Medical Practitioners

The Minister for Health and Ageing, and the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, announced changes to immigration arrangements that will assist medical practitioners who wish to migrate to Australia.

The change, made as part of the enhancements to Medicare, will allow Medical Practitioners to migrate to Australia under the points-tested General Skilled Migration (GSM) program.

Inclusion of Medical Practitioners on the Skilled Occupations List (SOL)

On 20 May 2004, the following Medical Practitioner occupations were added to the SOL:

The number of points for skill allocated for the occupation of �Medical Practitioner� in the points test is �60�.

Skills assessment process

If your nominated occupation is medical practitioner, you must make application to the Medical Board in the State/Territory in which you intend to practise for full (unconditional) medical registration.  Once you have been registered to practise unconditionally as a medical practitioner you do not need to make application to a State/Territory Medical Board for a skills assessment, as evidence of full registration in the relevant State/Territory itself constitutes a skills assessment. 

You must obtain evidence of full medical registration in order to lodge a valid application for migration under the General Skilled Migration program.

Generalist registration

An applicant whose basic medical qualifications are not recognised by the relevant State/Territory Medical Board must meet the Australian Medical Council (AMC) requirements for recognition.  This process entails a multiple choice question examination and a clinical examination administered by the AMC.  Once the AMC has advised you that your skills have been assessed as equivalent to your Australian trained counterpart, you must then apply to the relevant State/Territory Medical Board for full registration or, in other words, an entitlement to practise without restriction.

Specialist registration

Overseas-trained specialists must apply through the AMC to have their specialist skills assessed by the relevant specialist medical college in Australia.  The purpose of specialist assessment is to determine the equivalence of training and qualifications of overseas trained specialists with Australian trained specialists.  If the relevant college assesses you as competent to practise in Australia, you are eligible to apply for registration within the designated field for specialist practice.

Evidence of full registration

The Department will accept the following as evidence of unconditional registration:

Evidence of certificates issued by the State/Territory Medical Board (showing full medical board registration)

and,  either:

• An AMC certificate (showing that you have passed the necessary examinations entitling you to unconditional registration) or
• Full fellowship of the Royal Australia College of General Practitioners (RACGP) or relevant specialist college

Inclusion of Medical Practitioner occupations on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL)

From 20 May 2004, the occupations listed on the table below are included on the MODL.  Applications from persons who nominate an occupation on the MODL are priority processed.