A4.5 Overview of health policy

1. All applicants for visas and permits must have an acceptable standard of health unless they are entering New Zealand for specific medical treatment and have been granted a visa or permit for this purpose.
2. A person has an acceptable standard of health if they are:
   1. unlikely to be a danger to public health; and
   2. unlikely to impose significant costs or demands on New Zealand’s health services or special education services; and
   3. able to undertake the work or study on the basis of which they are applying for a visa or permit, or which is a requirement for the issue or grant of the visa or permit.
3. For the purposes of this policy, ‘Health services’ includes all health and disability support services funded through Vote Health.
4. Applicants for residence and applicants for temporary entry are assessed to determine whether they have an acceptable standard of health using separate sets of criteria. Assessment of whether a temporary entrant has an acceptable standard of health takes into account their length of intended stay in New Zealand (see A4.10 and A4.15).
5. Applicants for entry to New Zealand are required to provide evidence of their health status as follows:
   1. applicants intending a stay in New Zealand of more than six months and who have risk factors for pulmonary tuberculosis must provide a Temporary Entry chest X-ray certificate (see A4.25.1);
   2. applicants for residence, and applicants for temporary entry intending a stay in New Zealand of more than 12 months must provide a full Medical and Chest X-Ray Certificate (see A4.20 and A4.25).

      Note: Pregnant women and children under 11 years of age are not required to have an X-ray examination.

6. Immigration and visa officers may however, request a Temporary Entry chest X-ray certificate or a full Medical and Chest X-Ray Certificate regardless of the period of intended stay in New Zealand, if they consider this is necessary to establish whether the applicant has an acceptable standard of health.
7. Generally, an applicant’s Temporary Entry chest X-ray certificate or full Medical and Chest X-Ray Certificate will be valid for any temporary entry application they make within a period of two years (see A4.25a).
8. Some applicants who are assessed as having an unacceptable standard of health may be granted a medical waiver (see A4.60 and A4.65).

Effective 28/11/2005