Overseas qualified practitioners

Overseas applicants

You must apply as an overseas qualified applicant and use application form AGOS-91 if you:

• have not held registration in Australia before, and
• are relying on any qualifications obtained overseas to apply for registration as a Medical radiation practitioner in Australia.

Applicants who have current registration in New Zealand apply under Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition.

New Zealand applicants

Medical radiation practitioners who have current registration as a medical radiation practitioner in New Zealand can apply for registration as a medical radiation practitioner in Australia under the Commonwealth Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997. The registration type (of either general or non-practising) and the division(s) you are applying for in Australia must correspond with the type of registration you hold in New Zealand.

• Download the Application for Trans-Tasman mutual recognition as a medical radiation practitioner - ATMR-91 (1.39 MB, PDF).
• Applicants for registration under Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition must also ensure they are familiar with the Board’s registration standards, code of ethics, guidelines and policies.

Applicants with qualifications and/or practice experience from New Zealand but who are not currently registered in New Zealand cannot register under Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition and must meet the requirements for other overseas applicants.

Visa requirements

To work as a medical radiation practitioner (diagnostic radiographer, radiation therapist or nuclear medicine technologist) in Australia, you need to:

• apply for and be registered with the Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia (the Board)
• you may also need to apply for a visa issued by the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection (Australian Immigration Department).

These two application processes are entirely separate and success in one does not automatically guarantee success in the other.

More information on visa applications, including skills assessments is available on the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs website

The Board is not involved in the visa application process.

Difference between ASMIRT/ANZSNM (immigration) and Board (registration) assessments

The Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy (ASMIRT) and the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine (ANZSNM) are assessing authorities gazetted by the Minister for Immigration (pursuant to the Migration Act 1958, Regulations Amendment 1999, 2.228) to perform skills assessment for migration purposes. ASMIRT and the ANZSNM assess the skills of overseas qualified medical radiation practitioners who want to migrate to Australia. Applicants must contact these assessing authorities to obtain valid skills assessment.

The ASMIRT/ANZSNM take into consideration work experience in assessing an applicant’s qualifications, which is then used to determine suitability for skilled migration. Under the National Law, the Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia can only take into account an applicant’s qualifications when assessing an applicant’s qualifications for registration. This is why some applicants may be approved for skilled migration but do not meet the registration requirements of the Board.

Important note: 

We recommend that you do not apply for work until your registration is confirmed.

We also advise that you do not make any irreversible decisions - such as resigning from current employment or moving to Australia - until you have applied for and been approved for registration as a medical radiation practitioner in Australia. The timeframe to process your application for registration depends on the unique circumstances of your application.

Please note AHPRA and the Board cannot assist you in seeking employment or influence employment or visa outcomes.

Employers

Employers are responsible for all matters relating to employment. Employers should therefore make sure that medical radiation practitioners are registered and have the legal right to work in Australia.

The Board is not involved in employment matters and is unable to assist practitioners in seeking employment or influencing employment outcomes. However, it is important to be aware that practitioners in a registered health profession must hold registration with the relevant National Board prior to taking up employment in Australia in their profession.

Recommended pathway to employment in Australia for overseas qualified medical radiation practitioners

Find out more about meeting the registration requirements and applying for registration. 

Further information is also available on the fact sheets and FAQ and on the overseas practitioners page of the Ahpra website.