Threats to Public Health

To protect the Australian community from public health and safety risks, you must be free from a disease or condition considered to be a threat to public health or a danger to the Australian community in order to meet the health requirement.

Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is a serious disease which has been declared an epidemic and a global emergency. You will be tested for tuberculosis if you are applying for a permanent visa. You must undergo testing for tuberculosis as part of the visa application process. If you are applying for a temporary visa you may be asked to undergo tuberculosis testing on a risk management basis. Information to help you determine what health examinations are required is available. See: Health Examinations Test to identify tuberculosis The Australian immigration health process mainly tests for active tuberculosis, which is the most infectious form of the disease and poses the greatest threat to public health. You will need a chest x-ray to determine if there is any evidence of active tuberculosis. While other tuberculosis diagnostic methods exist, none of these are considered to be satisfactory for the required purpose of identifying active tuberculosis. Exception: Applicants under 11 years of age are required to undergo a full medical examination instead of a chest x-ray. Evidence of tuberculosis If your chest x-ray shows evidence of possible tuberculosis, you will be asked to undergo additional health examinations to establish whether or not active tuberculosis is present. If you are found to have active tuberculosis you cannot be granted a visa until after you have received treatment, and are assessed by a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth (MOC) as being free from active tuberculosis. If you are found to have inactive tuberculosis you may still meet the health requirement, however, you may be asked to sign a Health Undertaking. See: Health Undertakings

HIV and hepatitis

You are required to have an HIV test if you apply for: a permanent visa and you are 15 years of age or older a temporary visa and you intend to work as, or study to become, a doctor, nurse, dentist or paramedic in Australia

a permanent visa and you are aged less than 15 years of age and: o o o o applying for an adoption visa have a history of blood transfusions have any other clinical indications that you may be HIV positive your biological mother is (or was) HIV positive.

You will need to undergo hepatitis testing if you are: pregnant applying for an adoption visa an unaccompanied refugee minor a temporary visa applicant intending to work as, or to study to become, a doctor, nurse, dentist or paramedic in Australia.

Evidence of HIV or hepatitis HIV and hepatitis are not generally considered to be threats to public health. If you are a temporary visa applicant assessed as having these conditions you may be found to be a threat to public health if you: intend to work as a doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic whilst in Australia have a viral load of a certain level intend to undertake Exposure Prone Procedures as part of your duties. This refers to procedures where there is a risk of contact between the workers blood and the patients open tissue.

In all other cases, if you have HIV or hepatitis you will only be assessed by a MOC to determine whether your condition would result in significant health care or community service costs and/or prejudice the access of Australian citizens and permanent residents to services in short supply. See: Significant Costs and Services in Short Supply

Yellow Fever
If you are travelling to Australia you must hold an international certificate of vaccination against yellow fever before travelling to Australia you are one year of age or older, and have stayed overnight or longer in a declared yellow fever infected country within six days before your arrival in Australia. See: The Department of Health and Ageing

http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/health-requirements/overview-health-req.htm

Overview of the Health Requirement

The purpose of the health requirement is to: protect the Australian community from public health and safety risks, in particular active tuberculosis

contain public expenditure on health and community services, including social security benefits, allowances and pensions safeguard the access of Australian citizens and permanent residents to health care and community services in short supply.

Most visa applicants, and in some circumstances their dependents (whether they are migrating to Australia or not), are required to meet the health requirement. To meet the health requirement you must be free from a disease or condition that is: considered to be a threat to public health or a danger to the Australian community likely to result in significant health care and community service costs to the Australian community likely to require health care and community services that would prejudice the access of Australian citizens and permanent residents to those services in short supply.

Prejudice to access refers to circumstances where the visa applicants condition is likely to limit access of Australian citizens or permanent residents to health care and community services that are in short supply. In some circumstances to meet the health requirement you may be asked to sign a Health Undertaking by a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth (MOC). For example, if you are assessed as having a condition or disease that requires a follow up medical examination after arriving in Australia you will need to sign a Health Undertaking before being considered to have met the health requirement.

Threats to Public health

To protect the Australian community from public health and safety risks, you must be free from a disease or condition considered to be a threat to public health or a danger to the Australian community in order to meet the health requirement. See: Threats to Public Health

Significant Costs and Services in Short Supply

The health requirement is designed to protect the demand on the Australian health care system and ensure that additional pressure is not put on health care and community services that are in short supply. See: Significant Costs and Services in Short Supply

http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/health-requirements/meeting-health-req.htm

Meeting the Health Requirement

What you need to do to meet the health requirement will depend on your personal circumstances and the visa that you have applied for. All permanent visa applicants and some temporary visa applicants will be required to undergo health examinations as part of the visa application process.

If you fail to meet the health requirement your visa may be refused, however this will depend on the visa subclass you have applied for. Some visa subclasses allow a health waiver to be exercised in certain circumstances.

Health Examinations
You may be required to undergo health examinations as part of the visa application process.

Arranging a Health Examination

Whether you are completing your health examinations in Australia or from outside Australia, there are specific requirements for arranging your health examination.

Assessment of Health Examination Results

Your health examination reports are forwarded to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (the department) for assessment to determine if you meet the health requirement.

Electronic Health Processing

The department uses an online system known as eHealth to process your health examination results.

