Daughter has been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy will we still get residency

[Taormina1]

I am considering my options, she has just been diagnosed and we were in the process od applying, but I am now considering my options as whether to continue.

Any suggestions or any one else with any similar experiences.

Cheers

H.

[Taormina1]

She is 9 months old and so far very healthy, no symptoms or problems.

[MotherBear]

Hi Taormina1

Welcome to MoveToNZ.

There is a list on the NZIS website about what conditions are considered inappropriate for PR applications, but I've yet to find my way back to it. I'll keep trying to find it, but it's like fighting your way through a maze. Meanwhile this is what NZIS say about their health policy to give you some idea of what's in their minds.

A4.5 Overview of health policy
See A4 (before 28/11/2005)

All applicants for visas and permits must have an acceptable standard of health unless they are entering New Zealand for specific medical treatment and have been granted a visa or permit for this purpose.

A person has an acceptable standard of health if they are:
unlikely to be a danger to public health; and
unlikely to impose significant costs or demands on New Zealand's health services or special education services; and
able to undertake the work or study on the basis of which they are applying for a visa or permit, or which is a requirement for the issue or grant of the visa or permit.

For the purposes of this policy, 'Health services' includes all health and disability support services funded through Vote Health.

Applicants for residence and applicants for temporary entry are assessed to determine whether they have an acceptable standard of health using separate sets of criteria. Assessment of whether a temporary entrant has an acceptable standard of health takes into account their length of intended stay in New Zealand (see A4.10 and A4.15).

Applicants for entry to New Zealand are required to provide evidence of their health status as follows:
applicants intending a stay in New Zealand of more than six months and who have risk factors for pulmonary tuberculosis must provide a Temporary Entry chest X-ray certificate (see A4.25.1);
applicants for residence, and applicants for temporary entry intending a stay in New Zealand of more than 12 months must provide a full Medical and Chest X-Ray Certificate (see A4.20 and A4.25).

Note: Pregnant women and children under 11 years of age are not required to have an X-ray examination.

Immigration and visa officers may however, request a Temporary Entry chest X-ray certificate or a full Medical and Chest X-Ray Certificate regardless of the period of intended stay in New Zealand, if they consider this is necessary to establish whether the applicant has an acceptable standard of health.

Generally, an applicant's Temporary Entry chest X-ray certificate or full Medical and Chest X-Ray Certificate will be valid for any temporary entry application they make within a period of two years (see A4.25 (a)).

Some applicants who are assessed as having an unacceptable standard of health may be granted a medical waiver (see A4.60 and A4.65).

[MotherBear]

A bit more.....

A4.30 Factors considered when determining acceptable standard of health (26/07/1999)
See A4 Effective 28/11/2005

The three main areas to be considered by the consultant physician in evaluating the applicant's (and any accompanying dependants') standard of health, and whether or not they will be a burden on the health services of New Zealand, are:
? the condition and prognosis of the applicant
? the resources required for care
? the availability of the required resources.
In each of these areas several factors are considered, as outlined below.

A4.30.1 Condition and Prognosis
Under this heading, the following factors may be considered:
a. the disease/disability and the stage of the disease/disability, including symptoms;
b. the treatment and likely duration of symptoms;
c. the probable quality of life, and/or functioning;
d. life expectancy;
e. the likely course of disease (eg, remission periods, increasing disability over time, etc).

A4.30.5 Resources required for care
The resources required for care are likely to include the following:
a. hospitalisation/treatment;
b. the likely frequency of hospital admissions;
c. the need for immediate treatment;
d. the need for ongoing secondary/tertiary/specialist care;
e. the availability and need for ongoing medication or high cost medication;
f. ongoing management and/or treatment required;
g. support services likely to be used and frequency of use; ie:
i. primary services (GP, home nursing, other health professionals, etc),
ii. community health services (home help, meals on wheels, day care, forms of relief care, etc),
iii. specific disability support services (appliances, residential care, etc).

A4.30.10 Availability of the required resources
Factors relating to the availability of resources needed by the applicant may include the following:
a. whether the type of condition is treated in New Zealand, or managed in New Zealand;
b. whether the hospital-based care services required are restricted to certain levels of clinical need (eg, elective surgery) or are unlikely to be supplied in New Zealand;
c. whether other treatment/investigation/management required is clinically restricted (eg, specialist-only pharmaceuticals);
d. whether any other health support services required have waiting times or are not available immediately or restricted according to clinical urgency, or there are other resource constraints.

If all else fails, you could try this........

