The Australian Government has introduced a new visa requirement for overseas trained doctors, requiring them to work in regional, rural and remote areas.
Some doctors requiring a visa to work in Australia must ensure that their employer-sponsor has included a Health Workforce Certificate issued by a Rural Workforce Agency in the sponsorship application. A Health Workforce Certificate issued by a Rural Workforce Agency where an advertised position responds to genuine workforce need. A visa will not be granted by the Department of Home Affairs without this certificate. The onus is on employer-sponsors to obtain the relevant documents.
This new measure is intended to manage the growth in Australian medical workforce. There has been an increase in the number of locally trained medical graduates and a high steady rate of overseas trained doctors. It is intended that this new visa application process will direct more doctors into areas that have lower access to primary healthcare services. The initiative will reduce the number of overseas trained doctors in capital cities by approximately 200 per year, over four years.
The Chief Executive Officer of Rural Health West, Tim Shackleton, said the new requirements would ensure better distribution of doctors across the country. Rural West Health is an agency which may issue a Health Workforce Certificate.
For further information, please read the Department of Health Guidelines on the Visas for GPs initiative.