The contents of this article are correct as at 8 December 2009
What is the ‘re-use’ policy?
The ‘re-use’ policy allows applicants to ‘re-use’ previous health examination reports for future visa applications, provided that the reports are still valid.
Under this scheme:
- A temporary health examination report obtained for a temporary visa application could be ‘re-used’ for a further temporary visa application.
- A permanent health examination report obtained for a temporary visa application could be ‘re-used’ for a future permanent visa application.
- A temporary health examination report obtained for a temporary visa application could be ‘upgraded’ and ‘re-used’ for a future permanent visa application.
What has changed?
Under the changes to the ‘re-use’ policy, the third scenario is abolished. Applicants who have a temporary health examination report will not be able to ‘upgrade’ and ‘re-use’ the report if applying for a permanent visa in the future.
The first and second scenarios remain unchanged.
Scenario |
Health Examination Report |
Prior visa application |
Future visa application |
Before 9thNovember, 2009 |
After 9thNovember, 2009 |
| 1 | Temporary | Temporary | Temporary | Re-usable | Re-usable |
| 2 | Permanent | Temporary | Permanent | Re-usable | Re-usable |
| 3 | Temporary | Temporary | Permanent | Re-usable | Unusable |
When do the changes apply?
From the 9th of November, 2009.
Why the changes?
The Department received a number of complaints regarding the existing arrangements. The previous scheme was intended to reduce processing times, and save clients time and money. Instead, the arrangement resulted in processing delays and some clients were still required to complete new medicals. The new scheme aims to ensure that the processing of permanent visa applications is not delayed unnecessarily.
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