Medical Waivers
A4.60 Medical waivers (applicants for residence)
See A4 (before 28/11/2005)
a. Applicants for residence in New Zealand who are assessed as not having an acceptable standard of health and whose applications meet all other requirements for approval under the relevant Government residence policy may be considered for the grant of a medical waiver unless:
i. they require dialysis treatment, or an Immigration New Zealand medical assessor has indicated that they will require such treatment within a period of four years from the date of the medical assessment; or
ii. they have active pulmonary tuberculosis; or
iii. they have severe haemophilia; or
iv. they have a physical incapacity that requires full time care.
b. Medical waivers will also not be granted to people:
i. who are applying for residence under Family category policy; and
ii. who were eligible to be included in an earlier application for residence as the spouse or partner of a principal applicant or the dependent child of a principal applicant or their spouse or partner; and
iii. were not declared on that earlier application.
c. People who:
i. were eligible to be included in an earlier successful application for residence as the spouse or partner of a principal applicant or the dependent child of a principal applicant or their spouse or partner; and
ii. who were declared in that application but were not included in that application as non-principal applicants; and
iii. whose application for residence under Family category policy is sponsored by a person included in the application for residence referred to in (i) above
will be assessed for the grant of a medical waiver as if they had been included in the earlier application and as if the sponsor was not resident in New Zealand.
d. Applicants (and dependants included in their application) who have been recognised as refugees may be granted medical waivers.

Sorry I'm just slinging all this info on here, but I'm working against time with a cyclone bearing down on me.

[MotherBear]

After all that, I found cardiomyopathy mentioned here.

Appendix 10: Medical conditions deemed to impose significant costs and/or demands on New Zealand’s health and/or education services
HIV infection
Hepatitis B surface antigen positive, with abnormal liver function
Hepatitis C, RNA positive, with abnormal liver function
Malignancies of solid organs and haematopoietic tissue, including past history of, or currently under treatment
Exceptions are:
a) treated minor skin malignancies (not melanoma)
b) malignancies where the interval since treatment is such that the probability of cure is > 90%, e.g.: early stage (I & IIA) breast cancer at 5 years; low risk prostate cancer at 5 years; early stage (Dukes A & B1) colorectal cancer at 5 years; childhood leukaemia at 5 years
Solid organ transplants, excluding corneal grafts more than 6 months old
Chronic renal failure or progressive renal disorders
Diseases or disorders such as osteoarthritis with a high probability of arthroplasty in the next four years
Central Nervous System disease, including motor neurone disease, complex partial seizures, poorly controlled epilepsy, prion disease, Alzheimer’s and other dementia, and including paraplegia and quadriplegia
Cardiac disease including ischaemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy or valve disease requiring surgical and/or other procedural intervention
Chronic obstructive respiratory disease with limited exercise tolerance and requiring oxygen
Genetic or congenital disorders: muscular dystrophies, cystic fibrosis, thalassaemia major, sickle cell anaemia if more than one sickle crisis in 4 years, severe haemophilia, and severe primary immunodeficiencies
Severe autoimmune disease, currently being treated with immuno-suppressants other than prednisone
In a person up to the age of 21 years, a severe (71-90 decibels) hearing loss or profound bilateral sensori-neural hearing loss
In a person up to the age of 21 years, a severe vision impairment with visual acuity of 6/36 or beyond after best possible correction, or a loss restricting the field of vision to 15-20 degrees
In a person up to the age of 21 years, a severe physical disability, where they are unable to stand and walk without support, and cannot independently dress, eat, hold a cup, or maintain their stability when sitting.

[Taormina1]

Thankyou so much for all the information!

Having had a good read through it, it seems that there could be a chance, it was this line;

"Cardiac disease including ischaemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy or valve disease requiring surgical and/or other procedural intervention".

Our little girl is in no way unhealthy with it and will definalty not require any surgery or intervention any time soon. If anything she should be monitored every 6 months to a year.

I dont know - Its a very hard decision! I shall call our immigration office tomorrow and have a chat and talk to her about it.

[Taormina1]

Hi there,

A glimmer of hope on the horizon!

I spoke in some detail to NZIS today and discussed our daughters situation.

I was told this; We probably would quailify for a medical waiver if;

1. We were considered good characters and would contribute to the NZ ecconomy.
2. That our skills where considered a shortage or of significant expertise.
3. If we agreed to have possible (not definate) private health care for our daughter.
4. That our daughter is in good health and requires no operations or is of really bad health, in the next 4 years or so.

So for anyone else out there, who is dealing with anything like this; dont give up!! Good luck. I shall post on here what happens with our application for future reference.

[Taffy]

A glimmer of hope indeed, great news!

Let's hope everything else lines up nicely for you now

[Taormina1]

Hi there,

thought Id pop in and update you with the news.....WE are still waiting, have contacted our case office regually. She is being really great and supportive!

[vondermot]

Keeping everything crossed for you.

Tracey