Competent Authority pathway

IMGs seeking general registration in Australia.

An international authority the Medical Board has decided is competent to assess the applied medical knowledge and basic clinical skills of IMGs.

The Medical Board-approved competent authorities are:

• General Medical Council, United Kingdom (PLAB test and graduates of GMC-accredited medical courses)
• Medical Council of Canada (LMCC)
• Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates of the United States (USMLE)
• Medical Council of New Zealand (NZREX)
• Medical Council of Ireland (graduates of MCI-accredited medical courses)
• National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (USA) (COMLEX-USA)

All IMGs must have a primary qualification in medicine and surgery awarded by a training institution recognised by both the AMC and the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS).

To be eligible for the Competent Authority pathway, IMGs must meet the criteria of one of the seven competent authority categories, having completed both the prescribed assessment component (a medical course or exam) and the experience component.

University medical courses completed by IMGs must be accredited by the relevant competent authority and undertaken and completed in either the competent authority country or be a course on the Board’s list of eligible offshore courses. There are offshore courses for competent authority categories B and F, see More information below.

The competent authority must have approved the experience component which must have been undertaken and completed in that competent authority country.

Eligible specialist IMGs who the meet the requirements for the Specialist pathway or the Expedited Specialist pathway can also meet the requirements for the Competent Authority pathway concurrently.

• Medical Board - Requirements for eligibility for competent authority pathway - updated October 2024 (PDF 208KB)
• Medical Board - Requirements for eligibility for competent authority pathway - updated October 2024 (DOCX 147KB)

Category C (Canada) has been updated - for applications received from 11 November 2024. See the news item for more information.

Notes

1. Eligibility for the Competent Authority pathway requires both a qualification (category B and F) or assessment component (category A, C, D, E, G) as well as prescribed post-examination or post-training experience. Applicants are not eligible for this pathway unless they have also completed the prescribed post-examination or post-training experience.
2. To meet the criteria for eligibility for the Competent Authority pathway, experience in another competent authority country can be substituted for the post-examination or post training experience.

The Board will accept an application from an IMG who has completed a medical program or assessment from one category and the experience component from another category. When an applicant has completed the experience component from a different category, the experience component completed must be exactly as defined in that category and approved by the competent authority of the country in which it was completed.

For example:

Completion of the LMCC (Category C) AND 12 months of supervised training (internship equivalent) in the UK (category A or B). In this case, the experience component is approved by the General Medical Council in the UK, not by the Medical Council of Canada.

Completion of the LMCC (Category C) AND successful completion of a minimum of two years of graduate medical education within a residency program accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education.

Australian experience

• To meet the criteria for eligibility for the Competent Authority pathway, Australian clinical experience can be substituted for the post-examination or post training experience.
• This period of practice in Australia may also be accepted as meeting the requirements for the 12-month period of supervised practice required to gain general registration via the Competent Authority pathway.

This pathway leads to general registration.

IMGs on the Competent Authority pathway need to apply for provisional registration so they can complete a period of supervised practice.

When the IMG has satisfactorily completed 12 months of supervised practice (minimum of 47 weeks of full-time equivalent (FTE) practice), they can apply for general registration.

• Apply to the AMC for primary source verification (PSV) of your primary (and specialist if relevant) medical qualifications. The AMC use ECFMG verification services.
• Apply to the ECFMG to establish an EPIC/MyIntealth account for verification of your qualifications.
• Secure a suitable position in Australia. This can be an ‘area of need’ position.
• If you will be working in general practice and are not concurrently applying for a general practice assessment on the Specialist pathway, you need to undertake a pre-employment structured clinical interview (PESCI). See the PESCI page for more information.
• Apply to the Medical Board for provisional registration. The Board must approve the position you have secured and your proposed supervision arrangements.

