| |
|
| |
| Opportunities for overseas doctors in Australia |
| |
| There is currently a shortage of doctors and nurses in Australia , particularly in regional areas.
General practitioners or specialists can apply for a visa to work in Australia if they have obtained their primary medical qualification in a country other than Australia or gained their medical qualifications in Australia and are not an Australian permanent resident.
Nurses are currently in high demand in Australia with opportunities for permanent and temporary work available.
Detailed information on working in Australia and how to register as a doctor is available on the DoctorConnect website. This includes: information on Australia 's healthcare system |
| |
| » |
How to find a job |
| » |
Contact information for medical recruitment agencies |
| » |
Details on the process for obtaining full medical registration and specialist recognition in Australia |
| » |
Information on programs to assist employers in rural and regional areas |
| » |
Contact details for medical boards, professional associations, and government agencies. |
|
| |
| The DoctorConnect website is an Australian Government initiative. It has been developed by the Department of Health and Ageing for doctors trained outside Australia and Australian medical employers. |
| |
| Requirements for practice |
| |
Doctors who wish to practise in Australia must first be registered with the Medical Board in the State or Territory where they intend to practise.
After the visa is granted, doctors must apply to the Health Insurance Commission for a Medicare Provider Number if they will be working in general practice or will be prescribing drugs.
Full details on registration requirements and Medicare are available on the DoctorConnect website. |
| |
| Visa Options for Doctors |
| |
There are a number of visa options available for doctors.
Doctors can apply for either a temporary or permanent visa.
For immigration purposes, doctors seeking permanent residency in Australia must hold full medical registration. 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. |
| |
| Note: The Australian State and Territory Medical Boards are responsible for the registration of all medical practitioners. However, in the case of specialists, the Medical Boards require an assessment from the relevant Australian Specialist Medical College before registering a doctor for practice in their field of specialisation. The decision to grant medical registration is entirely up to the relevant State and Territory Medical Board. |
| |
| Temporary Visa Options for Doctors
|
| |
Doctors who do not yet hold full medical registration in Australia can be employed and sponsored as a temporary resident while they are in the process of meeting the requirements to obtain full medical registration.
The following are the three types of temporary visas |
| |
Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa (Subclass 457) |
The Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa is the preferred temporary visa pathway for doctors entering Australia . This is because it allows employers to take advantage of the following streamlined processing arrangements. |
| |
| » |
employers and doctors are able to use a special online application form |
| » |
employers can have one sponsorship agreement to cover multiple doctors, nurses and other staff employed by the same employer |
| » |
once a sponsorship agreement has been approved, employers can nominate doctors through a nomination application that is much simpler than a full sponsorship application.
With this visa you can employ overseas workers for a period of between three (3) months and four (4) years. With this visa those people you employ from overseas can: |
| » |
work in Australia for a period of between three (3) months and four (4) years |
| » |
bring any eligible secondary applicants with them to Australia - secondary applicants can work and study |
| » |
after entering Australia , have no limit on the number of times they travel in and out of Australia . |
|
| Top |
| |
Medical Practitioner visa (Subclass 422) |
| |
Doctors should generally apply for a Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa (subclass 457) but this visa is an alternative visa for doctors registered to work in Australia .Employers must lodge a separate sponsorship application for each doctor sponsored. In limited situations, such as where a rural community or local council is seeking to sponsor a doctor, this visa will be the most appropriate visa.
The medical practitioner visa allows foreign nationals, who are medical practitioners, to work in Australia for a sponsoring employer for three (3) months to four (4) years.
This visa is for doctors (general practitioners and specialists). The doctors can be either: |
| |
| » |
overseas-trained doctors |
| » |
overseas students who have completed their medical degree in Australia .
With this visa those doctors you employ from overseas can: |
| » |
work in Australia for a period of between three (3) months and four (4) years |
| » |
bring any eligible family members with them to Australia - family members can work and study |
| » |
after entering Australia , have no limit on the number of times they travel in and out of Australia . |
|
| |
| Occupational Trainee visa |
| |
Some doctors coming to Australia to undertake a supervised training program may be able to apply for an Occupational Trainee visa for up to 12 months. The doctor must be appointed to a designated training position that is not primarily service-providing in nature. Organisations providing occupational training programs must apply to nominate doctors for this visa.
This temporary visa is for people from outside Australia who want to improve their work skills through training with an Australian employer.
