, and asks whether the balance justifies granting the visa despite the health finding.
Under PIC 4007, the decision maker looks at the estimated cost to the community on one side, and factors such as the compassionate circumstances of the applicant and their family, the applicant’s ties to Australia, and the broader circumstances on the other. The higher the estimated cost, the stronger the countervailing factors generally need to be. There is no fixed formula, and there is no guaranteed result.
A few things are worth being clear about:
- A waiver is only available where the visa is governed by PIC 4007. If your visa sits under PIC 4005, there is nothing to waive.
- A waiver addresses the cost limb. Where the problem is access to services in short supply, the path is different and, in some cases, narrower.
- The case for a waiver has to be built. It is not enough to fail the requirement and hope. The compassionate and other factors need to be set out and evidenced.
Because a waiver decision balances so many moving parts, this is one of the areas where careful preparation tends to matter most. That is especially true in refugee and protection matters, which we cover through our humanitarian visa service, where PIC 4007 and its waiver often come into play.
The immigration medical examination
Everything above starts with a medical examination, and where you have that examination is set by the Department. Offshore, immigration medical examinations are carried out by panel physicians through Bupa Medical Visa Services.
The examination is not something you arrange with your regular doctor. It is done through the approved panel physician network so that results are recorded and reported to the Department in a consistent way. Depending on your age and the visa, the examination can include a general medical check, a chest X-ray, and blood tests, with additional testing where your history warrants it.
Two practical points follow from this. First, do not treat the medical as a box to tick at the last minute. If a condition is going to raise a question, it is far better to know before you lodge than after. Second, be accurate. Under-disclosing a known condition creates a separate and more serious problem than the condition itself, a point we make in the context of partner applications in our complete guide to the Subclass 820 and 801 partner visa. Honesty on the health forms is not optional.
What to do if you have a health condition
If you have a diagnosed condition and you are worried about the health requirement, the worst move is to guess, and the second worst is to assume you will fail. Remember that over 99% of applicants meet the requirement.
A sensible order of steps looks like this:
- Work out which criterion applies to your visa. PIC 4005 (no waiver) or PIC 4007 (waiver available) changes everything that follows.
- Understand which limb your condition might touch. Is it a cost question, a services-in-short-supply question, or neither.
- Get a clear sense of the likely cost estimate. A condition that sounds expensive may still fall under the Significant Cost Threshold once measured against the public baseline.
- If a waiver may be needed, start building the compassionate and other factors early. These are not add-ons; they are the substance of a waiver case.
- Be accurate at every step of the medical. Disclosure protects you; concealment does not.
None of this requires you to have all the answers before you speak to someone. It requires you to have the right questions.
Frequently asked questions
What is the significant cost threshold in 2026?
The Significant Cost Threshold is AUD $86,000. If the estimated cost of your condition to the Australian community sits above that figure over the assessed period, it is treated as a significant cost, which is what can put the health requirement in question. Confirm the current amount on immi.gov.au before relying on it.
Which visas allow a health waiver?
Visas governed by Public Interest Criterion 4007 allow a health waiver. That includes partner visas and refugee and humanitarian visas, among some others. Visas governed by PIC 4005, which covers most permanent and skilled visas, do not allow a waiver.
What health conditions commonly cause problems?
Conditions that either carry a high estimated cost to the community or that call on services in short supply are the ones that raise questions. The cost limb is measured against the Significant Cost Threshold, while the services limb can be triggered even at a lower cost where the service, such as dialysis, is genuinely scarce. Most conditions cross neither limb.
Who carries out the immigration medical examination?
Immigration medical examinations are carried out by panel physicians. Offshore, these examinations are conducted through Bupa Medical Visa Services. The examination is arranged through the approved panel network rather than with your own doctor, so that results are reported to the Department consistently.
Can I still be granted a visa if I have a health condition?
Often, yes. Over 99% of applicants meet the health requirement, and many people with ongoing conditions meet it without difficulty. Where a condition does raise an issue and the visa is governed by PIC 4007, a waiver may be available that weighs the cost against compassionate and other factors. Where the visa is governed by PIC 4005, no waiver applies, so the health assessment carries more weight.
A realistic next step
If you have a health condition and a visa in mind, the realistic next step is to find out which public interest criterion attaches to that visa and which limb of the health requirement, if any, your condition might touch, before you lodge anything or pay any charge. That one piece of clarity tells you whether you are looking at a formality, a cost question with a possible waiver, or a services question that needs a different approach.
If you would like that assessed against your own circumstances, you can book a consultation with our migration lawyers and we will help you understand where you stand.
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About the author: Tina Nematian is the Principal Lawyer at One Planet Migration Law. She is admitted as an Australian Legal Practitioner and is a Registered Migration Agent, and has guided clients through partner, skilled, employer-sponsored, student, and humanitarian visa applications across Australia.
Visa fees, thresholds and processing times in this article were current as of 3 July 2026. Always check immi.gov.au before lodging.
This article is general information only and does not constitute legal or migration advice. Visa rules change frequently and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Speak with a registered migration lawyer or agent before making any application.
