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Half of overseas-trained GPs using expedited pathway
An evaluation found 419 GPs had applications granted by the end of 2025, with 11% of those working in rural and remote areas.
From October 2024 to December 2025, 419 overseas-trained GPs had their expedited pathway application granted.
Almost half of all overseas-trained GPs applying for specialist registration in Australia used the new expedited pathway program in 2025, a new evaluation reveals.
Amid RACGP concerns, the expedited pathway opened in October 2024 to fast-track registration of eligible Specialist International Medical Graduates (SIMGs).
From October 2024 to December 2025, 476 applications for the pathway were granted, including 419 GPs, and 46 SIMGs have completed the pathway’s requirements and received unconditional registration.
Four out of five applications were finalised within six weeks, with the estimated cost being around $8000.
The evaluation found 88% of participants are undertaking supervised practice in Distribution Priority Areas (DPA) and Districts of Workforce Shortage, with 11% working in rural and remote areas.
‘Early evidence indicates that increased SIMG supply is being absorbed within existing workforce distribution patterns,’ it said.
‘While workforce distribution is shaped through broader health workforce policy settings and sits outside the [Medical Board of Australia’s (MBA)] remit, early results indicate that the pathway is proving effective at improving workforce supply.’
But RACGP Rural Chair Associate Professor Michael Clements said this points to broader issues with the DPA system, saying it has ‘failed rural and remote Australians’.
‘The problem is that our DPA system is not fit for purpose anymore, and that’s meant that nine out of 10 of these doctors under this pathway have gone to cities when the rural communities are screaming for GPs,’ he told newsGP.
‘While I acknowledge the efforts and the work that the MBA’s put into speeding up this process, we’re still talking small numbers.
‘We’d still like to see reform in the areas of Medicare provider numbers being sped up, the visa process, all the other steps that are required to get a doctor to where they’re needed.’
Associate Professor Clements added that ‘a lot of our doctors coming under the expedited pathway are settling down in cities and driving a short distance to the MMM 2 region or staying in the cities in these DPA areas’.
‘We’re seeing reports from some of these expedited pathway doctors of not having full books and not actually seeing many patients per day because they’ve been recruited in by big companies in large numbers,’ he said.
‘It’s very heartbreaking as a rural advocate when I know my rural communities that I support myself, and my colleagues support, are screaming out for even one doctor.’
The evaluation revealed 90% of stakeholders would recommend the pathway to other SIMGs, and 82% reported a positive overall experience.
In a separate consultation report, it concludes ‘the pathway appears to be working as intended’.
‘However, the evidence also suggests that clearer communication about the pathway’s purpose and clearer guidance materials would improve consistency and confidence across the sector,’ it said.
‘Future considerations include maintaining the SIMG case officer model, strengthening support for supervisors, and providing more structured orientation to the Australian health system.
‘Stakeholders also strongly recommended more granular data on specialty, location, and workforce outcomes to support planning, monitor distribution effects, and assess whether the pathway is meeting broader health system needs.’
Moving forward, the evaluation made three recommendations:
- MBA and AHPRA to improve guidance for SIMGs and employers, including advice on sourcing specialty-specific international evidence and documentation, anticipated end-to-end costs and timeframes for SIMGs
- Government to consider developing a centralised workshop-style interactive orientation for SIMGs in addition to the current site-specific orientation, providing broad orientation to the Australian medical system
- MBA and AHPRA to continue promotion of the existing ‘well regarded’ online Medical Board supervisor resources modules
MBA Chair Dr Susan O’Dwyer welcomed the evaluation’s findings.
‘Ministers set a high bar for us to introduce the expedited specialist pathway and timelines were tight,’ she said.
‘We’re grateful to our stakeholders for working with us on this important reform, which is improving access to specialist medical services for communities across Australia.’
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