An occupational training program needs two parties: |
| |
| » |
an occupational trainee |
| » |
an Australian based nominating organisation to provide the training. |
|
| |
The applicant must pay a non-refundable visa application charge when they lodge a visa application
This visa may be valid for up to two years to undertake a training program (subject to the length of the approved training program). An additional two months may be added beyond the training end date to allow you and your family members to make arrangements to leave Australia or to apply for another visa. |
| |
| Note: If the training cannot be completed in the approved visa period, you can apply for a second occupational trainee visa. You and your nominating organisation must meet eligibility requirements again. |
| |
| Permanent Visa Options for Doctors |
| |
There are several different permanent visas available for doctors who have full medical registration in Australia .
Australian organisations (businesses, communities or government agencies) can sponsor overseas doctors to work in Australia for up to 4 years.
Temporary visas are the usual pathway to permanent residence for doctors who do not yet hold full medical registration in Australia . Overseas trained doctors can commence a period of supervised practice and formal assessment in Australia to meet the requirements for full medical registration.
Once full medical registration is held, doctors may choose to apply for permanent residence under one of the following employer-sponsored or independent visas.
The following are the types of permanent visas |
| Top |
| |
| Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 121/856) |
| |
The Employer Nomination Scheme allows Australian employers to sponsor employees who are foreign nationals for a permanent visa to work in Australia
This visa is for Australian employers who want to sponsor highly skilled workers for a permanent visa to work in Australia . The employees can be either: |
| |
| » |
highly skilled workers from overseas |
| » |
highly skilled temporary residents currently in Australia . |
| » |
This visa allows you and any dependent family members included in your visa application to live as permanent residents in Australia .
Australian permanent residents can: |
| » |
live and work in Australia on a permanent basis |
| » |
study in Australia at school or university |
| » |
receive subsidised healthcare through Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) |
| » |
access certain social security payments (subject to waiting periods) |
| » |
be eligible for Australian citizenship (subject to the residency eligibility criteria) sponsor people for permanent residence. |
|
| |
| Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (Subclass 119/857) |
| |
The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) is for employers in regional Australia , to fill skilled positions they are unable to fill from the local labour market.
Under the RSMS, employers are able to nominate staff from overseas or temporary residents currently in Australia to fill full-time, permanent vacancies.
The employees applying for a visa can be either of the following: |
| |
| » |
skilled workers from overseas |
| » |
skilled temporary residents.
This visa allows you and any dependent family members included in your visa application to live as permanent residents in Australia .
Australian permanent residents can: |
| » |
live and work in Australia on a permanent basis |
| » |
study in Australia at school or university |
| » |
receive subsidised healthcare through Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) |
| » |
access certain social security payments (subject to waiting periods) |
| » |
be eligible for Australian citizenship (subject to the residency eligibility criteria) |
| » |
sponsor people for permanent residence. |
|
| |
| Labour Agreements |
| |
Labour Agreements are formal arrangements to recruit a number of overseas skilled workers. Both temporary and permanent visas can be granted under the agreement. Agreements are generally effective for 2 to 3 years.
With this programme the employer can employ a number of overseas workers on temporary and/or permanent visas. |
| |
| Temporary Visa |
| |
| With this visa those people you employ from overseas can: |
| |
| » |
work in Australia for up to four (4) years |
| » |
bring any eligible secondary applicants (including in the Temporary Business (Long Stay) Subclass 457 visa, an interdependent partner and children of the interdependent partner) with them to Australia , secondary applicants can work and study |
| » |
after entering Australia , have no limit on the number of times they travel in and out of Australia |
|
| |
| Permanent Visa |
| |
With this visa those people you employ from overseas, and any dependent family members included in their visa application, can live as permanent residents in Australia .
Australian permanent residents can: |
| |
| » |
live and work in Australia on a permanent basis |
| » |
study in Australia at school or university |
| » |
receive subsidised healthcare through Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) |
| » |
access certain social security payments (subject to waiting periods) |
| » |
be eligible for Australian citizenship (subject to the residency eligibility criteria) |
| » |
sponsor people for permanent residence. |
|
| |
General Skilled Migration |
| |
This programme, also known as the General Skilled Migration programme, is for people who are not sponsored by an employer and who have skills in particular occupations required in Australia . Applicants must be over 18 and under 45 years of age, with good English language ability, and recent skilled work experience or a recently completed eligible Australian qualification.
Applicants must also have skills and qualifications for an occupation listed on Australia 's Skilled Occupation List (SOL). |
|
