AussieIMG Jobs and Registration

Recency of Practice

AHPRA requires you to meet their standard of recency of practice in order for you to be eligible for provisional/ limited registration.

To meet the standard of recency of practice, you must work WITHIN your scope of practice for a minimum of:

  • 4 weeks full time clinical practice in 12 months
  • 12 weeks full time clinical practice in 3 years

Full time clinical practice refers to 38 hours/week.

If you do not meet the recency requirements, the easiest way is to go back to your home country and work for 3 months. Else, you have the following options:

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE       GAP PERIODREQUIREMENTS
2 years or more1-3 yearsMaybe asked to complete CPD
2 years or more3 yearsRequire a plan for professional development and re-entry into practice
<2 years>1 yearRequired to recommence in a supervised training position
AussieIMG Jobs and Registration

Filling the AHPRA Registration Form

What are the steps to fill the AHPRA provisional/ general registration form?

You can apply for provisional or limited registration ONLY after you secure a job offer.

  • Gather all the required documents:
    • Proof of Identity-certified: Although there is a huge list of documents that you can choose from, the most commonly used ones are:
      • Passport
      • Driving License
    • Primary medical degree- certified
    • If coming via competent authority pathway, evidence of additional examinations (eg PLAB)
    • If you have any specialist qualifications (eg MD, DNB, MRCP etc), its evidence
    • Details of internship certificate
    • Certificate of Good Standing from all the authorities of all those countries where you have registration in the last 5 years
    • Signed and dated Curriculum Vitae
    • Letter of employment
  • International criminal history check (ICHC)
    • From all countries other than Australia in which you have lived, or been primarily based, for six consecutive months or longer, when aged 18 years or more
    • From either of the two AHPRA approved supplier:
  • Evidence of English language competency
  • Fill in the relevant application form
    • APRI-30: Application for provisional registration
    • APLS-30: Application for Limited registration
  • Send the application form to your hospital where you have been offered the job
    • They will attach the offer letter, supervised training plan and get your form signed by the Director of Clinical Training
  • Hospital will then forward your form to AHPRA
  • Wait for AHPRA to allot a Case Officer, who will go through your documents and ask for any clarifications/ additional documents, if needed
  • AHPRA will send you an in-principle approval letter
  • Once you make your move to Australia (which will be within a month or so after you receive your in-principle letter), do an ID check with AHPRA. The documents needed are:
    • Passport and driving license (or any other document that you submitted while filling the form)
    • Copy of your visa
    • Proof of your date of entry into Australia: Your trip itinerary or boarding pass (please note that Australian immigration does NOT stamp your passport)
  • Application will be finalized within the next few days. You can now start working.

AHPRA may deny your application for provisional or general registration if you do not meet the recency of practice.

AussieIMG Uncategorized, Visa

Work Visa (482) Application

  • The visa that most hospitals will sponsor is the ‘Temporary Skill Shortage Visa-Short Term Stream’ 482 subclass or simply the ‘482 visa’
  • You can stay on this visa for upto 2 years and it can be further extended for a period of another 2 years only
  • The application is entirely online and can be started after your hospital gives you a nomination letter.
  • Depending on your nationality, you may or may not be required to provide biometrics (Eg. Indian nationals are exempt from biometrics and the application is entirely online)

Documents required for this visa:

  • A digital photograph: A selfie from your phone is sufficient
  • Digital copy of your passport
  • Nomination letter from hospital
  • Police clearance certificate from your home country and any other country that you have lived in for more than a year since you turned 18 years old.
  • Evidence of English Language ability (note that the language requirements for 482 visa is different/lower level than that required for AHPRA registration)
  • In-principle AHPRA registration letter
  • A copy of your primary medical qualification
  • Your Curriculum Vitae
  • A letter from you stating that you are a Genuine Temporary Entrant and that you will not breach your visa conditions.

Once you gather these, all you need to do is to:

  • Submit the online application form and pay the fee.
  • A case officer (CO) will be allotted for your application who will then assess your case and ask for any clarification or details if required. The CO will also generate a HAP ID, which you will need to get your medical check-up done.
  • You will receive a copy of your finalized visa application in your inbox.

Learn more about the 482 visa via the Australian Government, Department of Home Affairs Website.

