Fill Out Home Affairs Form 160 Online

How the form is completed

Like the medical examination form, form 160 divides responsibility between the applicant and the clinic.

• Applicant: complete Part A before attending, except for the pregnant visa applicant's declaration, and answer all questions.
• Applicant: write the visa subclass number and the name of the visa you are applying for on page 4 so the department can link the x-ray to your application.
• Radiology clinic: confirms your identity against your passport, certifies your photograph and completes the radiological report.
• Clinic: sends the finished form to the Department of Home Affairs. You do not submit it yourself.

Booking and what to bring

Outside Australia, contact your closest panel radiology clinic, obtaining a referral from a panel physician if needed, and attend the same clinic for all of your health examinations. If you also need a medical examination, start with the panel physician, who refers you to a panel radiologist. In Australia, book online through the Migration Medical Services Provider.

• A valid original passport, the preferred identity document. Alternative identification is accepted only in limited circumstances, and identity concerns can delay or halt processing.
• Any previous chest x-ray films, particularly from the last five years. The radiologist may ask you to submit them to the department if needed to assess your health.
• A recent passport sized photograph where the clinic requires one attached to the form.
• Payment for the examination, which you make directly to the clinic. Offshore refugee and humanitarian program applicants have costs covered, and special arrangements can apply to protection visa applicants in Australia.

Pregnant applicants

A pregnant applicant who is required to complete a chest x-ray can choose to proceed or to defer the x-ray until after the child's birth, and should discuss the options with her own doctors and the panel physician or radiologist. If deferring, advise the department, since the visa decision generally waits for completed health examinations.

If proceeding while pregnant, the form recommends consulting a doctor first and taking special precautions, such as a double protective lead shield and waiting until at least the second trimester. A pregnant applicant must sign the declaration on page 4 before undergoing the x-ray.

What happens with the results

The radiologist's report goes to the department, and where an x-ray shows abnormalities the applicant may be asked to undergo more specific tests or a course of treatment. Undergoing the x-ray does not guarantee a visa grant; it is one input into the health requirement assessment.

After a decision on the visa application, the department usually retains the medical information for future health assessments and for audits of the panel physician network. If you are unsure how a finding might affect your application, the department or a registered migration agent is the right place to ask, not the radiology clinic.