10 yr moratorium for IMG's and permanent resident status

[jaketheory]

this may seem like an odd or even stupid question. . .

i've been wanting to go to aus for a long time (7 years) and I recently applied for PR as I don't think its worth the extra tuition and hassle to make my way over as an international student. i'm all about trying to keep as many options open as possible, be it doing specialty training in the US or aus, and unfortunately i see having an aus med degree i big hindrance if later decide i want to return to the US for residency.

in addition to my long standing desire to go to aus, i have much motivation from the fact that tuition for locals in aus is way cheaper than in the US. i've always felt in going to a US school i'd likely end up at a private school or out-of-state public school. however, next year i will be eligible for UMass which is among the cheapest schools in the nation, ~$14k/year. That's still twice as much as aus schools, but in relative terms thats still damn cheap, and the cost of living in Worcester would be considerably less than in Sydney (my visa will require me to stay in NSW the first 2 years).

so i've started to consider going to UMass instead, but still would like the option of going to aus when i finish. my PR visa will be valid for 5 years, meaning i could go to med school at UMass and still make it into aus as a PR. my question is, if i get PR and then go to UMass, will i be subjected to the 10 yr moratorium? From everything i've read, if you get PR before going to med school, you are not subjected to the moratorium; however, i admit everything i've read was focused on getting PR and then going to an Aus school not an overseas school. Are locals who go to med school overseas subject to the moratorium? I would not think they would be.

can anyone comment on this?

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[redshifteffect]

this may seem like an odd or even stupid question. . .

i've been wanting to go to aus for a long time (7 years) and I recently applied for PR as I don't think its worth the extra tuition and hassle to make my way over as an international student. i'm all about trying to keep as many options open as possible, be it doing specialty training in the US or aus, and unfortunately i see having an aus med degree i big hindrance if later decide i want to return to the US for residency.

in addition to my long standing desire to go to aus, i have much motivation from the fact that tuition for locals in aus is way cheaper than in the US. i've always felt in going to a US school i'd likely end up at a private school or out-of-state public school. however, next year i will be eligible for UMass which is among the cheapest schools in the nation, ~$14k/year. That's still twice as much as aus schools, but in relative terms thats still damn cheap, and the cost of living in Worcester would be considerably less than in Sydney (my visa will require me to stay in NSW the first 2 years).

so i've started to consider going to UMass instead, but still would like the option of going to aus when i finish. my PR visa will be valid for 5 years, meaning i could go to med school at UMass and still make it into aus as a PR. my question is, if i get PR and then go to UMass, will i be subjected to the 10 yr moratorium? From everything i've read, if you get PR before going to med school, you are not subjected to the moratorium; however, i admit everything i've read was focused on getting PR and then going to an Aus school not an overseas school. Are locals who go to med school overseas subject to the moratorium? I would not think they would be.

can anyone comment on this?

1. You have to spend 2 out of 5 years in Aus for your PR to be valid (doesn't have to be consecutive, but it has to be a total of 2).

2. You would still be subject to the moratorium, because in this case you would be an IMG, and did not graduate from an Oz school. The only way to be exempt from the moratorium, you would have to get your PR before you go to an Oz school.

 

[jaketheory]

1. You have to spend 2 out of 5 years in Aus for your PR to be valid (doesn't have to be consecutive, but it has to be a total of 2).

not true. that's to be eligible for a return resident visa. PR visa is valid for 5 years from the date of first entry in Aus travelling on the visa. i could validate it, spend four years in med school in the US and then return to Aus before the 5 year lapses. after spending 2 years (of the last 5) in Aus I would then be eligible for a return resident visa. i acknowledge that if i were to leave during the 2nd year of physical residence in Aus, i would not be able to return without secruing a different visa; the PR visa would have expired and I would not yet be eligible for a return resident visa. However, it is my understanding that an expired PR visa does not take away your PR status, it simply means you cannot return as a PR if you leave Aus.

2. You would still be subject to the moratorium, because in this case you would be an IMG, and did not graduate from an Oz school. The only way to be exempt from the moratorium, you would have to get your PR before you go to an Oz school.

i admit i posted this thread in haste. afterwards i did some more googling and came to the same conclusion. my apologies.

 

[JoeNamaMD]

For former international students, the 10 year moratorium is moot, most residency training programs in Australia are usually 6 to 10 years, so by the time you are a consultant, the period is over. And anyway its possible to reduce the commitment to 1 to 3 years by working in a certain designated region.

 

[jaketheory]

For former international students, the 10 year moratorium is moot, most residency training programs in Australia are usually 6 to 10 years, so by the time you are a consultant, the period is over. And anyway its possible to reduce the commitment to 1 to 3 years by working in a certain designated region.

yeah, i am aware of that. however, i started this post because i'm looking for ways to keep doors open back in the US as well and so considering going to a US school and then making the jump to Aus. I will already have a PR visa so i could go to an Aus school as a local or come to Aus with both PR and a US medical degree.

but its looking like it isnt worth it. UMass is among the cheapest US schools and i estimate it still being ~60k USD more than going to aus (not including the plane ticket and PR visa fee which are relatively small). to then go to aus with no postgrad clinical experience I'd have to obtain an amc certificate which requires passing the amc clinical exam which one has to register for 6 months in advance and has as prerequisite passing the AMC MCQ exam. this means i'd have to deal with all that while preparing for the USMLE on top of 4th year hospital load or have a large break between graduation and any clinical work. and of course the amc exams and the usmle won't be cheap and i could avoid both by just going to aus.

i just have this part of me that is reluctant to make a seemingly permanent move to australia, which vastly limits my options should i choose later to return to the US. i guess ill get over it.

 

[redshifteffect]

The other thing I found out recently is that Pathology is completely exempted from the 10 year moratorium. I'm guessing there are probably other specialities out there in a similar boat.

One thing I've learnt about Oz is that there are always more loopholes then rules. Seems like everyone has ways of getting out of this moratorium, it's just that most of them never share how.

 

[JoeNamaMD]

Well Australia prefers their own graduates too, so going to a US school will limit your options should you choose to live in Australia. I think Aussie grads will only have a problem in ultra competitive specialties in the US like Dermatology which US graduates are regularly turned away.
Just make up your mind as to what you want to do. I think Australia has good opportunities for people in health care.

The AMC examination is brutally difficult, the USMLE is a joke in comparison. One of the best paths is probably to finish an Aussie MBBS, apply for a US residency and that keeps the doors open in both countries. Medical licensing across borders in general is tricky business. I heard of US doctors trying to work in Europe, many EU countries actually have a physician surplus.