Subclass 602 health requirement: TB risk, PIC 4005 and MOC opinions in 2026

Subclass 602 (Medical Treatment) does not apply one health test to everyone. Under the criteria in Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 and the department's policy guidance, a person applying to receive treatment generally has to show only that they are free from a disease or condition that threatens public health — in practice, active tuberculosis (TB) — while organ donors and support persons must satisfy the full Public Interest Criterion 4005, and the "unable to depart" stream sets PIC 4005 aside and instead requires a written Medical Officer of the Commonwealth (MOC) opinion that a permanent or deteriorating condition prevents travel. The Department of Home Affairs Medical Treatment visa (Subclass 602) official page confirms the procedural side of this: you can complete your health examinations before you apply, or wait until the Department tells you to have them.

Which health criterion applies to your Subclass 602 category?

The visa has several streams in clause 602.212, and the health criterion is attached to the stream rather than to the visa as a whole. That is the single most useful thing to establish before you prepare any evidence.

Category (clause)	Health requirement
Medical treatment — 602.212(2)	Free from a disease or condition that is a threat to public health; policy guidance treats this as excluding active TB risk
Organ donor — 602.212(3)	Must satisfy PIC 4005
Support person — 602.212(4)	Must satisfy PIC 4005
Financial hardship — 602.212(7)	Must satisfy PIC 4005
Compelling personal reasons — 602.212(8)	Must satisfy PIC 4005, except PIC 4005(1)(c)
Unable to depart — 602.212(6)	PIC 4005 does not apply; written MOC opinion on inability to depart is required

Two consequences follow from that layout. A person coming for treatment and a person accompanying them can be assessed against different health standards inside the same household application, and a person in the unable-to-depart stream is not assessed against PIC 4005 at all even though the whole reason for the application is a medical condition.

What does "no public health threat" mean for a treatment applicant?

Clause 602.212(2)(d) requires the applicant to be free from a disease or condition that is, or may result in the applicant being, a threat to public health in Australia. Departmental guidance reads this narrowly for the treatment stream: the question is active TB risk. Applicants from countries assessed as low TB risk usually do not need a health examination at all; applicants from higher TB risk countries, or applicants with a known issue, are asked to be examined.

This requirement is separate from the medical evidence you give about the treatment itself. The official page asks for a letter from your treating doctor in Australia covering your medical condition, the treatment required, an estimate of the timeframe and an estimate of the cost. If you apply in Australia and do not hold a substantive visa, Form 1507 Evidence of intended medical treatment (includes consultation) is also required. A doctor's letter describing your diagnosis does not discharge the public health question, and a chest examination does not discharge the treatment evidence question.

Why do organ donors and support persons face PIC 4005?

Clause 602.212(3)(c) and 602.212(4)(c) both require PIC 4005 by name. A donor is being assessed as someone whose body will be used in a procedure taking place in Australia, and a support person is being assessed as someone who will live in the community for the duration of another person's treatment, so neither fits the narrow "public health threat only" test written into the treatment stream.

For support persons there is also a sequencing rule: each support person lodges a separate application unless they share a passport, applications can be processed together, and the Department must grant the main applicant's visa before it grants the support person's visa. In practice that means a support person's PIC 4005 evidence can become the long pole in a pair of applications that are otherwise decided together.

The financial hardship and compelling personal reasons streams also carry PIC 4005, with the compelling reasons stream carving out PIC 4005(1)(c).

When does an MOC opinion replace PIC 4005?

The unable-to-depart stream in clause 602.212(6) is the exception. It applies to an applicant who is in Australia, has turned 50, has applied for a permanent visa and met every requirement except the health criteria, had that permanent application refused, and — because of a permanent or deteriorating disease or health condition — is unable to leave Australia. That last element must be certified in writing by an MOC. Policy guidance describes this as a declaration obtained through Form 1148 and assessed through the migration medical assessment process, and it is why no PIC 4005 assessment is performed for this stream.

MOC input also appears in a second, quite different situation: where the proposed treatment uses a scarce service. Organ transplantation and dialysis are treated as services where Australian citizens or permanent residents could be disadvantaged, which is what clause 602.214 guards against. Policy guidance says decision makers seek an informal MOC opinion before deciding such cases, and that a short stay for consultation only may be granted first with further treatment left to a later application. Clause 602.214 does not apply to the unable-to-depart stream.

Do the health examinations have to happen before you lodge?

No. The official page states you can complete your health examinations before you apply or wait until the Department asks you to have them, and the after-you-apply steps repeat that you should have them if you are told to. Biometrics work differently again: the Department says it will tell you if you need to provide them, so there is no step you can complete unprompted.

The trade-off is processing risk rather than eligibility. The official page warns that an application can take longer to process if it is not filled in correctly, if documents are missing, if more information is needed, or if verification takes time — and that the Department may decide the application without asking you for anything further. Lodging health evidence early removes one possible cause of delay in cases where treatment timing is tight.

What sits alongside the health requirement?

Health is one criterion among many, and several of them turn on money rather than medicine. Clause 602.216 requires adequate funds; clause 602.212(2)(e)–(f) requires arrangements to have been concluded for payment of all costs and that the applicant not become a public charge. Where treatment will occur in a public hospital, the official page requires the payment letter to come from the hospital's financial officer or administration department and to confirm that no Australian will be disadvantaged in accessing medical services as a result.

Other criteria worth checking against your stream: clause 602.215 (genuine temporary stay) and 602.216 do not apply to the unable-to-depart stream; clause 602.213 bars an in-Australia applicant whose current or most recent substantive visa was a Subclass 403 in the Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) stream, unless the unable-to-depart stream applies; clause 602.219B restricts study and training; and PIC 4020 integrity requirements apply to all applicants. The character criteria in PIC 4001–4003 are waived for the unable-to-depart, financial hardship and compelling personal reasons streams under clause 602.217(2), though refusal powers under section 501 remain available.

On cost, the official page states the visa is free if you apply outside Australia and that a charge applies if you apply in Australia, with concessions in limited circumstances and no charge if you represent a foreign government; from 1 July 2026 a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens lodging a valid application. Health checks, police certificates and biometrics are listed as possible additional costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does every Subclass 602 applicant need a full health examination?

No. The treatment stream asks only whether the applicant is free from a disease or condition that threatens public health, which policy guidance applies as an active TB check. Applicants from low TB risk countries are usually not examined at all.

Do organ donors and support persons have to meet PIC 4005?

Yes. Clauses 602.212(3)(c) and 602.212(4)(c) require PIC 4005 by name, so donors and support persons are assessed against the full health criterion rather than the narrower public health test. A support person can therefore face a health assessment the patient does not.

What MOC opinion is needed for the unable-to-depart stream?

The MOC must certify in writing that a permanent or deteriorating disease or health condition makes the applicant unable to leave Australia. Policy guidance describes this as being obtained through Form 1148 and assessed through the migration medical assessment process, and PIC 4005 is not applied in this stream.

When else does an MOC get involved?

Where treatment uses a scarce service such as organ transplantation or dialysis, policy guidance says decision makers seek an informal MOC opinion first, because clause 602.214 requires that no Australian citizen or permanent resident be disadvantaged in accessing medical treatment.

Can I wait until after I lodge to do my health checks?

Yes. The Home Affairs official page says you can complete health examinations before you apply or wait until you are told to have them. Doing them early can help where treatment timing is tight, since missing documents are listed as a reason applications take longer.

Do health checks add to the cost of a Subclass 602 application?

They can. The official page lists health checks, police certificates and biometrics as costs you might have to pay on top of the visa application charge, and states that outside Australia the visa itself is free while an in-Australia application attracts a charge.