Australia Migration - Medical Practitioners under the General Skilled Migration Program

Inclusion of Medical Practitioners on the Skilled Occupation List

On 20 May 2004, the following Medical Practitioner occupations were added to the Skilled Occupation List:

60 points are awarded for the occupation of 'Medical Practitioner' under the ‘skill’ part of the General Skilled Migration points test.

Skills assessment process

If your nominated occupation is ‘Medical Practitioner’, you must do both of the following:

• meet the Australian Medical Council (AMC) requirements
• make an application for full medical registration to the Medical Board in the State or Territory in which you intend to practise.

Evidence of full medical registration constitutes a skills assessment for the occupation of ‘Medical Practitioner’ for the purposes of migration under the General Skilled Migration program.

The department will accept one of the following certificates issued by the State or Territory Medical Board as evidence of full registration:

• full/unconditional/general medical registration
• conditional specialist registration — this registration allows you to practise only in your particular speciality, with no further training or supervision requirements.

Full/unconditional/general medical registration

Under current legislation, full, unconditional or general medical registration will only be available to you if:

• you are a graduate of an Australian or New Zealand Australian Medical Council accredited medical school and have completed an approved period of intern training

or

• you hold a primary medical qualifications obtained overseas, and meet all of the following:
• you have successfully completed the Australian Medical Council examination —including both the multiple choice questionnaire and the clinical examination
• you have been awarded the Australian Medical Council Certificate
• you have completed a period of supervised training approved by a State or Territory Medical Board.

Further information on the Australian Medical Council examination process is available.

Once you have met the requirements outlined above, you must apply to the Medical Board in the State or Territory in which you intend to practise for full/unconditional/general medical registration, which entitles you to practise in Australia.

A list of locations and contact details for the State/Territory Medical Boards is available.

Conditional Specialist registration

If you are an overseas trained specialist whose primary medical qualifications are not recognised in Australia, you must apply through the Australian Medical Council/Specialist Medical College procedures to have your specialist training and qualifications assessed. This assessment will determine whether your training and qualifications are equivalent to those of Australian trained specialists currently entering the Australian workforce.

Further information regarding the procedures for conditional specialist registration is available.
A list of Specialist Medical Colleges and their contact details is also available.

Once you have received recognition by an Australian Specialist College, you must apply to the Medical Board in the State or Territory in which you intend to practise for conditional registration in your specialist field of practice. A list of locations and contact details for the State/Territory Medical Boards is available.

Some most popular FAQ’s:

1. I am a doctor in my home country, and would like to work in Australia - what are my options?

Permanent visas: If you want to come to Australia to live prmanently, you should apply for a permanent residence (migrant) visa.

You can come to Australia independently and look for work once you arrive, or you can arrange a job with an employer before you arrive - the choice is yours.

For independent migration: Migrating as a Skilled Person – see above!

For employer-sponsored migration: Employer-sponsored Migration

For temporary stay: if

·         you'd like to try a short-term contract to see if you like the job and Australia before committing yourself permanently, or

·         you are only eligible for conditional registration, or

·         you want to do some work-based training, but then return to work in your own country

you can apply for a temporary visa.

If you will be working (providing a service to patients), you will need a Temporary Medical Practitioner Visa 'subclass 422' visa.

If you will be doing further training in Australia to enhance your skills, and will return to your home country to utilise those new skills, you will need an Occupational Trainee 'subclass 442' visa.

2. If I come to Australia on a temporary visa, can my family members come with me? And can they work or study?

On a Temporary Medical Practitioner visa, if your sponsoring employer is willing to sponsor (meet certain costs for) your partner or any other dependants, then they can be included in your visa application. Your dependants would have no work limitation on their visa, and would be allowed to work or study, although they may have to pay fees for any schooling.

On a Working Holiday visa, you cannot bring dependent children. On an Occupational Trainee visa, your dependants cannot work or study.

3. If I come to Australia on a temporary visa, can I buy a house or other property?

Generally, unless you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you must obtain approval to purchase residential or commercial property from the Foreign Investment Review Board.

4. What do I need before I can work as a doctor in Australia?

You must have three things:

·         a visa which permits you to work,
See: Question 1 above for your visa options

·         a Medicare provider number so your patients can claim their expenses under Medicare,
and registration from the State or Territory Medical Board to allow you to practise medicine.

Before a doctor may practise as a Medical Practitioner in Australia, they must first register with the Medical Board in the State or Territory where they will be practising. The registration process is different for permanent and temporary migration.

The table below lists Australia's State/Territory Medical Boards and Specialist Medical Colleges.