Migration (Removal of health workforce certificate requirements) Amendment Instrument (LIN 23/065) 2023 dated 13 September 2023 amends the Migration (LIN 19/047: Specification of Occupations—Subclass 187 Visa) Instrument 2019 and the Migration (LIN 19/049: Specification of Occupations and Assessing Authorities—Subclass 186 Visa) Instrument 2019 to remove the requirement for employers to provide a health workforce certificate for certain occupations for subclass 186 visa applications.
The purpose of this instrument is to remove health workforce certificate requirements. The applicants for a subclass 186 visa in the DE stream at the time of decision must certify certain criteria. One of such criteria states that an applicant’s skills must be assessed as suitable for the applicant’s nominated occupation by an assessing authority specified by the Minister in a legislative instrument as the assessing authority for that occupation (Subclause 186.234(2)(a) of Schedule 2 to the Regulations). As per the abovementioned power, the Minister in LIN 19/047 and LIN 19/049 specified a requirement that a health workforce certificate (HWC) from a health workforce certifier be provided when an employer nominates a position in certain medical occupations. In LIN 19/047, these medical occupations were
- general practitioner (ANZSCO code: 253111);
- resident medical officer (ANZSCO code: 253112); and
- medical practitioners (nec) (ANZSCO code: 253999)
In LIN 19/049, these were
- general practitioner and
- medical practitioners (nec).
HWX program was introduced to manage the growth of overseas trained doctors entering primary care in well-serviced major capital cities and metropolitan areas, however, considering the widespread shortages of doctors in Australia, the measure is no longer required. The Minister for Health and Aged Care and Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs have agreed to end the program, and as such the HWC is no longer required.
The amendments made by this instrument enable employers to nominate a position in Australia which identifies a medical occupation, in relation to a person seeking to apply for a subclass 186 or a subclass 187 visa in the TRT stream or DE stream, without being required to provide a HWC.
The instrument is registered on the Federal Register of Legislation on 15 September 2023 and commences on 16 September 2023.
To access the instrument, click here.
