TV Series
Claudia and Rachid Ait-Touati (Murraylands / Riverland region) and Mary and Javier Centenera (Mallala region) Stories
After feeling trapped in their home country of Holland, Claudia and Rachid decided it was time to realise Claudia’s childhood dream of moving to Australia. A migration agent advised them they would not be granted an Australian working visa. They didn’t have much money in the bank. If they couldn’t work they wouldn’t last long. But they decided to try their luck. They packed five bags, their young family and headed to Australia on a tourist visa.
Watch this episode.
HWQ Migration Solutions
Health Workforce Queensland's migration services include identifying the most suitable migration pathway for your circumstances and requirements, guidance through the complex migration policies, lodgement of applications and liaison with Immigration on all matters pertaining to your application.
View this article.
Health Workforce Queensland
Health Workforce Queensland recruits and supports doctors, nurses and allied health professionals needed in rural and remote Queensland. Health Workforce Queenslands role is to match the right professionals with the right communities, then help and support them as they provide essential health services to the people who live there.
Working in rural Queensland can offer many benefits including the knowledge that you are really making a difference. Better health isn’t just about seeing a doctor or health professional when you have a health need. Access to healthcare is fundamental to every community’s feeling of self-worth. It’s about stable communities, and knowing that help is there when, where and how it is needed. Knowing that you are part of the healthcare solution provides excellent job satisfaction.
View this article.
Overseas Health Workers in High Demand
With over 30 years’ experience in the Australian health industry Chris Mitchell, the CEO of Health Workforce Queensland (HWQ), shares his insights into the work opportunities for overseas health workers in regional Queensland. In his article, Chris covers the current shortages; where the jobs are; how to successfully apply for a position and the pitfalls to avoid when applying for your migration visa.
With the rapid ageing of the Australia population and the consequent increased need for health services, there is a widening gap between the demand for and the availability of a range of health workers such as general practitioners, nurses, dentists, dieticians, podiatrists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech pathologists and many more. Although this gap is evident across Australia, rural and regional communities have greater difficulty in accessing these services compared to metropolitan areas. Currently many factors contribute to this gap, including difficulties in the recruitment and retention of health professionals, and this trend will continue into the foreseeable future.
With projected population growth in regional centres across Queensland, the demand for skilled professional health workers will continue to grow into the future. Currently HWQ greatest need is for general practitioners in the towns of Kingaroy, Yeppoon, Roma, Biloela, Mount Morgan, Yarraman, Emerald and Blackwater and their surrounding districts. These locations offer remarkable work and lifestyle opportunities that are not generally available in the major capital cities in Australia. The locations range from small friendly towns of just over 1000 residents, to beautiful coastal towns with sandy beaches to small regional cities with populations of 13,000 people.
What you need to consider when applying for employment in Australia’s health sector
In a recent survey conducted by the Federal Department of Employment, it was found that the most commonly cited reasons for applications from qualified practitioners being rejected were:
- Insufficient evidence of experience, particularly for senior or supervisory roles;
- Lack of evidence of experience in a particular specialisation;
- Lack of evidence of experience with specific client groups;
- Being unregistered or not having membership with the relevant professional organisation; and
- Poor applications, references, or performance at interview.
HWQ has a dedicated recruitment team that specialises in providing practical support and advice to overseas trained health workers when applying for work in the sector in regional Queensland. For more information contact the team: here
Potential pitfalls when applying for your Migration Visa
The combined tasks of preparing the necessary Registration/Licensing and the Visa paperwork together pose a daunting task to the already very busy health worker intending to work and live in Australia. A simple error or oversight could lead to prolonged delays or even the refusal or rejection of the Registration or Visa application.
Here are five handy tips when it comes to completing your migration application:
- Medical/ Health registration and Licensing requirements are often very different from that of Immigration requirements, as they are administrated by two separate government departments.
- “My friend did it this way “. This is very dangerous advice to follow blindly as no two applications are the same. A slight difference in circumstances between the ‘friend’ and your application could result in entirely different outcomes!
- There can be a number of Visa options available. Choosing what appears to be the most direct route may not be the most appropriate. Choosing the one most suited to your personal circumstances could be the most critical part in achieving success in the migration process.
- Keep up to date with migration policies as they continually change and may have changed from the time you started gathering the documents to actual lodgement
- Information on the website may not be complete and up to date.
At HWQ Migration Solutions, we will work out the best possible migration options for you and your family, according to current migration policies. Our services include identifying the most suitable migration pathway for your circumstances and requirements, guidance through the complex migration policies, lodgement of applications and then liaison with the Australian Immigration Department on all matters pertaining to your application. For more information contact the team: here
