GP Jobs and Recruitment Assistance Australia

This is a FAQ BLOG and you can refer to our 19AA blog here and 19AB blog here.

Need help understanding your pathway?

Date Updated: 2025-09-12

19AA and 19AB can get very confusing- you may be asking yourself “does this relate to me?”.

So we have prepared a quick summary that you can refer to, for the basics.

19AA and the 3GA programs

19AA requires any Non-Vocationally Registered Australian Permanent Resident or Citizen to be registered on an approved 3GA program before commencing work to gain access to Medicare benefits. This restricts both people born here in Australia and those who have become Australians.

Once you have attained Fellowship, and are recognized as a specialist doctor, this restriction no longer applies.

The 3GA program you join will impact which college you will be eligible to sit Fellowship exams for. The current 3GA programs you can be on to be eligible for RACGP are:

Australian General Practice Training (AGPT)
Fellowship Support Program (FSP)
Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS)
Pre-Fellowship Program (PFP) – Note: This is to prepare doctors for Fellowship by acquiring more GP experience. Whilst it is a 3GA program, it is not a Pathway to Fellowship which means you will need to join an approved training program before being eligible to sit for the Fellowship Exams.

The current 3GA programs you can be on to be eligible for ACRRM are:

ACRRM Independent Pathway
Australian General Practice Training (AGPT)
Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS)
Pre-Fellowship Program (PFP) – Note: This is to prepare doctors for Fellowship by acquiring more GP experience. Whilst it is a 3GA program, it is not a Pathway to Fellowship which means you will need to join an approved training program before being eligible to sit for the Fellowship Exams.

From 2022, 19AA will become redundant as all doctors wanting to be a Fellow of RACGP or ACRRM, regardless of residency status, will be required to be on an approved training program- either ACRRM IP, AGPT, RVTS, or FSP.

19AB and DPA

If you’ve completed your medical degree outside of Australia or New Zealand OR you weren’t an Australian Citizen or permanent resident prior to the commencement of your degree in Australia, you need to work in an area that has been defined by the Department of Health as a “Distribution Priority Area” (DPA) to gain access to Medicare benefits.

You are required to work in a DPA area for a 10 year moratorium, although, the more remote the location you work in, the lower your moratorium period. You can read more about DPA here.

There are a number of exemptions from DPA, including:

Locum Exemption
Replacement Exemption
Spousal Exemption
Prior employment negotiations Exemption
After Hours Exemption
Discretionary Exemption
Academic Exemptions

If you are a Non-VR Permanent Resident or Citizen who also received your medical qualifications outside of Australia or New Zealand, you will be restricted by both 19AA and 19AB.

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 want to talk to someone about your pathway or practice management—book a consultation with us below, or if you need Recruitment or Document Assistance, contact us at help@peoplemedical.com.au or click the buttons below. We’d be glad to help you!

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Information from this blog has been taken directly from:

Related Blogs

19AA

19AB & IMGs