Visas for GPs initiative
The Visas for GPs initiative will manage growth in Australia’s medical workforce by regulating the number of doctors entering Australia to work in the primary healthcare sector through the skilled migration program. The Visas for GPs initiative will commence on 11 March 2019.
All employers nominating a position that will be filled by a doctor who needs a visa to work in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), occupations listed below will be required to obtain certification (a Health Workforce Certificate) from a Rural Workforce Agency (RWA). A Health Workforce Certificate is a letter issued by a RWA confirming the genuine need to fill a primary healthcare position at a given location in Australia by a doctor in the following three occupations:
- General Practitioner (ANZSCO 253111)
- Resident Medical Officer (ANZSCO 253112)
- Medical Practitioners not elsewhere classified (ANZSCO 253999).
Employers will be required to attach a Health Workforce Certificate to their nomination application for any of the following employer sponsored visas:
- Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa
- Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa
- Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visa.
Changes to the nomination forms
When one of the three occupations is selected on any of the TSS, ENS or RSMS nomination forms you will now see a new page appear advising that a caveat applies to the nominated occupation (noting that the name of the occupation that you have selected will appear where ‘Corporate General Manager’ appears in the sample below).
When you click
Add the following pop-up box will appear:
The following list of reasons is available:
- Business turnover more than specified minimum
- Salary more than specified minimum
- Employee numbers more than specified minimum
- Position is not in an exclued location
- Position does not involve low-skilled tasks
- International trade obligation applies
- Other
A specific reason about RWA certification will not be available on the form until later this year, so until that time you will need to select ‘Other’ from the list of reasons.
A box will then appear asking you to give details and you should then enter the following text: 'A Health Workforce Certificate has been issued for this position'.
Attaching the Health Workforce Certificate
Until a full systems solution is delivered later this year, you will not be prompted to attach the Health Workforce Certificate to your application before you submit it. You will need to submit your application and then go straight back into the application in your ImmiAccount and click on
Attach documents.
You will then be taken back to the Attach documents screen where you previously attached ‘Required’ or ‘Recommended’ documents, but you will now see a section allowing you to attach Additional documents.
If you click on Other Documents, the section will expand and give you the opportunity to upload the file. When you complete this section, you should use the description: Health Workforce Certificate and name the file Health Workforce Certificate – <nominee name>
Technical support
If you experience any technical problems when trying to lodge your nomination, you should complete the
technical support form on the Department's website.
