Resources for internationally qualified health professionals
Moving to Australia: a guide for health professionals
This guide provides general settlement information and links to relevant resources to help internationally qualified health professionals and their families settle into Australian life.
This information is intended for:
- Internationally qualified health professionals across all health professions who wish to learn more about living and working in Australia, or who have decided to move to Australia
- Family members of internationally qualified health professionals
- Local health employers who are recruiting, or want to recruit, internationally qualified health professionals
Access the Checklist for planning your move.
The information in this guide is current as of June 2026.
How to work as a medical practitioner in Australia
This series of guides is for international medical graduates (IMGs) who received their medical qualification from a country other than Australia or New Zealand and want to understand the key steps to becoming registered and eligible to work in Australia. It is relevant to those already living in Australia as well as those undertaking the process from overseas.
There are 4 different pathways to registration and practice in Australia for IMGs:
- Standard pathway
- Competent Authority pathway,
- Specialist pathway
- Expedited Specialist pathway.
To find the right pathway for you, use the Medical Board’s self-assessment tool.
The information in this series is current as of June 2026.
Standard pathway
The Standard pathway is for those who are not eligible for the Competent Authority or Specialist pathway.
This pathway leads to general registration.
Competent Authority pathway
The Competent Authority pathway is for those who have been assessed by, and practised in, a competent authority overseas.
This pathway leads to general registration.
Specialist pathway
The Specialist pathway is for those with an international specialist medical qualification that is not on the Medical Board of Australia’s Expedited Specialist pathway: accepted qualification list.
This pathway leads to specialist registration.
Expedited Specialist pathway
The Expedited Specialist pathway is for those with an international specialist medical qualification on the Medical Board’s Expedited Specialist pathway: accepted qualification list.
This pathway leads to specialist registration.
How to work as a nurse or midwife in Australia: a step-by-step guide (all streams and pathways)
This guide is for international nursing and midwifery graduates who received their primary qualification from a country other than Australia or New Zealand and want to understand the key steps to becoming registered and eligible to work in Australia. It is relevant to those already living in Australia as well as those undertaking the process from overseas.
The information in this guide is current as of June 2026.
Working in Australia: an orientation to the health system
This suite of 22 online learning units has been developed to provide internationally qualified health professionals with a foundational understanding of the Australian health system when they start work in Australia.
Resources for employers of internationally qualified health professionals
International Recruitment Toolkit for Health Employers
This International Recruitment Toolkit for Health Employers is designed to help employers in the healthcare sector to confidently and efficiently recruit and retain internationally qualified health professionals.
The intended audience comprises Australian health employers involved in the recruitment and retention of internationally qualified health professionals across:
- public and private systems
- hospital, private practices and community health settings
- all states and territories
- all health professions, including medical, nursing, midwifery and allied health
The following checklists are included in the toolkit:
- Pre-recruitment checklist for hiring managers considering international candidates
- International recruit employment checklist for managers
- Developing a welcome pack for international recruits
- International engagement and retention checklist
- International recruitment monitoring and evaluation checklist
The information in this toolkit is current as of July 2026.
Background and contact
These resources were developed by the Health Workforce Taskforce to address the recommendations of the Final Report of the Independent Review of Health Practitioner Regulatory Settings led by Ms Robyn Kruk AO in 2023.
