If you, like Petri, belong to the group of people who don’t have a diagnosis of a chronical condition nor take medication on a daily/regular basis, then you’re all set and congratulations! Personally I have asthma. I’ve been diagnosed with it for over 10 years and traveling without medication is not something for me. This post is to tell what this can mean when applying for a Working Holiday Visa (WHV).
We filled out our WHV applications online, Thursday the 18th of January. Side by side, we completed the different steps. One of the steps is asking you to fill out if you are a healthy and sound person. Petri fills out that he is, because he has no medication nor any diagnosis. While I fill in that I have asthma, that I never have had to be hospitalized due to this, but I do take my medication every day to be on a more normal level with my lung function. We complete our forms and send them in.
Petri gets an automated response within a few hours. Congratulations, you are now allowed to enter New Zealand on a WHV!
As I guessed, I don’t get a automated response. Not being healthy requires a human to check through my application. On Tuesday the 23rd of January, I get an email from the NZ immigration. I am asked to undergo a General Medical, without it they cannot accept my application. As they point out.
So having one illness or condition, means that you need to complete a general medical to prove that you are otherwise healthy, probably because they don’t want people to just come there and live of their healthcare system? So a “General Medical” is just that, a check up to examine one’s health history and current status and see if one is well enough to come for a year to this country. Measurements that are taken are such as height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, respiration rate. Reflexes are checked, lungs listened too, abdomen palpated. X-ray is taken. Several blood tests as well, among others, Hepatitis B & C, HIV, HbA1C (long term sugar levels) and full blood count. And of course the physician goes through your history to see how well you can live with your condition as well as medications and so on. Pretty much the basics to judge if a human is “healthy” enough or not.
So I booked a time with a doctor for this. Tuesday the 6th of February, and I went to the doctor as planned. The appointment wasn’t anything special, besides the general nervousness I had about getting a pass on all the test so that I could finally get my WHV. I provided some copies of past journals of my asthma for the physician to read after the appointment. My chest x-ray was taken. My blood was drawn. And then there was nothing more to do than to wait for the result, which would take a few day.
Oh, and I had to pay the bill of course.
655 euros and 70 cents!
This is a rather hefty price price! Especially as the Nordic countries are supposed to have very beneficial health care and so on. What happened here? Well, for doing a GM for WHV, the physician has to have special schooling, have specific software program and endorsement by the countries you want to go to. So NZ immiration has a list of approved phycisians to do a GM. Finland has one physician allowed to do this. Working at a private medical clinic. So naturally the bill becomes higher than we Finns are used to.
Kela was kind enough to cover some 13 euros of the blood tests if I remember correctly. 330,10 € for the blood tests. 230€ for 30 minutes with the physician. 95,60 € for the X-ray. That was pretty much the same as one month’s rent for us at that time!
To continue the complications, this clinic is of course located in Helsinki. And the physician normally only does these visa related things on Tuesday afternoons. That’s why it took me 2 weeks to go there, and I had to ask the NZ immigration for an extension of time, because originally they gave me the deadline of 5th of February to provide a GM for them, but thankfully they are understanding and could give me 1 more week.
But sadly, this is not the end of this story.
Due to a flu I had that week, or maybe that I stepped wrong with my foot once arriving in Helsinki, or maybe due to my stress about this whole situation, but I had an increased leukocyte count.
Shiiiiit..
The good news is that I don’t have to go back to Helsinki for a new test. It was enough that I went to a laboratory in Vaasa and took one blood test. Then get them to print the result, stamp it, sign it AND write a confirmation of that it is my blood sample with my passport number.
Oh the stress of not passing!
I waited a couple of days, until I feel better. I check out the the available laboratories in Vaasa, and turned out that one of them were busy for days, so I went to the one which could take me as a “walk in” case.
AND I PASSED IT!
The lady who took the sample was nice, but she was very surprised about the complicated process, with the detailed instructions of putting my name and passport number on the results paper.
So what was the cost in the end for applying for a visa to NZ when having a diagnosis, something affecting your health?
- 655,70 € – Blood tests, X-ray and appointment with physician
- 32 € – train ticket Vaasa -> Helsinki (Student price, luckily!)
- some 30 € – train ticket Helsinki -> Vaasa (I have lost the exact number)
- 39,70 € – last blood sample in Vaasa
- 0 € – Online Visa application (At least for Finnish citizens)
757,40 Euros.
These numbers are of course a year old by now, it might very well be that the prices have increased since then. Also, I was also a student and working, so thankfully I got the train tickets at a discount.
A blog I read from a Finnish couple who were in South East Asia (SEA) when applying for a WHV for NZ, wrote that they paid something like 30 or 40 € for their General Medical in Laos, or could it have been Vietnam.
A year ago I did feel the stress of this big expense, we were trying to save money for our trip here, and as earlier mentioned, this money could have covered one month’s rent!
But now that we are here, I don’t regret nor feel stress about it. Money comes and goes. But it was our last opportunity for us to do our big dream of a Working Holiday Visa, and I am so happy that we are here and living this. It is worth it!
I have asthma, and I’ve been diagnosed with it for over 10 years, and I wouldn’t wanna travel without my medications. So when it comes to the part of my health, I fill in that I have asthma, and also add in the description box that I am on medication and I have no problems in everyday life due to this condition. I understand from the website that I most likely will need a “General Medical” (from now on GM) and that there is one place in Finland. ONE private medical center. That has ONE doctor/physician who is authorized to do GM’s for Working Holiday Visa (WHV) applications. Naturally at our beautiful capital Helsinki.
