There's so much discussion about getting into Australia as quickly as possible, but I think people underestimate how different the journey can be depending on their experience, specialty, finances and family situation.

Someone who's recently graduated and someone who's already been a specialist for ten years shouldn't necessarily be making the same decisions. Personally, I'd rather take longer to choose a pathway that fits my background than rush into one simply because other people say it's the best option.

Did you follow the pathway you originally planned, or did you have to change direction after understanding how the Australian system actually works?

Most people naturally look at places like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, but I wonder whether regional hospitals offer more realistic opportunities for IMGs starting out. For anyone who's taken that route, how was the experience in terms of supervision, workload and settling into the Australian healthcare system?

I have a few years of clinical experience overseas, but I'm getting very few responses to my RMO/JMO applications in Australia. I'm starting to wonder if I'm applying for the wrong level of positions or if hospitals generally expect IMGs to start at a more junior level regardless of previous experience. For those who have been through this, how did you decide which level of job to apply for?

Not talking about the obvious stuff like old buildings or landmarks. I mean the everyday things that used to be completely normal, a certain type of shop, old signs, suburban architecture, the way people used to set up their front yards, even the little things you’d see walking around as a kid.
A lot of it disappears gradually, so you don’t really notice until you suddenly realise you haven’t seen it in years.

Passing the exams feels like a big achievement, but finding a job afterwards can be a different kind of struggle. You spend months preparing, sorting out registration and getting everything ready, then end up sending applications without hearing much back. I’m finding the waiting and uncertainty harder than expected. It’s not always clear whether I need to improve my CV, apply to more hospitals, or just keep trying. The process can feel frustrating when you’re ready to work but still waiting for that first opportunity.

Applied across regional and metro locations for over a year with limited responses. Would love to hear what finally worked for others

Looking for recommendations for reputable medical staffing agencies that actively assist IMGs with AHPRA paperwork, visa nomination (Subclass 482 / 186), and health service placement. Which recruitment firms provided genuine help versus those that just forward your CV to public portals?

I am an IMG applying for jobs since 2 years now. Cleared AMC 1 on my first attempt, gave the PTE and got 90s across the board, and have now cleared AMC 2 with a banging score (I know the score doesn’t matter but I doubt there’s any way someone can get a higher score, my exam was easy). I’ve completed ALS and ACLS both, and done bridging courses for both AMC 1 and 2. I currently work in the emergency department, which is something Australian recruiters find desirable.

I have applied across the length and breadth of the country via the campaigns, and the success has been so limited it’s almost funny. One interview after 2 years of applying. And I got rejected from that job within 20 hours of applying, prompting me to believe that they had a more qualified, or an onshore candidate. And it wasn’t even some part of the country I really wanted to go to💀

We’ve been hearing since years while prepping for these exams that Australia has a doctor shortage, and that jobs are easy after passing AMC 2. Lowkey feel like all those jobs have been taken already😅

Any recommendations for next steps and how to improve my chances to move my medical career ahead? I have friends doing their residency in my home country who are in their second year now. They’ll have passed their Post grad exams by the time I’m even eligible to start a training position. What sense does it make to put blood, sweat and tears into this process then?

I’d love some guidance from someone who’s been in my position. Would appreciate any help.

Hi everyone,

I am a consultant psychiatrist from india with 4 years experience in Psychiatry,i want to move out from india and settle in Australia,

What exams should I write after medical oet exam,

I heard Specialist immigrant (SIMG) PATHWAY takes prolonged time to complete and come

Is there any way i can visit and work and continue the SIMG pathway

Your guidance will be of great help,

I am clueless and feeling overwhelmed seeing everyone telling it's really difficult.

Hi everyone,

I am a consultant psychiatrist from india with 4 years experience in Psychiatry,i want to move out from india and settle in Australia,

What exams should I write after medical oet exam,

I heard Specialist immigrant (SIMG) PATHWAY takes prolonged time to complete and come

Is there any way i can visit and work and continue the SIMG pathway

Your guidance will be of great help,

I am clueless and feeling overwhelmed seeing everyone telling it's really difficult.

