Are You Planning To Go Abroad For Work? You Better Get In Shape
The case of South African chef Albert Buitenhuis who weighed 130 kg first hit the headlines in 2013 when his permanent residency application was rejected by Immigration New Zealand. New Zealand cited the demands his obesity could place on its health services. Similar concerns have prompted many other countries to take a more serious look at pre-migration medical tests.
When Saagar, a Hyderabad-based engineer, read the story of a South African chef who had to leave New Zealand recently because he was "too fat", it gave him some anxious moments about his own expanding girth.
He has now decided to lose a few kilos before he explores work opportunities overseas.
abdn/ Representational Image
The case of chef Albert Buitenhuis, who weighed 130 kg, first hit the headlines in 2013 when his permanent residency application was rejected by Immigration New Zealand.
After losing a three-year battle with immigration authorities, the chef and his wife finally returned to South Africa in December 2015 to avoid deportation.
New Zealand cited the demands his obesity could place on its health services. Similar concerns have prompted many other countries to take a more serious look at pre-migration medical tests.
Medical check-ups prior to the grant of visas (especially work or residential visas) have always been the norm but the focus used to be on contagious diseases. This has now changed since a high Body Mass Index (BMI) and its associated medical risks can put a strain on a country's medical resources.
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We analyzed the regulations of a few key countries which are increasingly focusing on obesity-related illnesses. It showed that while obesity alone may not be a ground for refusal of a work visa, the risks of refusal are far higher if one is overweight.
If you read the fine print, some countries require the empanelled medical practitioner to jot down the visa applicant's BMI - New Zealand does this and some like Canada ask for the applicant's height and weight.
Countries such as Australia are silent on this count, but obesity, if accompanied by lifestyle diseases, could result in the denial of a work visa. Indians aspiring to work in Australia have to undergo medical check-ups by an empaneled medical practitioners here.
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The results are then sent to Australia's Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIPB). This body decides on whether an applicant has met the desired medical parameters.
"Obese potential expat workers could be denied a skilled or sponsorship visa if they have a medical condition associated with their obesity that could incur significant medical costs," says Ryan Curtis-Griffiths, immigration specialist and director at Nevett Ford Lawyers, based in Melbourne.
Visa applicants to New Zealand are required to have an acceptable standard of health (ASH) and undergo medical check-ups to ensure this. The format of a 'general medical certificate' released by New Zealand's government last October requires the empanelled medical practitioner to record the visa applicant's height, weight and BMI in addition to other medical details.
Immigrations
"A high BMI might or might not debar a potential applicant from the grant of a temporary or permanent visa in New Zealand. This answer could depend on a wide range of deciding factors such as the applicant's BMI level, average BMI level of people of that specific ethnicity, genetic history, age group, diet habits, physical activity level, nature of work routine, lifestyle, and any other potentially-linked health disorders like obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, cardiovascular risk, etc," says Christie John, a licensed immigration advisor and director with Immigranz Limited in Auckland.
Based on advice from the medical assessor, the visa officer takes a fair and unbiased decision on the application, he explains.
In Canada too, while a high BMI is unlikely to result in rejection, "the resulting spin-off conditions, if serious, could," says Lainie Appleby, partner Immigration Law with Guberman Garson Segal.
But as Ontario-based Talha Mohani, an immigration law expert at Migration Bureau Corp, points out most individuals who are obese tend to have underlying medical conditions and if these constitute an "excessive demand" on Canada's health and social services costs, they are likely to be turned down.
While a bulging waistline may not deny you a work visa in Japan, get ready to burn calories once you are in Japan. The country has a prescribed waist measure- 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women and employers have to ensure that workers go for an annual check, especially the "Metabolic Syndrome Test."
Those between 40-75 years who fail the prescribed waist measurements have to take classes on how to lose flab.