I'm working as a NON-VR GP in Australia and I just got my PR- what do I do now?

This is a FAQ BLOG and you can refer to our Pathways to GP Fellowship in Australia blog here.

Step 1 – Stop Working Immediately!

Medicare advises that the day you get your PR, you should stop work by 5pm that day and contact them right away to advise your residency status has changed.

To access Medicare benefits as a Permanent Resident or Australian Citizen before you get your fellowship, you’re required to be on an approved 3GA program.

Having access to Medicare Benefits means you have the ability to bulk bill your patients, and/or for your patients to claim a rebate back from Medicare. Patients in Australia are accustomed to having the ability to gain a rebate and if you’re in a bulk billing clinic, this is very important!

If you continue working, you will be required to pay back the money that you’ve earned from 5pm on the day you got PR. You’ll be responsible for 50% of that money—Medicare will also chase your clinic for the other half of it.

Note: Having access to Medicare Benefits is not essential—patients can pay you a private fee without the expectation of getting a rebate, however; this would need to be explained to them.

Step 2 – Apply for a 3GA Program

To gain access to Medicare again, you will need to apply for and be approved on a 3GA program and wait until Medicare processes the changes. This can take up to 4 – 6 weeks depending on what program you’re applying for.

The 3GA programs that you can apply for are the ACRRM Independent Pathway, Rural Generalist Training Scheme (RGTS), Australian General Practice Training Programs (AGPT), Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS), RACGP Fellowship Support Program (FSP), Pre-Fellowship Program (PFP), and After Hours Medical Deputising Services (AMDS).

If you’re applying for AGPT, RVTS, RACGP FSP, or ACRRM Independent Pathway, there are only certain times throughout the year that you can apply so it’s really important to be aware of these.

The most important piece of advice I can give is to be prepared and understand your restrictions. There is more information about 19AA & The 3GA Programs here.

As always, if you need help then please comment or contact our team!

Note: The information presented above has been gathered from the Department of Health website and has been updated as of 2023-10-03.

We Can Help You

Here at People Medical Consulting, we have a passion for guiding medical practitioners through their career pathways to Australia. We have extensive experience in assisting medical facilities in recruiting doctors from local and overseas who will best suit their requirements.

We provide Document Assistance for those requiring support for their PESCI with IME, ACRRM or RACGP, registration and all other mandatory AHPRA requirements, fellowship program related forms and letters, application for Medicare provider and prescriber numbers, application for 19AB or 19AA exemptions and preparation of employment documents.

If you’re looking for assistance, contact us at help@peoplemedical.com.au and we would be glad to help you.

Information from this blog has been taken directly from: