A doctor who holds AHPRA general registration and is on an eligible temporary visa can apply for a Medicare provider number and work in a GP practice without being enrolled in any of those programs. This route operates under a distinct legal mechanism — a section 19AB pathway exemption — rather than the section 3GA “approved placement” pathway used by the training programs.

If you are an international doctor preparing to move to Australia, you may recently have heard the term Ministerial Direction 119. It came into effect on 25 July 2026 and has already begun influencing how certain skilled visa applications are handled.

For overseas-trained specialist General Practitioners (GPs), Australia offers excellent opportunities to practise at the highest level. However, navigating the visa and permanent residency (PR) landscape can feel complex—especially when combined with RACGP assessment pathways, AHPRA registration, and Medicare provider number requirements.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully navigated the RACGP Fellowship Exams and earned your FRACGP. This achievement marks the beginning of a new chapter—one filled with exciting opportunities and important decisions. Whether you're an international medical graduate or a local GP, here are the main considerations to help you plan your next steps. Gaining Permanent Residency For international GPs, securing Permanent Residency (PR) is often a top priority. There are two main path

<p>Answer: Visa Medicals and Police Checks for your Visa Application. This is where you can save some serious time by arranging to carry out the two key activities for yourself and your dependants ASAP, the (1) Visa Medical check (for everyone), and the (2) Police Check (for everyone over 18). &nbsp; Immigration Part 1 &#8211; [&hellip;]</p>

Discover how GPs can migrate to Australia via AHPRA or RACGP PEP pathways and the Subclass 482 visa

Once your nomination has been lodged, you can apply for your visa as well. For that, you need to log in/sign up on to your VEVO account on the Immigration website.

<p>Answer No-one can guarantee that they will be able to have a result back from Immigration in any given time, this process is unpredictable. However, you’ll have the guarantee of having everything inputted correctly. Also, in the case that there is a delay, then the immigration lawyer will have the opportunity and knowledge to contact [&hellip;]</p>