On Tuesday the 23rd of January I get an email from the NZ immigration. For some reason I don’t see it in the morning, but around lunchtime. The email confirms what I feared. I need a GM. What totally throws me off guard, they want it within 2 weeks! The deadline the 5th of February 2018, a Monday.
My head starts to panic. The physician prefers to do the GM for WHV on Tuesday afternoons. Due to travel distance to Helsinki, I won’t make it that day. The following Tuesday I have work scheduled, and it isn’t always easy to change shifts. And then the deadline was before there the next Tuesday (the 6th) which I actually have off and could travel!
I write back to the immigration, explaining that it is difficult to switch around work, and asking if it is possible to get some extended time with just a few, since I have the following day off for meeting the physician and then he needs some time to fix the paperwork. The officer agrees to extend the time with a week, so new deadline on Monday the 12th. I get in touch with the physician, explains my situation and send some information which is needed in advance. I book my train tickets for a day trip in Helsinki. I’m as prepared as I can be at this point.
This is a good time to give some more information regarding the GM.
“To be eligible for a working visa under these schemes, applicants, in additions to meeting the requirements of the particular scheme they are applying under, must: [. . .] meet health and character requirements as set out at . . . ”
A criteria for the WHV is;
So having one illness or condition, means that you need to complete a general medical to prove that you are otherwise healthy, probably because they don’t want people to just come there and live of their healthcare system? So a “General Medical” is just that, a check up to examine one’s health history and current status and see if one is well enough to come for a year to this country. Measurements that are taken are such as height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, respiration rate. Reflexes are checked, lungs listened too, abdomen palpated. X-ray is taken. Several blood tests as well, among others, Hepatitis B & C, HIV, HbA1C (long term sugar levels) and full blood count. And of course the physician goes through your history to see how well you can live with your condition as well as medications and so on. Pretty much the basics to judge if a human is “healthy” enough or not.
The week before my appointment, I get a bit of a flu. I do stress about it a bit, as a flu can mess up some levels on the full blood count. But closer to the day of departure I feel better. On the day, I get up early, get ready and walk the 100 meter or so we used to have to the train station. The train departs at 6:50 from Vaasa and arrives in Helsinki at 10:35. I have a few hours which I spend window shopping and meeting a friend for coffee.
The appointment wasn’t anything special, besides the general nervosity I have about getting a pass on all the test so that I can get my WHV. But I feel pretty confident about it. I provide some copies of past journals of my asthma which the physician will read after the appointment. My chest x-ray is taken. My blood is drawn. There’s nothing more to do than to wait for the result now.
Oh, and of course pay the bill.
Possibly the most scary part.
As it is a private medical center, I asumend I would pay the majority of it on my own, that the Finnish Social Security System (Kela as we Finns know it) wouldn’t pay for this. And I was a bit nervous, and while waiting in line for my turn in the line, I adjusted my security levels on my VISA card. And boy was it needed.
655 euros and 70 cents
Kela was kind enough to cover some 13 euros of the blood tests if I remember correctly. 330,10 € for the blood tests. 230€ for 30 minutes with the physician. 95,60 € for the X-ray. That was pretty much the same as one month’s rent for us at that time!
But sadly, this is not the end of this story.
Due to my flu, or maybe that I stepped wrong with my foot once arriving in Helsinki, or maybe due to my stress about this whole situation, but I had an increased leukocyte count.
Shiiiiit..
The good news is that I don’t have to go back to Helsinki for a new test. It’s enough that I go to a laboratory in Vaasa and take one blood test, get them to print the result, stamp it, sign it AND write a confirmation of that it is my blood sample with my passport number.
Oh the stress of not passing!
I wait a couple of days, until I feel better. I check out the the available laboratories in Vaasa, and turns out that one of them is busy for days, so I go to the one which can take me as a “walk in” case.
AND I PASS IT!
The lady taking the sample is nice, but she is very surprised about the complicated process, with the detailed instructions of putting my name and passport number on the results paper.
So what was the cost in the end for applying for a visa to NZ when having a diagnosis, something affecting your health?
- 655,70 € – Blood tests, X-ray and appointment with physician
- 32 € – train ticket Vaasa -> Helsinki (Student price, luckily!)
- some 30 € – train ticket Helsinki -> Vaasa (I have lost the exact number)
- 39,70 € – last blood sample in Vaasa
- 0 € – Online Visa application (Thank the gods!)
757,40 Euros.
These numbers are of course a year old by now, it might very well be that the prices have increased since then. Also, I was also a student and working, so thankfully I got the train tickets at a discount.
A blog I read from a Finnish couple who were in South East Asia (SEA) when applying for a WHV for NZ, wrote that they paid something like 30 or 40 € for their General Medical in Laos, or could it have been Vietnam.
A year ago I did feel the stress of this big expense, we were trying to save money for our trip here, and as earlier mentioned, this money could have covered one month’s rent!
But now that we are here, I don’t regret nor feel stress about it. Money comes and goes. But it was our last opportunity for us to do our big dream of a Working Holiday Visa, and I am so happy that we are here and living this. It is worth it!
And maybe, there is a reader, who is in less of a rush to reach here, and want to travel SEA before going to Australia and/or NZ for a WHV. Then I do recommend you to use the same money to fly to SEA, travel that area and do a GM there!
Petra