On this page: Temporary visas for doctors, Permanent visas for doctors, Working as a nurse in Australia, Visa options for nurses

WORKING AS A DOCTOR IN AUSTRALIA

If you are an overseas trained doctor and you wish to practice in Australia you must first obtain registration with the medical board of the state in which you intend to practice. For migration purposes, doctors who wish to apply for permanent residence must hold full medical registration. However, you may undertake a period of supervised practice and formal assessment in Australia to meet the requirements for medical registration. This can be acheived by applying for a temporary residence visa which still allows you to practice before becoming fully registered.

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 VISAS FOR DOCTORS

See Standard Business Sponsorship 457. This visa is generally used as a pathway to permanent residence after doctors meet all requirements for full medical registration. Employers can make use of the following streamlined 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.

PERMANENT VISAS FOR DOCTORS

Once a doctor has obtained full medical registration he/she may apply for permanent residence under the Employer Nomination Scheme, Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme, Labour Agreement Progam or independently under the General Skilled Migration Program. For further information contact info@migrationtoaustralia.net

Students who have graduated from an accredited medical school in Australia or New Zealand and wish to complete an internship will need to apply for either a Standard Business Sponsorship 457 or the Occupational Trainee visa 442. When the training is completed you will need to apply for the Skilled - Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa 487. For further information on the Occupational Trainee and Skilled - Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visas please contact 61 3 9386 5525 or info@migrationtoaustralia.net

WORKING AS A NURSE IN AUSTRALIA

Nurses who wish to work in Ausralia need to be assessed by either the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Council (ANMC) or the nurse regulatory body in the State or Territory in which they want to work. However, nurses should not apply for a migration skills assessment from the ANMC if they are either an enrolled nurse/registered nurse division 2, an overseas educated nurse or midwife who is a permanent resident or nurses and midwives who are applying for a Working Holiday visa or a temporary 457 visa. Instead, they should apply to the relevant regulatory authority regarding registration requirments.

Students who have graduated from an Australian university and wish to apply for permanent residence under the General Skilled Migration program, must first obtain Australian registration through the relevant Nurses Board before proceeding with an application for skills assessment through the ANMC.

VISA OPTIONS FOR NURSES

There are many option for nurses who may wish to apply for a visa in the temporary or permanent categories as follows: General Skilled Migration, Standard Business Sponsorship 457, Employer Nomination Scheme, Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme, and Working Holiday visa. For further information on the Occupational Trainee or Business (Short stay) visa to undertake bridging or pre-registration program of less than three months duration; please call 61 3 9386 5525 or contact info@migrationtoaustralia.net