For many overseas-trained Medical Practitioners, the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) (SID) Visa is the key to pursuing a medical career in Australia. This visa provides an opportunity to work for an approved employer, gain valuable Australian experience, and, in some cases, transition to permanent residency.
The SID visa enables Australian employers to sponsor skilled overseas workers in eligible occupations for up to four years at a time, when they are unable to fill a position locally.
Eligibility for this visa depends on meeting a range of professional and migration criteria, including AHPRA registration, English language proficiency, recognition of medical qualifications, and relevant work experience.
Who is considered a Medical Practitioner?
Under the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), medical practitioners are classified under Unit Group 253 – Medical Practitioners.
Occupations within this group generally require:
- A bachelor’s degree or higher qualification;
- At least one year of hospital based training; and
- AHPRA registration (see below).
Certain occupations would require two years of hospital-based training, and at least five years specialist study and training.
Eligible Occupations Include:
|
|
All these occupations are listed on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), making them suitable for SID visa sponsorship.
What is the AHPRA Registration requirement?
Medical practitioners must have their qualifications recognised by the relevant authority in Australia – namely, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) – as entitling them to practise as a medical practitioner, before a SID visa can be granted.
The visa applicant must provide the Department with written evidence that the relevant medical board has recognised their qualifications and that they have been registered, or that they will be given medical registration after visa grant and entry into Australia. For applicants outside Australia, this is typically the “in principle” registration received from AHPRA.
Once the SID 482 visa is granted, that visa will be subject to condition 8607 which requires that the main applicant must obtain any mandatory registration before performing work in their nominated occupation, and that they must do so within 90 days of arriving in Australia.
Applicants that are required to perform a period of supervised practice before being eligible for registration (or require pre-registration testing) should consider alternate visas such as the Training (Subclass 407) visa. This does not apply to professions where provisional registration is granted, while the person undertakes any necessary training in order to gain full registration.
What is the English Language requirement?
AHPRA itself imposes strict English proficiency standards on all applicants. Because AHPRA registration can only be obtained once these standards are met, medical practitioners with current AHPRA registration are ordinarily taken to have satisfied the SID visa’s English requirement, and are not required to undergo any further English testing.
This alignment streamlines the process for doctors who have already undertaken an approved English test (for example, IELTS, OET, or equivalent) for AHPRA registration purposes.
Are Medical Practitioners exempt from the full-time work requirement?
Ordinarily, the SID visa has a legislative requirement that the nominee only be engaged as a full-time employee under a written contract of employment.
However, Medical Practitioners are generally exempt from these requirements – effectively permitting them to work either part-time or full-time, for numerous employers, or as an independent contractor whilst holding a SID visa. We also have a blog here which discusses this further.
Are Medical Practitioners Labour Market Testing exempt?
In a SID nomination application, employers usually need to conduct Labour Market Testing (LMT) to demonstrate their efforts to recruit from the local labour market.
However, medical practitioners (except for General Practitioners and Medical Practitioners nec) are generally exempt from the standard LMT requirement. Instead, the employer may provide a written submission that outlines why a suitably qualified and experienced Australian citizen or permanent resident is not readily available to fill the nominated position. For more information on LMT requirements (including the above exemption), see our article here.
What are the other SID visa requirements?
In addition to the profession-specific criteria, applicants must meet the general SID visa requirements, including:
- The sponsoring employer must be an approved Standard Business Sponsor;
- The nominated occupation must appear on the CSOL;
- The offered salary must meet or exceed the market rate and the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), which is currently $76,515;
- The applicant must have at least one year of relevant work experience; and
All applicants must meet the standard health and character requirements, noting that additional health examinations are generally required from applicants intending to work in a hospital or healthcare setting.
Require assistance?
At Hannan Tew Lawyers, we have significant experience with advising on, preparing and lodging SID visa applications for Medical Practitioners. If you require assistance with such an application, please get in touch with our experienced team by contacting us by email at [email protected] or by phone at +61 3 9016 0484.
You can also subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with the latest in immigration news.
