Health Checks for Subclass 851 in 2026: Exams, Chest X-Ray and Waiver Rules
How Subclass 851 health checks work: when exams are requested, who performs them, the chest x-ray rule and when the requirement may be waived.
Not every Resolution of Status (Subclass 851) applicant is asked to book a health examination before a decision is made, and in some cases the requirement is waived altogether. On the Department of Home Affairs' Resolution of Status (Subclass 851) page (as at August 2026), the health requirement is framed as one you "may need" to meet: the examinations protect your health and the health of the Australian community, and the department "may waive" them if you have already satisfied the health requirements for the grant of a Temporary Protection visa (subclass 785, TPV) or a Safe Haven Enterprise visa (subclass 790, SHEV).
Do all Subclass 851 applicants need a health examination?
No. The official page uses permissive wording on both sides of the question: the department may require health examinations, and it may waive the health requirements. What it does not do is ask every applicant to front up with a completed medical report at the moment of lodgement.
Subclass 851 is a permanent visa, and the health criteria it carries are set out in the Migration Regulations 1994 rather than in a checklist on the visa page. The practical consequence for an applicant is that health is one of several criteria assessed during processing, alongside identity, security and character, and the department decides when — and whether — an examination is needed in your case.
When will you be asked, and why does the request come after you lodge?
The HAP ID is issued after lodgement. The official page states that after you have lodged your visa application, if examinations are required, the department will give you a health identifier (HAP ID) and information about how to arrange them. The step-by-step section of the same page repeats the health examination item under "After you apply".
So a request arriving after you submit is the expected sequence, not a sign that something has gone wrong. There is nothing to book before the HAP ID exists, and an examination arranged on your own initiative is not the examination the department has asked for.
Who carries out the examinations?
The official page names a single provider: examinations are conducted by Bupa Medical Visa Services. The department issues the HAP ID, and the examinations are arranged through that service using the identifier you have been given.
What do the health criteria actually require?
The clause-level structure comes from the Migration Regulations 1994 as published on the Federal Register of Legislation. Because these provisions are stated in general terms, treat the department's current official guidance as the operative statement of what you must do, and treat the following as an outline of how the criteria are framed, not as advice on how they apply to your circumstances.
| Provision | What it covers | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 851.221 | Undergoing the specified medical examination | Waiver addressed separately below |
| 851.222 | Chest x-ray | Subject to exceptions described below |
| 851.223 | Results assessed by the relevant doctor, with referral to the Commonwealth Medical Officer where a public health risk is indicated | Referral step, not an automatic refusal |
| 851.224 | Arrangements for supervision or monitoring where the Commonwealth Medical Officer determines a risk exists | Follow-on condition |
| 851.225 | Public interest criteria 4001, 4002 and 4003A, plus 4019 for applicants who had turned 18 at the time of application | Character, security, weapons and values criteria rather than medical tests |
Two points in that table tend to surprise applicants. First, the chest x-ray is a distinct criterion from the general medical examination, so it is possible to be asked for both. Second, clause 851.225 pulls in criteria that are not health tests at all, which means a health issue is not the only thing that can arise out of this part of the assessment.
Is the chest x-ray always required?
The regulations treat it as a standard requirement with room for exceptions. Clause 851.222 provides for a chest x-ray, and the Department's Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) describes a discretion to waive it where requiring one would be unreasonable — the example given there is an infant who has not left Australia. The Department's Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) also describes a waiver for the general examination under clause 851.221(2) on comparable grounds, including where examinations of an equivalent standard have already been completed.
This clause-level detail comes from the Migration Regulations 1994 and the Department's Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) rather than from the visa page, so confirm the current wording and the scope of any exception against the regulations as in force and the department's current guidance before relying on it.
When can the health requirement be waived?
Three waiver pathways are set out in the Department of Home Affairs' visa page and the Migration Regulations 1994:
- Health already assessed for your TPV or SHEV. The official page states the department may waive the health requirements if you have already satisfied the health requirements for the grant of a TPV or SHEV.
- Unreasonableness under clause 851.221(2). The Department's Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) describes waiver of the general examination on this ground.
- Unreasonableness under clause 851.222(2). The Department's Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) describes waiver of the chest x-ray on this ground, and clause 851.222 itself is subject to exceptions.
Note the verb in the first pathway. "May waive" is discretionary, so an earlier TPV or SHEV health assessment does not switch the requirement off automatically. Suppose an applicant met the health requirements when their SHEV was granted: on the department's own page that is the situation in which a waiver may be considered, but the decision still sits with the department, and it may still issue a HAP ID and ask for current examinations.
What happens if an examination raises a public health concern?
Clause 851.223 sets the sequence: the results go to the relevant doctor for assessment, and where a public health risk is indicated the matter is referred to the Commonwealth Medical Officer. If the Commonwealth Medical Officer determines that a risk exists, clause 851.224 provides for supervision or monitoring arrangements to be put in place.
That structure is worth understanding before you attend the appointment. A referral is an assessment step, and a determination under clause 851.224 leads to conditions around treatment or monitoring rather than directly to a refusal.
What should you do while you wait?
Keep your contact details current. The official page lists changes you must tell the department about after applying, including your phone number, email and address, and it notes that email is the department's preferred and fastest method of communication.
Stay in Australia or be able to return quickly. The page states that a RoS applicant must be in Australia for the grant of the visa; if you are overseas when the visa is ready to be granted, you will be contacted and asked to return within 28 days, and the application may be refused if you do not.
And wait for the HAP ID before booking anything. The department issues it after lodgement if examinations are required, and that is the point at which the arrangement instructions arrive with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a chest x-ray for Subclass 851?
Clause 851.222 of the Migration Regulations 1994 provides for a chest x-ray as a criterion for this visa, subject to exceptions. The department's visa page does not itemise the tests; it asks you to undergo health examinations and issues a HAP ID with instructions after lodgement.
When do I get my HAP ID?
After you lodge. The official page states that if examinations are required, the department gives you a health identifier and information about how to arrange them once your application has been lodged.
Who performs Subclass 851 health examinations?
Bupa Medical Visa Services, according to the Department of Home Affairs' Resolution of Status (Subclass 851) page. The examinations are arranged using the HAP ID the department issues to you.
Can the health requirement be waived if I already did health checks for my TPV or SHEV?
Possibly, but not automatically. The official page says the department may waive the health requirements if you have already satisfied the health requirements for the grant of a TPV or SHEV, which makes it a discretion rather than an entitlement.
Is there a visa application charge for Subclass 851?
No. The department's page states there is no visa application charge for the RoS visa. It does not set out any government charge for the health examinations themselves.
Do my family members need their own health checks?
There are no secondary criteria for this visa. The regulations state that there are no secondary criteria for the grant of a Subclass 851 visa, so family members apply as primary applicants in their own right, or are considered through the same-family-unit provisions in clauses 851.226 and 851.227.