How to arrive and

Australian Values Statement

From 15 October 2007, if you are aged 18 years or over, you are required to sign an Australian values statement as part of your visa application. The statement is included in your visa application form and all applicants aged 18 years and over will need to sign it to confirm that they will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws. Before signing this statement you are required to have read, or had explained to you, material made available by the government on life in Australia which is contained in the Life in Australia book.

The Life in Australia book provides more information on the values that Australians share and their way of life. This book provides information about Australian history, culture, society and the values we share to help applicants understand the values statement. The ‘Life in Australia’ book can be downloaded from: http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/values/book/english/lia_english_full.pdf
For most visa applicants the Australian Values Statement is included in the application form. There are two different values statements. The statement applicants will be required to sign depends on the visa they are applying for.
All provisional, permanent and a small number of temporary visa applicants are required to have read or had explained to them information provided by the Australian government before signing the values statement. This information is contained in the Life in Australia book.
For all other temporary visa applicants the Australian Values Statement is included in the general declaration section of their application form.
People currently outside Australia who are applying for a Humanitarian visa are required to sign the values statement at interview. These applicants will not be expected to have read the Life in Australia book, as the contents of the book will be explained to them at interview. This different process recognises the difficult circumstances often faced by Humanitarian visa applicants outside Australia.
There is a small group of visas that do not require the Australian Values Statement. This group includes and is not limited to:

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  Visitor visas
  
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  New Zealand citizens entering Australia on a special category visa
  

Australian Values Statement – Provisional and Permanent

Applicants for provisional, permanent and a small number of temporary visas are required to have read, or had explained to them, material made available by the government on life in Australia which is contained in the Life in Australia book. These applicants are also asked to understand what may be required of them if they apply for Australian citizenship. This statement is included in affected visa application forms and all applicants aged 18 years and over will need to sign the statement.

Australian Values Statement
You must sign this statement if you are aged 18 years or over.
I confirm that I have read, or had explained to me, information provided by the Australian Government on Australian society and values.
I understand:

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  Australian society values respect for the freedom and dignity of the individual, freedom of religion, commitment to the rule of law, Parliamentary democracy, equality of men and women and a spirit of egalitarianism that embraces mutual respect, tolerance, fair play and compassion for those in need and pursuit of the public good
  
• 
  Australian society values equality of opportunity for individuals, regardless of their race, religion or ethnic background
  
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  the English language, as the national language, is an important unifying element of Australian society.
  

I undertake to respect these values of Australian society during my stay in Australia and to obey the laws of Australia.

I understand that, if I should seek to become an Australian citizen:

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  Australian citizenship is a shared identity, a common bond which unites all Australians while respecting their diversity
  
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  Australian citizenship involves reciprocal rights and responsibilities. The responsibilities of Australian Citizenship include obeying Australian laws, including those relating to voting at elections and serving on a jury.
  

If I meet the legal qualifications for becoming an Australian citizen and my application is approved I understand that I would have to pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people.

Signature of Applicant

Australian Values Statement – Temporary

For applicants for affected temporary visas, the values statement is included in the general declaration section of their application, so signing the application form means that the values statement has also been signed. These applicants will not be required to have read the Life in Australia book, but may do so if they wish.

The following Australian Values Statement is included in most temporary applications.
Australian Values Statement

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  I will respect Australian values as listed on this form, during my stay in Australia and will obey the laws of Australia
  

The health requirement and character check

All persons wanting to emigrate to Australia must be of sound health. This means that they are free from contagious and infectious diseases which can be passed to other people in Australia which might lead to a health problem being introduced to the country. All immigrants to Australia should also have no illness or disability that is likely to hinder their ability to work and to maintain themselves and their families. The Australians (understandably) don’t want people who are looking to take advantage of the State in any way.

The only vaccination requirement for entry to Australia is for yellow fever. Australia requires every person over one year of age to hold an international yellow fever vaccination certificate if they had stayed overnight or longer in a declared yellow fever infected country in Africa or South America within six days prior to their arrival in Australia. Applicants for permanent residence over the age of 15 and certain other applicants are required to have an HIV antibody test as part of their visa application.

If you don’t meet the required health standards then your application will be refused. If you are refused a visa then rest of your family applying via you will also be refused visas. The only health problem currently which will immediately disqualify you from receiving a visa is tuberculosis (TB). If signs of a previous TB infection are found, you will have to undergo a strict treatment process, irrespective of how long ago you had tuberculosis or how small a bout it was. If it is found that you do currently have tuberculosis, you will not be allowed to enter Australia until you have gone through a course of treatment and then re-testing to ensure you are TB-free.
Qualified radiologists or doctors perform all such medical examinations in Australia. These physicians and radiologists in Australia are employed by an organisation to whom DIBP outsource the required health examinations. Outside of Australia the required medical and x-ray examinations can only be performed by doctors approved by the Australian government. These approved practitioners are termed to as “panel doctors”. You will be responsible for the medical examination fees which are currently A$300 per applicant if conducted in Australia. Medical examinations conducted ‘offshore’ will be charged at different rates.
You might not want to schedule your medical examination if you are living outside of Australia until you have been asked to do so. If you undergo the medical examination without first being asked to do so, you risk having to go through the exams again – all at your expense. The visa application process takes time and by the time that the immigration staff are ready for you to undergo your medical exam, your original health clearances may no longer be valid. By waiting until you are asked to undergo your exam you could be saving yourself time and money. Even if you are applying from within Australia, your health clearances do have an expiration date attached.
Here are a few things you want to keep in mind when scheduling your medical examination. Firstly women should not take their medical exam during their menstrual periods. Secondly, if a woman is pregnant or even suspects that she is pregnant, she must inform the doctor conducting the examination. Pregnant women are not able to undergo x-ray examinations. They can be asked to have x-rays taken after the birth of their children.
When arriving for your medical examination you’ll want to ensure that you have with you for each applicant:

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  Your passport.
  
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  The Medical Examination for an Australian visa form number 26. Make sure you have a passport-sized photo taken and attach it to the application.
  
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  The Radiological Report on Chest X-ray of an applicant for an Australian visa form number 160. You’ll need a passport-size photo with this application as well.
  
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  Your prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses (if applicable).
  
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  All reports from specialists or doctors regarding any pre-existing medical conditions that you may have.
  

Australia maintains its policy against discrimination by mandating that visa applications from all countries meet the same health requirements and are treated in the same way. Australia also maintains its right to gain access to your medical records and related information for any reason that it deems fit.

‘Character Checks’ are an important part of the application process and they are essentially used to ensure that you have a clean criminal background. In most instances you will be required to get police certificates from each country in which you have lived for a minimum of a year in the last decade.
Be completely honest in your application with this matter. If do you have any criminal or military convictions ensure that you include them in your application. If you do not do so if relevant, should you be granted a visa, that visa can be cancelled if your history comes to the attention of DIBP in the future. You will also be permanently refused entry into Australia after your visa is cancelled. This is especially so if you have a significant criminal record or if you were to become engaged in criminal activity.