• You can start practising when the Board has granted you provisional registration.
• Complete an orientation to the Australian health system.
• After three months of practice, submit orientation and work performance reports (see Supervision arrangements and forms below).
• Satisfactorily complete 12 months of supervised practice (47 weeks FTE).
• Apply to the Medical Board for general registration. IMGs with provisional registration who are approaching the completion of their 12 months of supervised practice can apply online for general registration.

There are different fees charged by different organisations for different purposes.

• The AMC charges a fee to establish an AMC candidate account for you, so that it can arrange primary source verification (PSV) of your qualifications. Contact the AMC for fee information.
• ECFMG charge a fee for the EPIC PSV service. Contact the ECFMG for more information about fees.
• Ahpra and the Medical Board charge an application fee and a registration fee for provisional registration. See the Medical Board fees page for more information.
• CPD homes charge a joining fee. See the relevant CPD home for fees.

You can apply for registration online in the Ahpra portal.

Some requests and reporting associated with applications for registration still need to be made on a PDF form. Download the relevant form and once completed, log in to your Ahpra practitioner portal and upload it.

Application for provisional registration

• Application for provisional registration as a medical practitioner - Australian Medical Council certificate holders or applicants via the competent authority pathway can be made through the portal (previously APRI-30).

Application for general registration

• Application for general registration – application for practitioners with current provisional registration can be made through the portal. 

IMGs on the Competent Authority pathway must complete 12 months of supervised practice.

The PDF supervision forms are on the Board’s IMG supervision page.

IMGs will need to submit a supervised practice plan and a declaration form with their application for registration and nominate a supervisor who the Board will need to approve.

• Supervised practice plan and supervisor's agreement for IMGs with limited or provisional registration - SPPA-30
• Declaration form (application) - DFLP-00

Your supervisor must complete the Declaration form - DFLP-00

Both SPPA-30 and the Declaration form - DFLP-00 must be provided with your application for registration. We recommend you upload them as part of your application, the online form will prompt you when to upload the documents.

Alternatively, if you need to, you can upload them after you’ve submitted your application, to do this click Upload documents in your dashboard in the Ahpra portal.

While you hold provisional registration and are working towards general registration, you and your supervisor will need to complete these reports and provide them to the Board after three months’ practice:

• Orientation report for IMGs with limited or provisional registration - ORIG-30
• Work performance report for IMGs with limited or provisional registration - WRIG-30

See the Guidelines - Supervised practice for international medical graduates on the Board’s IMG supervision page for more detail.

Registration standards define the requirements to apply for registration and for ongoing registration.

See the mandatory registration standards for English language, criminal history, CPD, professional indemnity insurance and recency of practice on the Board’s registration standards page.

If you are on the Competent Authority pathway with provisional registration, you need to have a CPD home and do 50 hours of CPD each calendar year.

You can choose an AMC-accredited CPD home that is suitable for your scope of practice – either a college or non-college CPD home. The CPD homes are listed on the Board’s About CPD homes page.

General information about CPD is on the Board’s CPD page.

Eligible offshore courses for categories B and F

For the Competent Authority pathway categories B and F, the Medical Board will accept applicants who have successfully completed an accredited medical course undertaken in the competent authority country (United Kingdom or Ireland) or undertaken wholly or partially outside the competent authority country. To be eligible for the Competent Authority pathway via a course conducted wholly or partially outside the competent authority country, the course must be on the Board’s list. This list will be reviewed regularly.

• Eligible offshore courses (PDF 171KB)
• Eligible offshore courses (DOCX 104KB)

Evidence requirements

There is additional information for applicants for category A and B:

• Information sheet - How to provide evidence of 'internship equivalent' for the Competent Authority pathway Category A (United Kingdom) (PDF 83KB) 
• Information sheet - How to provide evidence of 'internship equivalent' for the Competent Authority pathway Category A (United Kingdom) (DOCX 78KB)

• Information sheet - Evidence requirements for eligibility for the Competent Authority pathway Category B (United Kingdom) (PDF 109KB)
• Information sheet - Evidence requirements for eligibility for the Competent Authority pathway Category B (United Kingdom) (DOCX 81KB)