870 visa health criteria in 2026: PIC 4005 and 4007 in practice

For subclass 870, the health criterion you face is set by where you lodge, not by your medical history: applicants outside Australia are assessed against Public Interest Criterion 4005, applicants in Australia are assessed against Public Interest Criterion 4007, and PIC 4007 is the criterion under which a limited health waiver may be considered. That split comes from clause 870.228 of the Migration Regulations 1994, and the underlying health requirement is confirmed on the Department of Home Affairs' Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) page as of the October 2026 version of that page. Everything that follows turns on which of the two criteria attaches to your application, because that decides whether a waiver is even in the picture.

Which health criterion attaches to a subclass 870 application?

Clause 870.228 lists the public interest criteria for this visa, and the health criterion differs by location:

Where you lodge	Health criterion applied	Waiver position
Outside Australia	PIC 4005	No waiver element in the criterion as framed for this visa
In Australia, with Permission to Apply	PIC 4007	A limited health waiver may be considered

The same clause also requires PIC 4001, 4002, 4003, 4004, 4010, 4019, 4020 and 4021, and clause 870.229 adds special return criteria 5001, 5002 and 5010. These are separate tests; passing the character-related criteria does not help you with the health criterion, and vice versa.

One structural point matters for families: subclass 870 has no secondary criteria. Every person on the application must meet the primary criteria, so each applicant's health is assessed individually rather than through a reduced family-member test.

Why does where you lodge decide the criterion?

Because the visa's own application rules restrict where you can lodge. The Department's page states that you must apply online, and:

from outside Australia, within 6 months of sponsorship approval; or
in Australia, within 60 days of sponsorship approval, but only if you have Permission to Apply in Australia.

Permission to Apply is not something you can elect. The Department tells your approved Parent Sponsor whether it has been granted when the sponsorship is approved, and the resulting Permission to Apply letter must be attached to the visa application. If the request is not approved, you must apply from outside Australia within 6 months of sponsorship approval, or apply for and be granted a different visa to remain in Australia.

So the PIC 4007 route — the route with a waiver possibility — is only available to applicants who are in Australia and hold Permission to Apply. For applicants who lodge offshore within the 6-month window, the health assessment runs through PIC 4005.

Can the health requirement be waived for subclass 870?

PIC 4007 is the criterion under which a limited health waiver may be considered, and it applies to applicants in Australia; PIC 4005, applied to offshore applicants, is expressed as a health standard without that waiver element. The practical consequence is that the waiver question for a subclass 870 application is largely decided before you ever see a health examination request: it depends on whether you were in Australia with Permission to Apply at the time you lodged.

A waiver is a considered outcome, not an entitlement. Nothing in the criteria converts "a health condition exists" into "the visa must be granted", and no assessment of cost, treatment or prognosis is promised by the fact that PIC 4007 is the applicable criterion. The detailed waiver test sits in the current text of the Migration Regulations 1994 and in the Department's published health requirement guidance, which should be read directly.

This is general information only — it is not personalised advice about your health or your application, and it does not predict an outcome; for your own case, rely on the current official pages or on a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person, who are the only people the Department's page identifies as lawfully able to give immigration assistance.

What happens after a health examination raises a problem?

The Department's process is document-driven, and most of it runs through ImmiAccount:

You check ImmiAccount to see whether health examinations are required for you.
If they are required, you may do them before lodging, which the Department says can make processing quicker.
After lodgement, the Department will tell you if any further health examinations are needed.
The Department will not give progress updates within normal processing times; you check status in ImmiAccount.
Incomplete applications may be delayed or refused where there is not enough information to show the requirements are met.

If the health criterion cannot be satisfied and no waiver is available or exercised, refusal follows. The refusal letter will state why the visa was refused and whether you have a right to review of the decision. You may withdraw the application at any time before a decision is made, but the Department states that the visa application fee is not refunded on withdrawal and is not refunded on refusal either.

The second instalment is a separate trap. You must pay it before the visa can be granted; the Department sends an invoice when it is due, and failure to pay leads to refusal. The Department's procedural guidance for this visa refers to 28 days for applicants in Australia and 70 days for applicants outside Australia, but the invoice and the current official guidance govern your actual deadline.

Are health insurance and public health debt part of the health criterion?

No. They are adjacent requirements that applicants routinely confuse with the health standard, and each has its own evidence:

Adequate health insurance (clause 870.224): you must have and maintain adequate arrangements for health insurance with an Australian health insurance provider to cover unforeseen medical treatment during your stay. The Department publishes separate guidance on what it considers adequate, and points to privatehealth.gov.au for overseas visitor cover.
No debt to the Australian Government (clause 870.227): if you owe the Australian Government money, including a public health debt, you must have repaid it or have arrangements in place to repay it.
The health criterion itself (PIC 4005 or PIC 4007): assessed against your health, separately from both of the above.

Holding a policy does not cure a health criterion problem, and clearing a public health debt does not either. On the insurance point, the Department's procedural guidance is explicit that where no evidence of health insurance has been provided, the officer must ask for it before deciding — so that particular gap is usually a request rather than an immediate refusal.

What to do, in order, if a health condition is likely to be an issue

Open ImmiAccount and check whether health examinations are listed for your application.
Complete any listed examination before you lodge, if you can.
Decide where you will lodge, and count the clock.
Count 6 months from sponsorship approval if you are applying from outside Australia.
Count 60 days from sponsorship approval if you hold Permission to Apply in Australia.
Attach the Permission to Apply letter if you are lodging in Australia.
Arrange health insurance that covers the whole intended stay, and keep the policy evidence.
Confirm whether any public health debt is outstanding, and arrange repayment if it is.
Check ImmiAccount after lodgement for any request for further health examinations.
Respond to requests within the stated deadline.
Pay the second instalment by the date on the invoice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do all subclass 870 applicants need a health examination?

Not automatically. The Department's page directs you to check ImmiAccount to see whether health examinations are required for your application. If they are required, the Department suggests doing them before lodging so the application can be processed more quickly.

Can I get a health waiver if I apply from outside Australia?

PIC 4005 is the criterion applied to applicants outside Australia, while PIC 4007 applies to applicants in Australia and is the criterion under which a limited health waiver may be considered. In practice, the waiver question is tied to where you lodge rather than to a separate application you can make.

Is a limited health waiver guaranteed if I apply in Australia?

No. A waiver is a possible outcome under PIC 4007, not an entitlement, and lodging in Australia also requires Permission to Apply, which the Department grants only when it approves your sponsorship. Read the current Regulations text and the Department's health requirement guidance before assuming any result.

Does holding health insurance satisfy the health criterion?

No. Adequate health insurance is a separate requirement under clause 870.224 and sits alongside the health criterion rather than inside it. The Department publishes separate guidance on what counts as adequate health insurance for this visa.

What happens if my health results mean I cannot meet the criterion?

The application can be refused, and the refusal letter will state the reasons and whether you have a right to review of the decision. You can also withdraw at any time before a decision is made, but the visa application fee is not refunded in either case.

Is an unpaid public health debt a health problem for this visa?

It is a separate criterion, clause 870.227: any debt to the Australian Government, including a public health debt, must be repaid or covered by an arrangement to repay it. Paying it does not change how PIC 4005 or PIC 4007 is assessed.

Do family members on the application get assessed differently?

No. Subclass 870 has no secondary criteria in the Regulations, so every applicant must meet the primary criteria, including the health criterion. Each person's health is therefore assessed on its own.