medical shock :-(

[yourmomm]

Hi;

Wasnt expecting this one at all-it was supposed to be just a formality but the medical test came back with mildly elevated SERUM ALT at 77 (Ive been told the max limit for entry is 35, and normal can be upto 45). All other bloods and liver function normal. No idea about why the elevation exists: Im 37, fit and healthy, not overweight, exercise every day, dont drink heavily or abuse drugs, (although I did drink a bit as a student, but who didnt?!). No idea whats gone wrong...I even took it easy in the week leading up to the test and didnt go to the gym like i normally do. it now looks like the job offer ive got in the skilled shortage list will lapse as it was conditional on me being in post by mid feb at the latest.

I'll obviously arrange for retests in a few weeks, but my question is this: if I go in on a temporary work visa (valid for over 12 months), I have to submit the full medical and x ray certificate. But would a problem like this prevent the granting of a temporary work visa, even if it were over 12 months in length? would i still be referred to a medical assessor with all the delays entailed? Im thinking if I can get in post and start work, it would give me enough time to explore what the hell was going on (perhaps privately in NZ) and hopefully remedy it before applying for PR. Any advice greatfully received. This is so unexpected and stressful....

Thanks

[GrumpyGoat]

12 month work permit doesn't require any medical tests at all---but you won't be covered by the NZ medical system either. So this is definitely an option for you to get to your job offer in time.

That said--is this something that will definitely refer you to the medical assessor?

OH is everything you describe (fit, no drinking, works out daily, etc) and one of his liver levels was very elevated. And he retested weeks later and it was still very elevated. We were running out of time and so we just sent it in and they never said a word about it. No questions, no medical assessor, nothing.

But, I was referred to the medical assessor because I have a (small) tattoo noted on my medical form and they required me to have a hepatitis test. I am the only one that I have heard of this happening to so I am at a loss to explain why they do the things they do???

[RachieRoo]

My OH had a slightly elevated ALT level - the doctor said it was probably nothing to worry about on its own, it could have been that he had had a virus that week. She did say that INZ might come back to him about it, wanting to take further tests to rule out more serious liver infections like Hepatitis, so she recommended a repeat ALT test a month later. That came back 'normal' and we forwarded the results to INZ before they'd even had a chance to look at our medicals.

[hsfa484]

I also had slightly high ALT and wasn't change on re-test, so I asked the doctor about the ultimate effect of the high readings of ALT on my health(not on the immigration process, health is more important), he replied, may be "Hepatitis C", I was scared and to be very honest forget the immigration process, but fortunately in Hepatitis test, everything was normal, yeay. No MA referral, no question, nothing.
If it is convenient to you, do what I did, complete medical examinations (77 is high, mine was 52 and on re-test 50, and I was very worried), hope you will get the satisfactory results, submit those reports with your application, hope no MA referral, but it will take some time. In parallel, submit the WHV application, so you will be able to join your organization on time. My 2 cents only.
Good luck

[nikcho]

Interesting - my ALT was 20 in the summer when I first took the test, and 21 a month ago. I found a link that may be helpful to explain the causes of elevated ALT from WebMD It could be the fact that you regularly exercise (esp. if it is a strenuous exercise). Do you take any supplements? My advice would be to take a break from exercising for a week, to avoid fatty foods (some meat and veggies+olive oil should be ok), drink plenty of water and you should be fine. Of course, if the cause is different, it should be addressed appropriately. Good luck!

[yourmomm]

Thanks all for advice;

I too have been searching the net for reasons why this might have happened and its all a bit concerning:-( It's such a bolt out of the blue, and after we've already spent so much money and time on the whole application process. I do indeed exercise strenuously and regularly (2.5 hours every day, as I am in long-distance triathlon training), but I was aware that this could have a detrimental effect on the tests, so I didnt train for a full week before the test. I also take multivitamins with iron, and have only found out these might also cause a high serum alt reading once I failed the test:-(

So the advice seems to be that a 12 month work visa doesnt require a medical at all? But I was asking about a temporary work visa which was for longer than 12 months: my job offer is for a permanent job, so I would imagine I have to apply for the correct duration visa?-I dont even know if a temporary work visa exists fro longer than a year so sorry for my ignorance here. The guidance I have been following specifically splits applicants into those intending to work for less than 6 months (dont need any medical or x ray certificates), those intending to stay from 6-12 months (need x ray only) and those intending to stay longer than 12 months (need full medical and x ray certificate submitted). This from:

http://glossary.immigration.govt.nz/...vember2010.pdf

"Temporary entry class visas.........

Whether you need to provide a medical certificate depends on
how long you intend to stay in New Zealand. If you are already
in New Zealand, this includes time you have already spent here.
If you intend to be in New Zealand for less than six months,
you are not required to submit a medical certificate with
your application.

If you intend to stay in New Zealand for more than 12 months,
you must complete a Medical and Chest X-ray Certificate."

So Im getting mixed messages here. I dont mind at all funding all of my own medical costs as I know these are nonexistant. My question still remains though as to whether I can enter NZ on a one year only temporary work visa whilst I get all this medical stuff resolved, despite my job offer being for a permanent job? If this were true, surely the system could be abused by very sick people just continually aplying for 12 month temporary work visas on an annual basis and never submitting a medical? that doesnt sound right to me. Sorry for the length of post but this is very anxiety provoking and confusing. Any advice appreciated.

[nikcho]

I would say to you not to worry too much. What did your doctor write in the F section of the Medical Certificate INZ 1007? Does s/he consider it abnormal? Also, have you checked the medical conditions that are basis for visa denial, and the ones which are subject to a waiver. Usually results that are out of normal bounds should be taken into context of the rest of the results. An elevated ALT value by itself does not signify much -- most conditions will affect at least a few more values.

On my first exam I had a high ESR, a 17 with normal 1-11, and my MCV% was a bit higher than the upper bound. This was because 3 weeks before I had a serious flu and I took a very strong antibiotic. I told this to my doctor and he said it was nothing to worry about: he checked F "No significant or abnormal findings". So talk to the doctor who will interpret the results and ask him/her if there are any concerns regarding the result. Again, if this is the only elevated value, I doubt that there will be any issues

[GrumpyGoat]

OH had a permanent job (that he is still working at over 2 years later) when he applied for (and got) a 12 month work permit.
We were already in NZ when we applied for the work permit and it was granted the same day--with no medicals whatsoever--and he was able to start work right away while our PR paperwork worked its way through the system.