Are you a GP based in Hong Kong or Malaysia and are looking to move to Australia?
Both Hong Kong and Malaysia have conjoint pathways with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Therefore if you are one of these GPs who have been awarded FRACGP overseas, then working in Australia is much simpler for you!
As a FRACGP doctor, you will be able to bill the full Medicare item numbers and hold Specialist Registration with AHPRA. You can work at the same level as any Australian-trained GP. However, as an overseas trained doctor, you will still be subject to:
- the 10 year moratorium a
- the requirement to work in a DPA location or have a 19AB exemption
- the Visas for GPs program
If you do not hold FRACGP, the pathway is significantly longer and more difficult and the following information does not apply to you.
Location Restrictions
We know that most GPs want to be working in a major city such as Melbourne, Sydney, or Perth, however, in most cases this is impossible due to your moratorium and the Visas for GPs program.
To get a visa to move to Australia, you will need to work within a Distribution Priority Area.
We get a lot of enquiries from GPs about a move to Australia, but unfortunately due to these restrictions, we need to be realistic about where you will be allowed to work.
The best locations that fulfill the criteria and where we can offer positions are:
- Canberra (large regional city and national capital)
- Geelong (large regional city about 75 minutes drive from Melbourne CBD – not ideal for commuting)
- Macedon Ranges (tree-change town about 45 mins from Melbourne CBD)
- Mornington Peninsula (lovely coastal area about 75 minutes drive from Melbourne CBD – not ideal for commuting)
- Adelaide (outskirts of metro area) some inner suburbs
- Tasmania – various locations
There are of course other more rural locations, however the above are the best we can offer you in urban locations for your first job in Australia. You can view more of this information of the Health Workforce Locator and will be able to see that often you will need to work quite far away from the city areas.
Interested in moving?
If you are a GP and want to move to Australia, please feel free to contact us for a confidential discussion at info@alecto.com.au and one of our consultants will be in touch.