FSP and PFP: Can a nonVR GP move onto PFP After Being on FSP? An FAQ
The question we hear most is simple: If I have been on FSP, can I move to PFP?
No. PFP after FSP is not an option. Once you are enrolled in FSP, you have already reached the college-led stage that PFP is designed to lead into. There is no mechanism to move backward from FSP into PFP.
What is PFP?
The Pre-Fellowship Program helps non-vocationally registered (non-VR) doctors gain general practice experience in Distribution Priority Areas before they join a college-led GP training pathway.
It is administered by Rural Workforce Agencies (RWAs), not by the RACGP as a Fellowship program. Participants are expected to show ongoing progress toward Fellowship, including applying to a college-led program at least once a year.
PFP is a preparation and placement framework. It is not itself the college training pathway.
What is FSP?
The Fellowship Support Program is a self-funded RACGP education and training program. It supports non-VR doctors on a structured, college-led journey to Fellowship. Registrars work in accredited training practices under supervision.
FSP is the stage after a doctor is ready to enter a college program. That is why leaving PFP to join FSP is a forward step — and why returning from FSP to PFP is not available.
Can I access PFP after FSP?
No. This is a clear rule. Once a doctor has been on a college-led Fellowship program such as FSP, they are not eligible to enrol in PFP.
Plan the sequence in one direction: PFP (if you need it) → college-led program (FSP or equivalent) → Fellowship. Do not assume you can use PFP as a fallback after FSP has started.
What about PEP — does that work differently?
PEP Standard — the onshore self-directed stream — was discontinued when government funding ended on 30 June 2023. It is closed to new applicants.
PEP Specialist (for specialist international medical graduates) remains active.
Doctors who did not complete PEP Standard may move to FSP instead. That is a forward step toward Fellowship, not a move back to PFP.
Does PFP have a fixed intake date?
No. There is no single national start date or intake round. Applications are assessed on a rolling basis through your Rural Workforce Agency.
As a rough guide, allow about two to three months end to end:
The RWA typically assesses a complete application within about 28 days
Submitting a Plan for Professional Development and Re-entry to Practice to AHPRA (where applicable) adds processing time
You apply for a Medicare provider number once the placement is approved
Build in extra time. Incomplete documents are a common cause of delay.
Can a doctor with AHPRA general registration work as a non-VR GP on a temporary visa without PFP or FSP?
AHPRA registration and Medicare eligibility are separate.
General registration removes AHPRA’s supervision requirement. Medicare access for a temporary resident is governed by Section 19AB (the 10-year moratorium), not by the 3GA / Section 19AA training-placement pathway.
A temporary-resident doctor with general registration can obtain a standard Medicare provider number via a 19AB exemption, typically by working in a current Distribution Priority Area. They do not have to be enrolled in PFP or FSP to do that.
Section 3GA / 19AA becomes relevant later if they become a permanent resident or citizen without Fellowship. Even when AHPRA supervision is not mandatory, practices should still provide structured clinical support as best practice.
Who can work non-VR without a 3GA program — and who can bill Medicare?
Doctor status | Work in GP without a 3GA Fellowship training program? | Medicare provider number? |
Australian citizen / permanent resident | No | No — blocked by Section 19AA unless on an approved 3GA placement or already vocationally registered |
Temporary resident visa | Yes | Yes — subject to Section 19AB / DPA exemption |
In short: general-registration GPs can work in general practice without being on a 3GA Fellowship program. Citizens and permanent residents in that situation usually cannot bill Medicare (Section 19AA). Temporary visa holders are not blocked by 19AA in the same way; they can bill Medicare if they meet 19AB location rules (usually DPA).
What about A7 billing (80%) for non-VR doctors?
A7 (80%) item eligibility applies because the doctor is non-VR, not because of visa status. DPA restriction is a separate 19AB condition. There is no special “temporary” provider number — just a standard number with location, program and visa-linked conditions that stack together.
Practical takeaways
Do not plan to use PFP after FSP. The door does not open backward.
Use PFP if you are a non-VR doctor who still needs DPA experience before a college-led program.
If you already qualify for FSP (or PEP Specialist), move forward on that pathway.
Temporary-visa doctors with general registration may have a 19AB/DPA Medicare route that does not require PFP or FSP.
Citizens and PRs without Fellowship generally need a 3GA program (or private billing only) to work in GP.
Confirm current rules with your RWA, RACGP, Services Australia and AHPRA — funding and eligibility change.
How Doctor Connect Helps
These pathways sit across RWAs, RACGP, AHPRA and Medicare. Mixing them up costs months. Doctor Connect helps doctors and practices work out which stage you are actually on, whether PFP, FSP, PEP Specialist or a 19AB DPA placement is the right next step, and how provider numbers fit the visa and registration you hold.
Unsure whether PFP, FSP or a 19AB DPA role applies to you?
Email info@doctorconnect.health or contact the Doctor Connect team. We will help you map the correct sequence rather than a step you cannot take.
