TL;DR
Yes, you can get a job in Australia after AMC Part 1: once you’ve passed the MCQ and met the Ahpra English standard, you’re eligible for supervised hospital roles (RMO, JMO, HMO) under limited registration from the Medical Board of Australia. GP roles also need a PESCI.
True medical internships for IMGs are rare and state-specific. Queensland’s intern campaign has a Group D for international graduates holding an AMC certificate or a passed AMC MCQ; most other states fill intern places with local graduates first.
Where the jobs for IMGs are: WA, NT, rural and regional Queensland, and regional NSW and Victoria. Metro capitals are the hardest.
Pay: RMO base salaries advertised in 2026 ran roughly AUD 95,000–128,000 in NSW and from AUD 121,000 in WA, before overtime, penalties and 12% super.
The fastest way to become a doctor in Australia as an IMG is a first-time Part 1 pass, an English test in the results window, and a limited-registration job in a shortage area while you do the Clinical or a WBA.
AMC Academic is the trusted AMC exam preparation platform for IMGs aspiring to work as doctors in Australia; it also carries an interview preparation guide for the job that comes next. 20 free questions, no account.
You can work as a doctor in Australia after passing AMC Part 1, before the Clinical, in a supervised hospital position under limited registration, provided you’ve met the English standard and found an employer willing to sponsor a supervision plan. That’s the answer to the question every IMG asks the day their MCQ result comes through. The rest of this guide is the detail: how limited registration works, where genuine internships for IMGs exist, which states have the shortages, what the jobs pay, which portals to apply through, and how the pieces fit into the fastest realistic route to practising here. We wrote it because several of us did exactly this, and the information was scattered across five websites and a dozen forum threads.
First, the mechanics: limited registration and PESCI
Limited registration for supervised practice is the Medical Board category that lets an IMG on the Standard pathway work before holding the AMC certificate. The requirements in outline: a verified medical degree through the AMC portfolio, a pass in the AMC CAT MCQ, English to the Ahpra standard, a job offer in a Board-approved position, and a supervision plan signed by a nominated supervisor. It’s tied to that specific job and supervisor and lasts up to 12 months at a time, renewable. Registration types are explained in AHPRA vs AMC.
PESCI. If the job is in general practice rather than a hospital, the Board also requires a pre-employment structured clinical interview, run by an AMC-accredited provider, before it grants limited registration. Hospital RMO jobs don’t need one.
Working while you finish. Many IMGs complete the pathway from inside a hospital job: they sit the Clinical exam on leave, or, if their employer is an accredited site, replace it with a Workplace Based Assessment. That route is in the AMC Clinical exam guide.
Registration comes before the visa. The Medical Board advises applying for a work visa only after Ahpra registration is granted, using the sponsorship transaction number your employer receives.
Can an IMG get a medical internship in Australia?
Sometimes, and it’s state-specific. Internship (PGY1) places are allocated by each state’s campaign, and every state guarantees or prioritises its own graduates. IMGs sit at the back of the queue, and in most states there is effectively no queue to join.
The clear exception is Queensland. Its intern campaign classes applicants into Groups A to D, and Group D covers medical graduates of international universities who haven’t completed an internship anywhere and hold either an AMC certificate or a passed AMC MCQ. Group D applicants aren’t guaranteed a place; they go through each hospital’s suitability assessment (shortlisting, interviews, referees) for whatever vacancies remain after Groups A to C. Applications run through Queensland Health’s central intern portal, usually opening in May for the following year, with Group B–D offers after Group A in mid-July. If you want a genuine intern year rather than an RMO job, Queensland is where to look, and regional Hospital and Health Services are where Group D candidates actually land.
For everyone else, “internship” in the job-search sense means an RMO, JMO or HMO position under limited registration, which is a better-paid role doing much the same supervised work.
Where the jobs for IMGs actually are
The pattern is consistent and it isn’t a secret: the further from a capital city, the more an IMG with a Part 1 pass is wanted.
| State / territory | Realistic for a Part 1 holder? | Where | How to apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Australia | Yes, among the best | Regional and remote WA Country Health Service; metro through the annual RMO pool | WA Health annual centralised RMO recruitment pool (opens mid-year for the following January) |
| Northern Territory | Yes | Royal Darwin, Alice Springs, regional hospitals | NT Health careers portal; rolling RMO recruitment |
| Queensland | Yes, regional | Regional and rural HHSs; Group D intern places | Queensland Health RMO campaign via Smart Jobs; intern campaign portal (May) |
| New South Wales | Regional yes, metro hard | Rural and regional LHDs (Western, Far West, Murrumbidgee, Hunter New England, Northern) | NSW Health JMO recruitment (annual campaign, usually mid-year) plus LHD job boards |
| Victoria | Regional yes, metro hard | Regional health services (Grampians, Loddon Mallee, Gippsland, Barwon) | Direct hospital job boards; PMCV runs intern and HMO matching for graduates, not the main IMG route |
| South Australia | Regional | Riverland, Mount Gambier, Whyalla, Port Augusta | SA Health careers; SA MET for prevocational positions |
| Tasmania | Occasionally | Launceston, Burnie | Tasmanian Health Service careers |
| ACT | Rare | Canberra Hospital | Canberra Health Services careers |
Two practical notes. Job titles differ: RMO in most states, JMO in NSW, HMO in Victoria, JHO in Queensland. And rural and regional employers are often more willing to sponsor the visa and sign the supervision plan, because the alternative is an unfilled roster.