Health Waivers
If you have failed to meet the health requirement you may be able to be considered for a waiver of the need to meet the health requirement.

Health Undertakings
You may be required to sign a Health Undertaking where you are assessed as having a condition or disease that will require a follow up medical examination after arriving in Australia.

http://www.pakistan.embassy.gov.au/islm/scholarships.html

Scholarships
Australia offers many scholarships for international students. The grant of scholarship is basically on merit and the students have to demonstrate their eligibility for the scholarship they are applying for. There are no qualifying exams for scholarships in Australia. The only exam which the students may have to take is the IELTS to demonstrate their English language ability.

Australia Awards announcements

The Australian Government has made a range of study and research awards available to candidates in the Asia Pacific region, including Pakistan, under the Australia Awards Initiative. The awards will be granted to more than 19,000 people over five years to undertake study, research or a professional development activity. More information...

Institution specific scholarships There are scholarships which the universities offer under their own name. For information on university scholarships please refer to Scholarships database atwww.studyinaustralia.gov.au. Here you will find the most accurate, reliable and searchable list of all scholarships offered by Australian institutions available to international students studying or planning to study in Australia.

International Centres of Excellence Scholarships The International Centres of Excellence is an Australian Government initiative to create, profile and endorse Australias excellence in five key areas namely Asia Pacific Studies, Water Resource Management, Tourism and Hospitality, Sports Science and Mathematics. The International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality (THE-ICE) and International centre of Excellence in Water Resource Management (ICEWARM) have launched a range of scholarships for international students to study courses in Tourism and Hospitality and Water Resource Management respectively in its member institutions. Further information on the scholarships is available at their respective websites at www.theice.org and www.icewarm.com.au.

Australian Development Scholarships (ADS) As part of the Government of Australias ongoing commitment to the human resource development of Pakistan, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) offers scholarships for each academic year. For more information click here.

Endeavour scholarships The Endeavour Programme is an Australian Government initiative, bringing together under the one umbrella, all of the Department of Education, Science and Trainings (DEST) international scholarships. Grouped under three categories Endeavour Study, Endeavour Research and Endeavour Professional these awards will enable scholars and professionals from around the world to undertake short or long term study, research or professional development in Australia and also allow Australians to do the same in the selected countries, India being one of

them. Endeavour Awards include: Endeavour Postgraduate Awards Endeavour Research Fellowships Endeavour Executive Awards Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarships Endeavour VTE Awards. These awards are open to all international students of selected countries including Pakistan under the Endeavour programme. For further details and application procedure please visit www.endeavour.dest.gov.au. Apart from these, there are specific awards which are only available to Pakistani nationals.

Endeavour Pakistan Research Fellowships awards will enable top Pakistani researchers to carry out short-term postgraduate or postdoctoral research in Australia Endeavour Pakistan Executive Awards are for high achieving professionals from Pakistan in government, business, industry and education sectors to undertake a professional development opportunity at a counterpart institution/organisation in Australia Endeavour Pakistan Vocational and Technical Education (VTE) Awards will enable Pakistani students to undertake vocational and technical education at a Diploma or Advanced Diploma level at an Australian institution (public and private providers).

For further details and application procedure please visit http://www.endeavour.dest.gov

http://www.pakistan.embassy.gov.au/islm/studyoppor.html

Information about study opportunities in Australia

The decision to study abroad is a significant one, and there are many considerations to take into account. If you are thinking about studying in Australia, the first step is to research your study options thoroughly so as to find the course that best suits your individual needs and aspirations.

Information is available directly from the institutions in Australia or from their appointed representatives here in Pakistan or from Australian Education International (AEI). Often, representatives from the institutions will visit Pakistan to interview students or to participate in exhibitions - details are generally advertised in the daily press. AEI operates through the Department of education, Science and Training (DEST) office at the Australian High Commission in Islamabad to provide information to Pakistani students who are considering studying in Australia. A wealth of information is also available through the Australian Government's official website for international students: www.studyinaustralia.gov.au As a Government organisation, AEI provides objective information. We do not recruit students for particular Australian universities or other education institutions, though we can refer inquiries to them or to their agents in Pakistan. At our office in Islamabad-Pakistan we:

answer queries and assist you to determine the most appropriate course options answer queries and assist in matters related to Scholarships available for Pakistani students provide information material for reference from Australian universities, State/Territory Government TAFE systems and private vocational education and training providers provide web access to access the websites of the Australian education institutions.

You can call into the DEST office in Islamabad, Pakistan during working hours.* Students seeking information can phone, fax, e-mail or write to: Department of Education, Science and Training Australian High Commission Constitution avenue, Diplomatic Enclave No. 1, P. O. Box 1046, Islamabad Phone: 051-2824345 (Ext. 344) Fax: 011 2687 3172 Opening Hours: MondayThursday (8 am 12:30 pm & 1 pm - 4.30 pm) Friday (8 am 12:30 pm) * Please note: access to the diplomatic zone in Islamabad, where the High Commission is located, has been restricted by the Pakistani Government for security reasons. Access to the High Commission is on foot from the UN Boulevard entrance to the enclave on Constitution Avenue, or via bus from the National Convention Centre at the corner of Constitution Avenue

and Shahrah-E-Kashmir Road. An office in the car park of the Convention Centre has been set up to sell tickets and direct customers to the bus.