AussieIMG Jobs and Registration, Visa

Application for Permanent Residency

As mentioned here, your 482 work visa can last for a maximum of 4 years only. If you want to continue to remain in Australia and enjoy all social benefits, you will eventually need to apply for a permanent residency (PR).

Employer sponsored permanent residency is not really an option for most IMGs (except if you are a consultant, working full time and commit to work for that hospital for certain years or working in a rural hospital for many years).

Australia has a point based PR system, which means that the government has a pre-set PR quota every year and they choose to give it out to those who have the highest number of points as per their EOIs or Expression of Interests. You can use this points calculator to know where you stand.

As a doctor, you may apply for permanent residency only after you get General Registration with AHPRA (after atleast 1 year of work in Australia)

This process of permanent residency is getting more and more competitive every year. Unfortunately, doctors DO NOT have the ability to earn extra points by doing certain courses, which other professionals like engineers can. Also, unlike doctors who require atleast 1 year of Australian experience to apply for a PR, other professionals can put in their EOIs even if they are not in Australia. Furthermore, the entire process- from lodging an EOI to getting your final application approved can take months to years.

This means as doctors we are left with 2 options

  • Put an EOI and wait in hope
  • If your spouse is from a different profession, get them to apply for a PR

There are 2 different subclass of PR that you can apply/put an EOI to:

  • Skilled Independent Visa (189 Subclass)
  • Allotted from the federal government quota
  • Difficult to get/ need higher points
  • Skilled Nominated Visa (190 Subclass)
  • Allotted from the state government quota
  • Relatively easy to get
  • Each state government might have their own rules for nomination
    • Eg: You may put an EOI for 190 for the state of Queensland only if you have worked in the state for 6 months
  • Need to stay in that nominating state for atleast 2 years
  • Can apply only when the state opens their nomination window

Steps to apply for a PR:

  • Put an application for expression of interest via SkillSelect website (both 189 and 190)
  • Please note that an application for 190 will be picked up only if applied when the respective state opens the nomination window
  • Gather all the documents needed
  • Once you receive an invitation, lodge your formal visa application and upload all documents.
  • Wait for a case officer to be allotted
  • Once allotted, the case officer will go through your documents and ask for any clarification
  • PR finally gets approved

Note that if your 190 EOI gets picked up before 189, the state will ask you for additional documents (like evidence of commitment to state, job offer in that state etc) before you receive a formal invitation to lodge your visa application.

Each Australian state may have their own requirements to be met before you can apply for the 190 visa. Eg. For Queensland, your EOI will be picked up only if you have worked in Queensland for 6 months before you put in your application.

AussieIMG Jobs and Registration

My Unique AHPRA Registration Pathway

As you read through the AHPRA website, you will realize that there are multiple minute ‘pathways’ towards getting your registration.

When I first decided to move to Australia, I had just 7 months of UK experience post my GMC registration via PLAB route, which meant that I could NOT apply for provisional registration via the Competent Authority Pathway. Going back to UK to complete a year of work was an option, but I wasn’t too keen on doing that. So, I decided to take AMC part 1 or the AMC CAT MCQ test and booked the next available exam.

After passing my AMC 1 and successfully landing a job, I applied for limited registration under the Standard Pathway and started working. I did NOT take my AMC 2 ever. After successfully completing 47 weeks of clinical work, I directly applied for General registration via Competent Authority Pathway. Are you wondering how?

It was possible due to the following clause in the AHPRA website:

Australian clinical experience can be substituted for the post-examination or post training experience for the purposes of meeting the criteria for eligibility for the Competent Authority pathway.

This period of practice in Australia may also be accepted as meeting the requirements for the 12 month period of supervised practice which is required to gain general registration via the Competent Authority pathway.

The take home message here is there is NO hard and fast rule towards getting your general registration in Australia. Personally, I have not come across anyone who followed this path. My piece of advice would be to read each and every line in the AHPRA website carefully and pick up the bits that are useful for you.

