How to get an Australia PR Visa as a Healthcare Professionals?

Did you know that Australia requires more than 100,000 healthcare workers in 2025? With a growing aging population and rising healthcare needs, the nation is actively recruiting skilled health professionals to address immediate shortages. 

It provides medical professionals, doctors, nurses, and other medical workers a fantastic opportunity to gain permanent residency (PR) in Australia.

If you are one such medical professional looking to start a rewarding career in Australia, this article will walk you through the step-by-step process of acquiring an Australian PR Visa.

Why immigrate to Australia as a healthcare professionals? 

Before stepping into the Australia PR Visa process, here's why Australia is a place of choice for health professionals to be:

1. High demand: With 100,000+ job vacancies in 2025, healthcare professionals face humongous demand.
2. Alluring compensation: High salary and other perks, i.e., relocation allowances.
3. Work-life balance: Flexible working hours and excellent working conditions.
4. Residency permit benefit: Medicare, subsidized education, and other social benefits.
5. Permanent residency pathway: PR individuals can apply for Australian citizenship upon fulfilling residence requirements.

Steps to get an Australia PR visa as a healthcare professionals

To successfully get an Australia PR visa as a healthcare professional, a candidate should follow the following steps: 

Step 1: Select the suitable PR visa route

Healthcare professionals are qualified to apply for PR under the following visa streams:

1. Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189) – This visa does not have state or employer sponsorship. It best suits top-level medical professionals with excellent points under the General Skilled Migration (GSM) stream.
2. Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190) – State or territory nomination is required. Certain states actively nominate doctors and other medical practitioners to fill gaps in their public health systems.
3. Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491) – A temporary visa on a transition pathway to PR. It is nominated by a state/territory or sponsored by a relative in a nominated regional area.
4. Employer-Sponsored Visas (Subclass 186 & 482) – If you get a job through an Australian employer, you may be eligible for an employer-sponsored visa, which can lead to PR.

Step 2: Verify your occupation on the skilled occupation list

To be eligible for PR, your occupation must be on Australia's skilled occupation Llist (SOL) or medium and long-term strategic skills list (MLTSSL). In-demand healthcare professionals are:

1. General practitioner (ANZSCO 253111)
2. Registered nurse (ANZSCO 254499)
3. Medical laboratory scientist (ANZSCO 234611)
4. Physiotherapist (ANZSCO 252511)
5. Occupational therapist (ANZSCO 252411)
6. Dentist (ANZSCO 252312)

The complete list can be verified on the Department of Home Affairs website.

Step 3: Get your skills assessed

Healthcare professionals have to get a Skills assessment in Australia from the corresponding assessing authority:

1. Medical practitioners – Australian Medical Council (AMC)
2. Nurses & Midwives – Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC)
3. Physiotherapists – Australian Physiotherapy Council (APC)
4. Dentists – Australian Dental Council (ADC)
5. Medical Laboratory Scientists – Australian Institute of Medical and Clinical Scientists (AIMS)

They all differ in requirements like qualification verification, examination, and evidence of work experience.

Step 4: Meet English language requirements

Applicants need to demonstrate their English language proficiency by sitting an approved language test. The scores required differ depending on occupation:

1. IELTS – Minimum 7.0 in all sections for doctors and nurses
2. PTE Academic – Equivalent scores accepted
3. OET (Occupational English Test) – Healthcare professionals' preference

A good English score adds to PR eligibility.

Step 5: Estimate your PR points

Australia employs a points system for permanent residency, and applicants must have a minimum of 65 points. Points are awarded based on:

1. Age: Up to 30 points for 25-32 years
2. English proficiency: The higher the English score, the more points
3. Work experience: Australian work experience and international work experience receive points
4. Education: Bachelor, Master, and Ph.D. degrees receive points
5. State nomination: 5 points for Subclass 190 and 15 points for Subclass 491
6. Partner skills: If the spouse/partner whom you are taking with you possesses skills that may be transferred to the profession you are applying to and he/she is English proficient, you accumulate more points

The applicant can apply using the Points Calculator on the Home Affairs website.

Step 6: Lodge an expression of interest (EOI) in skillselect

After meeting the requirements, applicants must lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) via skillselect, Australia's online migration platform.

1. Select visa stream (Subclass 189, 190, or 491)
2. Enter desired state or territory (in the case of Subclass 190 and 491)
3. Enter the qualifications, experience, and English test score
4. Wait for an Invitation to Apply (ITA) from the Australian government
5. The best-ranked applicants are invited based on points ranking.

Step 7: Apply for the PR visa

Once they receive an invitation to apply (ITA), the recipients will have 60 days to submit their PR visa application. The following are the supporting documents:

1. Recent passport
2. Report of skills assessment
3. English results
4. Work documents
5. Police record check
6. Report of health checks

Depending on the visa class, processing may take between 6 and 12 months.

Step 8: Receive your visa grant and move to Australia

Once approved, candidates are issued with a PR Visa Grant Notification. They must arrive in Australia before the first entry date specified in the visa grant letter.

As a Permanent Resident, one can:

1. Live, work, and study in Australia indefinitely
2. Access Medicare (public health benefits)
3. Participate in subsidized education programs
4. Travel unrestricted in and out of Australia
5. Apply for Australian citizenship after gaining residency requirements

Alternative PR pathway for healthcare professionals 

If job offers are present in Australia, the following options can be applied for:

1. Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) PR
2. Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa (Subclass 482) → PR Stream
3. Regional Employer-Sponsored Visa (Subclass 494)
4. Numerous hospitals and healthcare institutions sponsor skilled workers, streamlining PR applications.

Conclusion

With 100,000+ medical job vacancies pending in 2025, Australia offers medical staff an excellent opportunity to gain Permanent Residency.

Medical staff can gain PR quickly and build a successful career in Australia by selecting the correct PR visa, qualifying under the proper requirements, and lodging a compelling application.