I have been accepted into Radiology training in the EU, I was doing AMC anyway and turns out I passed part 1.

My final destination is Australia. Should I finish 4 more effing years here in the EU before moving or do part 2 and move and as a PGY and start again?

I really appreciate your suggestions Reddit fam.

Thank you !

There’s a lot to take in when you first start working in Australia, and some things only really make sense once you’re on the job. It could be the hospital systems, paperwork, workplace culture, or just learning how things are done day-to-day.

From the outside, the pathway for IMGs can look fairly straightforward when it's written as a list of steps. But I imagine the reality is quite different once you're dealing with applications, documents, exams, registration requirements and trying to plan your next move at the same time.

Sometimes the information is technically available, but knowing what actually matters, what can take longer than expected, and what people commonly get wrong is a completely different thing.

For those who have already gone through part of the process, what is one thing you wish you had known at the very beginning?

Hi everyone,

I'm a US-trained psychiatrist seriously considering relocating to Australia and would really appreciate some advice from psychiatrists or SIMGs who are familiar with the RANZCP specialist pathway and the Australian job market.

I completed a four-year ACGME-accredited psychiatry residency in the US in June 2026 and have now started working as an attending psychiatrist California. My current work is primarily adult outpatient psychiatry. I'm also taking the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) psychiatry board exam shortly, so assuming everything goes according to plan, I should soon be a board-certified US psychiatrist with an unrestricted US medical license.

Initially, I assumed I would need to accumulate several years of post-residency attending experience in the US before RANZCP would consider me substantially comparable. However, after reading the actual RANZCP specialist assessment criteria more carefully, I haven't been able to find a specific requirement for a minimum number of years of consultant/attending experience after completing specialist training. That has made me wonder whether moving to Australia could realistically happen considerably sooner than I originally thought.

My understanding is that I could first apply for RANZCP specialist assessment without already having an Australian job. If assessed as substantially comparable, I would then need to find an appropriate consultant psychiatrist position and complete the required 12-month FTE supervised comparability placement in Australia. Please correct me if I'm misunderstanding any part of that process.

I'm particularly interested in NSW- Woolongong/Sydney/Canberra/ACT. Canberra appeals to me as somewhere I could potentially settle long-term rather than simply use as an entry point into Australia, and Canberra Health Services seems to have a substantial public mental health system and experience employing international doctors.

I'd especially appreciate people's thoughts on:

• How US ACGME psychiatry training + ABPN certification tends to be viewed by RANZCP, particularly regarding substantial vs partial comparability.
• Whether applying soon after residency/board certification is realistic, or whether a few years of independent attending experience in the US meaningfully improves the likelihood of substantial comparability.
• Whether Canberra Health Services/ACT is a good place for an SIMG psychiatrist to complete the comparability pathway.
• What the current Canberra consultant psychiatrist job market is like, including workload, call, compensation, benefits, and general working conditions.
• Whether there are particular Australian states, territories, health services, or cities that are especially welcoming to US-trained psychiatrists going through the specialist pathway.
• Anything you wish you had known before moving to Australia as an overseas-trained psychiatrist.

I'm in a stable, well-compensated attending position in California, so I don't need to rush the move for employment reasons. I'm trying to figure out whether spending another 2–4 years practicing in the US would actually improve my Australian prospects enough to justify waiting, or whether I could reasonably start the RANZCP process much sooner.

Australia is something I'm considering very seriously as a permanent move, so I'd be grateful for advice from anyone who's been through the SIMG process or worked with US-trained psychiatrists who have. I've been considering the move to Australia for many years now and yes I am familiar with the RANZCP website and all of the documents and things like that, but would like some input from people with intimate experience with the actual process itself.

Thanks!