For an International Medical Graduate (IMG) to work in Australia as a medical practitioner the most common pathway is:
- Get a job offer1
- Obtain a successful skills assessment
- Get registered with the Australian Medical Board (AMB)
- Get a visa2
Skills Assessment and Registration
The skills assessment and registration processes are conducted simultaneously. There are four type of registration with the AMB relevant to IMG’s : Limited, Provisional, General and Specialist. For more details on the skills assessment and registration process, click HERE.
No matter how many years of experience you have in your home country, your initial registration in Australia will be either Limited or Provisional – unless you are able to gain registration as a specialist directly.
Limited Registration
Specialists who have not yet completed the requirements for Specialist Registration in Australia and IMG’s who are intending to apply for general registration via the Standard Pathway may be eligible for Limited Registration. For most practicing doctors this will be the Area of Need type of Limited Registration. Medical practitioners with limited registration for area of need are working under supervision in an area of Australia where there is a shortage of medical practitioners. They are usually registered to practise in a rural or remote location.
Provisional Registration
For IMG’s Provisional Registration is available if you hold an AMC Certificate or via the Competent Authority Pathway Once you have provisional registration you will need to complete 12 months of supervised practice (minimum of 47 weeks of full-time service) before gaining General Registration.
Specialist Registration
Specialists have a different skills assessment and registration pathway, which is administered by the College that represents that field of specialisation. Many specialists come to Australia on limited registration and work under supervision while they are completing the requirements for specialist registration with the appropriate College (Including the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners).
To find out more about the skills assessment process for International Medical Graduates (IMG’s), refer to our Registration and Skills Assessment Blog on this topic
Getting a Visa
See our Visa Planning for Doctors page for details.
Questions?
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NOTES
1 In order to get registration with the AMB you will need a job offer, unless you are successful in gaining registration as a Specialist directly.
2In some cases the AMB will issue “In Principle” registration before your registration is finally approved and this may be sufficient for a visa application