No Medicare, No Problem: New Resources Support Migrants and Visitors Living with HIV to Access Care and Vital Information
Many people living with HIV who are in Australia on temporary visas assume they can’t access free or subsidised HIV-related care, including treatment. Some who are on student visas – or even just contemplating study in Australia – imagine that people living with HIV either can’t get a student visa or complete a degree in Australia. And, of course, many people assume it would be impossible to become a permanent resident in Australia if you are living with HIV.
But while each person’s visa or migration case and circumstances are different, none of the above scenarios are always true. For one, visitors and temporary visa holders can access free HIV care, including treatment, even if they’re not eligible for Medicare. And, in the second and third case: accessing community information, talking to peers, and working with an experienced migration lawyer or migration agent can lead to accurate information, smoother and less overwhelming visa processes, better support and far better outcomes for migrants and non-citizens living with HIV.
Supported by research conducted by Health+Law in 2025, a suite of new resources from our partners at the National Association of People Living with HIV Australia (NAPWHA) is helping migrants, visitors and others on temporary visas get clear, practical and up-to-date information about HIV, migration, treatment access, peer support and more. The resources are part of NAPWHA’s ‘No Medicare? No Problem’ campaign, which aims to strengthen the information and support visitors and migrants living with HIV are able to access.
Alongside practical online information, advice and key referrals, the campaign is also bringing this message to life through a series of engaging short videos and social media resources that communicate complex information about HIV, migration and healthcare access in clear and accessible ways – and in multiple languages – via NAPWHA’s Instagram page.
For Health+Law, the campaign also represents an exciting example of how research can support practical resources and action.
In 2025, NAPWHA commissioned Health+Law to conduct a national scoping review of the information and support available to people living with HIV who are migrants, visitors, refugees and/or other types of non-citizens in Australia. The work was led by Health+Law researchers Cara Bruce and Associate Professor David Carter, who identified 289 existing resources, ranging from factsheets and peer-led programs to specialist legal services and clinical tools. While their review found that a strong foundation of information and support already existed across the HIV sector, it identified significant opportunities to make that information easier to find, more accessible, and more responsive to the specific needs of people navigating both HIV and migration/temporary visas – including in languages that aren’t English. Among the gaps identified was the lack of a centralised place where visitors and migrants living with HIV and those supporting them could find accurate, reliable and up-to-date information. The review also highlighted a need for more migration-specific resources, clearer information about accessing health care without Medicare, and information tailored to different stages of the migration journey.
NAPWHA’s new campaign builds on these findings. Their ‘Migrating to Australia’ webpage brings together practical information for people living with HIV who are considering moving to Australia or are already here. It provides information about migration and visa processes, HIV treatment and healthcare access, legal information and peer support – creating a clearer pathway through information that can be difficult to find and often challenging to navigate. ‘No Medicare? No Problem’ leads with a critical information gap: making sure people living with HIV know that being ineligible for Medicare does not mean being unable to access HIV treatment. From there, it offers many more, varied and potentially tailored forms of information and support.
‘No Medicare? No Problem’ demonstrates what research impact can look like in practice. It is also an example of the value of sustained partnerships between researchers and community organisations. By combining research and evidence with the knowledge, creativity and reach of the HIV community sector, complex findings can become resources that are – we hope – useful in people’s everyday lives.
Explore NAPWHA’s resources for people living with HIV who are migrating to or living in Australia
Find out more about No Medicare, No Problem – including how to access testing and treatment
Check out the campaign reels on Instagram
Read more about and access Health+Law and NAPWHA national scoping review