Connect with people who understand what you are going through, seek advice and surround yourself with support. We're free, anonymous, and professionally moderated 24/7.
DetterooneyNew Contributor
I live in UK. My son lives in Sydney and is likely to be granted permanent residency in Australia. I would like to join him if this is the case on a parent visa. I have bipolar well managed on meds and never needed hospitalisation or support. Does anyone know if I stand a chance of getting a visa??
In response to: Immigration
Ginger12Contributor
I am from the UK, and came over on a working visa about 3 years ago. You will need to claim medical issues, but the questionnaire you will need to fill in is very broad. I recently had to have a medical due to visa changes about a year and a half ago, and it took 5 minutes! The doctor only went through the questionnaire with no other questions. I had been hospitalised frequently both here and the UK. But because the questions are really non-detailed, it really didn't come up much. I guess my advice is just to answer the questions, but don't elaborate. They are only interested because they want to see how much you may cost the government; for example hospitilization. You will need private health insurance, and that obviously would cover certain costs.
because you have never needed hospitilization and are stable, I cannot see a reason why the visa would need to be declined. Generally visas over here are a nightmare, and because of ongoing changes, prove to be even worse lately. I would do it through an immigration officer, but do your homework when choosing one as we have had some bad experiences. The problem is if you do the visa yourself and accidentally make a mistake on the application- it would probably be declined. And you seriously don't want that. The immigration people don't look into reasons why it would have happened, and just see it as a decline, which would seriously hinder other applications. Also with the current climate it has gotten seriously complicated.
What visa would you be be applying For?
In response to: Re: Immigration
Ginger12Contributor
In response to: Re: Immigration
Unknown userMember
Hi @Ginger12 and @Detterooney 🙂
Just wondering how you are going with things @Detterooney any changes with your visa application of thoughts around this topic?
Great response there @Ginger12 very informative and supportive, sounds like you have learnt a few things along the way. Thank you for your response 🙂
Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
You’ll soon be able to use one secure login to access all SANE services.
For added security, members are now required to log in with their email address and password - member names are no longer supported for logging in.
If you had a Forums account before 19 May 2026 and haven’t set up your new login yet, you'll be prompted to set up your new secure login when you sign-in.
Fields marked * are required