What the jobs pay
State awards set the rates and hospitals publish them in advertisements. In September 2026 NSW Health local health districts were advertising RMO positions at base salaries of roughly AUD 94,500 to 127,800 depending on year level. WA Health’s 2027 recruitment pool listed RMO Year 1–3 from AUD 121,360 to 144,166, effective 3 September 2026. Victorian HMO base rates sit lower on paper but are set by a separate enterprise agreement and vary by health service.
Those are base figures. Add overtime, penalty rates, on-call, 12% superannuation and salary packaging, and take-home commonly runs a quarter to a half above base. Australian Taxation Office data has put RMOs’ average taxable income well above award base for exactly that reason. Rates are revised annually, so read the current advertisement rather than a blog.
Realistic timelines
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| AMC Part 1 pass | 3–6 months of preparation, results three weeks after the sitting |
| English test | Sit in the results window; results within two weeks for most tests |
| Job search | 2–6 months; faster in shortage regions, slower for metro |
| Limited registration | Apply once you have the offer and supervision plan; allow several weeks to months |
| Visa | After registration is granted |
| Clinical exam or WBA | From inside the job; Clinical placements are batched and competitive |
Eight to twelve months from a Part 1 pass to a first shift is a good outcome. Eighteen isn’t unusual, and the job search is usually the variable, not the paperwork.
The fastest way to become a doctor in Australia as an IMG
There’s no shortcut, but there’s a fastest honest route, and every step of it is under your control except the last.
Confirm you’re on the Standard pathway and actually need the AMC exam. See The IMG pathways.
Start ECFMG verification and the AMC portfolio the same week you start studying.
Pass AMC Part 1 first time. Blueprint-scoped preparation for three to six months, three timed forward-only mocks. The plan is in AMC exam preparation for beginners.
Sit IELTS or OET in the three-week results window.
Apply for regional jobs in WA, NT, Queensland and regional NSW and Victoria while your result is pending, so the offer and the pass land together.
Prepare for the interview properly; RMO panels ask the same nine questions almost every time.
Take the Clinical or a WBA from inside the system.
The interview
RMO and JMO interviews are structured and predictable: why this hospital, a clinical scenario or two, how you handle a deteriorating patient, a conflict with a colleague, your understanding of supervision and escalation, your plans for the Clinical exam. Rehearse aloud. AMC Academic’s interview preparation guide covers the nine questions that come up at almost every panel, and an interview bot is on the way.
Part 1 first, then the job: both are covered
AMC Academic exists to get you through the exam that stands between you and the jobs on this page, and it’s the best AMC Part 1 preparation an IMG can buy: 2,800+ questions scoped to the blueprint and to what the exam has actually been asking across 2025 and 2026, every option explained with an AMC tip, three high-yield mocks (the first free) and seven month-specific mocks with topic reports, Astra to tell you where you’re weak, flashcards and clinical case studies. Because the English test comes next, the full IELTS Academic course with marking is in the same subscription. Because the interview comes after that, the RMO interview preparation guide is on the platform too, with an interview bot on the way, and an AMC clinical bot for the stage after. Built by IMGs who passed and now work in the hospitals above. Hundreds of IMGs have passed AMC Part 1 and their English exam with it. USD 39 a month, 29 a month for three months, 19 a month for six; five-day free trial; money-back guarantee. Twenty free questions, no account.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a job in Australia after AMC Part 1?
Yes, in a supervised hospital position under limited registration, once you’ve met the English standard and have an employer with an approved supervision plan. GP roles also require a PESCI.
Can an IMG do an internship in Australia?
In Queensland, through Group D of the intern campaign, if you hold an AMC certificate or a passed MCQ and haven’t done an internship elsewhere. Other states rarely offer intern places to IMGs; the equivalent role is an RMO job under limited registration.
Which state is best for IMG jobs after AMC Part 1?
Western Australia and the Northern Territory, then regional Queensland, NSW and Victoria. Metro capitals are the hardest.
How much does an RMO earn in Australia?
Base salaries advertised in 2026 ran roughly AUD 95,000–128,000 in NSW and from AUD 121,000 in WA, before overtime, penalties and superannuation.
Do I need the AMC Clinical exam to work in Australia?
Not to start. Limited registration lets you work after Part 1; the Clinical or a WBA is needed for the AMC certificate and general registration.
Do I need IELTS before applying for jobs?
You need it before the Board will grant registration, so employers will expect it in hand or imminent. Sit it in the Part 1 results window.
What to do this week
If you’ve passed Part 1: book your English test and register on the WA Health, NT Health and Queensland Health job portals today.
If you’re preparing: sit 20 free questions and see how far the pass is.
Read one current RMO advertisement in a regional health service so the target is concrete.
Start rehearsing the nine interview questions aloud.
Do you want to pass the AMC? AMC Academic makes it happen.