AussieIMG Basics

Hierarchy and Types of Jobs

  • Intern
    • The newbie doctors
    • These are supervised positions
  • Resident Medical Officer
    • The job and an RMO will almost be the same as an intern, but you are expected to have a bit more knowledge and be more autonomous in your day to day work.
  • Registrars
    • Registrars essentially run the show in a hospital, from admitting patients to reviewing sickies and escalating to the consultants.
    • Compared to the UK, the job of a registrar is much more supportive in Australia and consultants are almost always a call away.
  • Consultants

It is highly recommended that IMGs complete the intern year in their home country before coming here. At the moment, there are just about enough intern jobs (if not less) for Aussie graduates.  An IMG will very likely have no chance of landing an intern job

Training vs Non Training Jobs

To get into a training position in Australia, you need to find a job/ position that is accredited for training. Once you do so, you will apply to your respective college (For instance, once you get an accredited surgical training post, you need to apply to your college, which in this case is the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons).

Whilst most surgical specialities require you to be working at the level of a registrar to enter training, it is not the same for medical specialities. Every college has their own entry requirements which need to be met in order to enter training.

Please note that you may enter training only AFTER you get General Registration, which means that your first year of work in Australia will be as a non-trainee.

AussieIMG Basics

Pathways of registration with AHPRA

There are 4 pathways for an IMG seeking general registration with AHPRA or the Australian Health Practitioner Regular Agency.

  1. Competent Authority Pathway
  2. Standard Pathway
  3. Specialist Pathway
  4. Short Term Training in a Medical Specialty Pathway

Competent Authority Pathway:

  Beneficial for:

  • IMGS who are non-specialists (although can be applied for specialists)
  • Pass the prescribed exam/assessment component and experience component.

The approved competent authorities are:

  • General Medical Council (United Kingdom – for the PLAB examination or for graduates of GMC-accredited medical courses in the United Kingdom.) 
  • Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) 
  • Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates of the United States (USMLE) 
  • Medical Council of New Zealand (NZREX) 
  • Medical Council of Ireland (graduates of medical courses in Ireland accredited by the Medical Council of Ireland).
  • National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (COMLEX-USA)

If you obtained GMC- UK registration via non PLAB routes (eg MRCP/ MRCS), you are NOT eligible for registration via Competent authority pathway.

The experience component includes:

  • Minimum of 12 months of supervised training in the UK (includes internship or non-training jobs), New Zealand or Ireland
  • Minimum of 24 months of supervised training within an accredited residency program in USA or Canada

In order to be eligible for registration via competent authority pathway, one must fulfil both the approved competent authority registration as well as experience component.

Australian clinical experience can be substituted for the post-examination or post training experience for the purposes of meeting the criteria for eligibility for the Competent Authority pathway.

This period of practice in Australia may also be accepted as meeting the requirements for the 12 month period of supervised practice which is required to gain general registration via the Competent Authority pathway.

Read about the importance of these words in my personal experience here.

Standard Pathway:

Beneficial for:

  • IMGs who are not eligible for Competent Authority or Standard Pathway

This pathway essentially involves giving the AMC or the Australian Medical Council Exams. There are 2 different processes in this pathway

  1. AMC examinations: AMC1 + AMC 2
  2. Work-place based assessments (WBA): AMC 1 + WBA

IMGs coming via the standard and competent authority pathway will have to work under supervision for 47 weeks before they can be granted General Registration. Read more about the types of registrations here.

Specialist Pathway:

Beneficial for:

  • Those who are specialists in their home country and have decent experience in their field.

This pathway is by far the most complex and outcomes can vastly differ based on your country of practise, experience and your speciality. It also involves loads of paperwork and significant financial costs.

It essentially involves sending in an application to your relevant college, who then assess your CV and deem your capability as

  1. Substantially comparable- need further 1 year of work experience in Australia to gain full registration as a specialist
  2. Partially comparable- need atleast 2 further years of work experience in Australia to gain full registration as a specialist
  3. Not comparable- need to gain registration via other pathways

There is a separate subset in specialist pathway called the area of need pathway, which does not necessarily give specialist registration at the end, but helps you work in an Area of Need.

Short Term Training in a Medical Specialty Pathway:

As the name suggests, this pathway helps doctors who are specialists or have significant training experience to come and train in Australia for short term (maximum of 2 years). The doctors must go back to the home country after that. However, many IMGs do use this pathway to know and understand the system and transition into getting full registration via other pathways.

If you were to apply for specialist training after these 2 years, specialist colleges can technically not take these 2 years into account. That said, letters of recommendation from Australian colleagues does hold immense value.

Please note that this blog will primarily fous on Standard and Competent authority pathway only.