GPs who qualified with MRCGP/MICGP post 2007:

GPs who qualified from 2007 onwards will register via the new Expedited pathway.  GPs on this pathway will register directly with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA),  bypassing the protracted process via the Royal Australian College of General Practitions (RACGP).  This Expedited pathway process can take as little as 6 weeks (this is purely for your medical registration and does not include time taken to get your visa and your Medicare provider number). You will not automatically get Fellowship with the RACGP on this pathway, but you can opt to apply for fellowship during the process or once you have begun work.  Crucially this route is only open to GPs with MRCGP/MICGP since 2007.  To check your eligibility with AHPRA visit: who is eligible

GPs who qualified with MRCGP/MICGP by examination prior to 2007:

GPs who qualified prior to 2007 will apply for registration on the PEP Specialist pathway via the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).  This process will take 3 to 6 months, so considerably longer than the Expedited Pathway, but it will lead to full Fellowship as a matter of course.  This is the only route for GPs who qualified and gained MRCGP by examination prior to 2007.

Supervised training on the job:

All GPs registering to work in Australia, regardless of the pathway taken, are required to complete a period of supervised training on the job once they begin work.  The programme varies depending on the pathway taken, but will take approximately 6 months.  On successful completion of this programme you will be granted Specialist Registration/Fellowship depending on the pathway.  This training will not be onerous, but it will provide you with invaluable assistance in settling into the Australian system.  

GPs who did not receive MRCGP by examination:

If you did not receive you MRCGP by examination in the UK, or an equivalent recognised qualification from another country, you will find the process challenging, although not impossible.  You will apply via the PEP Specialist Pathway but your qualifications will be not be deemed’ substantially comparable’ to those of an Australian trained GP and you will be required to sit examinations within your first year of work in Australia.  Your period of on the job supervision – the Practice Experience Programme – will take 12 months to two years to complete.   Should you fall into this category, please talk with us and we will explain the full process.

If you’re uncertain as to which pathway you should be applying for, AHPRA has a handy guide. See – AHPRA’s self assessment tool.