Immigration and visas

Doctors can enter Australia to work on either a temporary or permanent visa. Both categories of entry are described in this section.

If you intend to bring family members who will live, work or study in Australia, you will need to ensure that they are included on your visa application. Comprehensive information about visas and immigration issues can be found on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website.

Permanent migration visas

Permanent entry to Australia for overseas trained doctors (OTDs) is available through the General Skilled Migration Program, the Employer Nomination Scheme and the Regional Sponsored Migration Program. Doctors can also enter Australia to work temporarily and a basic overview of temporary visas is outlined below.

In addition to the other requirements for permanent entry to Australia, a doctor needs to provide evidence of full (unconditional or general) medical registration or, evidence of completion of the standard pathway for specialist assessment or standard pathway for general practitioner assessment for independent/unsupervised specialist practice. Doctors may choose to initially enter Australia as a temporary resident and work with conditional medical registration before completing the requirements for full medical registration or specialist recognition.

More information on the requirements for entry through these permanent migration programs is available from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website.

Temporary visas

If a doctor is not able to meet the requirements for permanent migration or prefers to enter Australia as a temporary resident, then entry on the Temporary Medical Practitioner visa or the Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa may be possible. Temporary visas for Postgraduate or Occupational trainees are also available. Such a visa is for doctors seeking to upgrade their skills for their return to their home country and is not for work in Australia.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship suggests that the Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa (subclass 457) is the preferred temporary visa pathway for doctors entering Australia. It allows applicants to take advantage of streamlined visa processing arrangements, including the ability to lodge applications over the internet using a special online application form.

To obtain a temporary visa, a doctor must first find a position for which he or she is considered a suitable candidate by the employer or sponsor. Doctors applying for temporary visas must provide evidence from the relevant Australian Medical Board that they are eligible for medical registration in Australia. Doctors with such evidence may be eligible for a temporary visa for periods up to 4 years. Information about medical registration arrangements can be found in the Registering and qualifying section of DoctorConnect.

Temporary visas are generally used by doctors who:

• wish to work in Australia temporarily (conditions still apply, so check the requirements under Registering and qualifying);
• wish to migrate permanently to Australia but are not yet able to satisfy immigration requirements for permanent residency until they achieve full medical registration in Australia by completing the standard pathway for general practitioner assessment or the standard pathway for specialist assessment;
• intend to undertake supervised training as a Postgraduate or Occupational Trainee, in a designated short-term training position.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has a PDF leaflet that explains the visa options for doctors.