APHRA slashes processing time in a bid to get overseas doctors to Australia

AHPRA, the registration board for health practitioners in Australia, has this week announced some exciting changes to their process to speed up the process of granting international applicants their registration. They’re now estimating that an application could be approved in as little as seven days!

Like many countries around the world, Australia is suffering from shortages of candidates in lots of industries, but in particular within medicine. Up until now, the process to bring overseas doctors into the country has been long, complex, and frustrating (although our service helps out international doctors to navigate all of the common pitfalls and challenges!).

Recognising how vital overseas trained doctors are to the Australian healthcare system, AHPRA has made some changes to their process in order to try and streamline this process. While countries around the world are clamouring to be the destination for skilled migrants, it’s fantastic that the Australian authorities have realised the need to be competitive and welcoming to International Medical Graduates.

International healthcare workers are critical to the running of the Australian system with approximately half of all registered practitioners (across all disciplines) having been born outside of Australia. The number of International Medical Graduates applying to work in Australia has bounced back to pre-pandemic levels with a 41% increase in last year alone. The health workforce as a whole is now 14.5% larger than it was pre-COVID.

And yet, the process of gaining registration can be confusing and difficult to follow. According to AHPRA, around 60% of applications submitted for registration are missing some critical information they require in order to process it.

This is why it’s a great idea to use an agency who is familiar with the registration process to assist you in your application as we can make sure your application is complete and correct the first time.

AHPRA has taken steps to adjust how they approach these applications, put more case officers on the front line to manage the process, and stepped up their coordination with employers. All of these steps will, they say, drop the average processing time from around 4-6 weeks to 7 days.

So, if you’ve ever considered the move to Australia, now is the perfect time to do so. Let us help you through the process, just get in touch today and we can get things underway for you!