Overview
If you have overseas specialist qualifications on the Expedited Specialist pathway: accepted qualifications list (AU) or approved postgraduation medical qualification (NZ), you may be eligible to apply for the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) Expedited Specialist Pathway or MCNZ fast-track registration for provisional vocational (specialist) registration. For more detailed information, including registration and application process, please visit the Medical Board of Australia website or MCNZ website.
The following information relates to doctors undertaking the anaesthesia and/or pain medicine specialist international medical graduate (SIMG) assessment process in Australia and SIMGs undertaking the ANZCA/FPM fellowship pathway in New Zealand who were assessed after 3 April 2017.
New Zealand
The first step for anyone who wants to practice medicine in New Zealand is to apply for registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand. You should contact the MCNZ for information on your requirements to work as an anaesthetist in New Zealand.
If the MCNZ accepts your application for vocational registration, it will seek ANZCA’s advice about the comparability of your training, qualifications and experience to those of a New Zealand-trained vocationally registered doctor holding fellowship. ANZCA provides preliminary advice to the MCNZ following a paper assessment of your documents and final advice to MCNZ following an interview with you. The MCNZ makes the final decision about your eligibility for vocational registration.
When ANZCA interviews you to provide advice to the MCNZ, you have the option to be assessed at the same time for the ANZCA SIMG assessment process. If you decide to take this option, the SIMG process be the same as Australia from steps five to seven below.
The process
We strongly recommend that you contact the Australian Department of Home Affairs or Immigration New Zealand before applying. We also suggest that you investigate the size and location of the anaesthesia workforce in Australia to better understand your opportunities for employment. You may find the Department of Health's Australia's Future Health Workforce – Anaesthesia report, and the MCNZ's New Zealand medical workforce useful. We do not have a role in finding SIMGs suitable posts. To find out a list of ANZCA accredited training sites, please visit this page for anaesthesia and this page for pain medicine. You can also search positions through Department of Health, state health departments, and Health Workforce Locator.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) Report on specialist medical colleges specialist pathway data has some good information on statistics relating to the SIMG process (including the number of substantially, partially and not comparable applicants over the last 12 months).
Standards for the Assessment of SIMGs
The Medical Board of Australia has developed standards for the assessment of SIMGs that will come into effect on 1 January 2021. The standards can be found here.
Reconsideration, Review and Appeal
Our process for the reconsideration, review or appeal of decisions made regarding SIMG applications and individual programs can found in regulation 30.
You must have your primary and specialist qualifications verified by the Educational Committee for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). This can be done through the ECFMC’s Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC). You will receive an EPIC number when you register which must be included on your SIMG application. Applications cannot be processed without this number.
All primary medical qualifications (MBBS or equivalent) and specialist medical qualifications must be submitted. Qualifications that are not related to anaesthesia or pain medicine do not need to be submitted for verification.
If you fail to submit your qualifications for primary source verification your application will be incomplete and you won't be able to progress to the assessment stage of the SIMG/AoN process.
Please refer to the Handbook for specialist international medical graduates for further information.
In Australia
To apply for the SIMG assessment process you must submit the application form, CV form and all documents on the application form checklist (last page of the application form).
Applications should be submitted by email. However, Certificates of Registration Status (CORS) must be an original certificate sent directly to the SIMG team from the issuing authority. If the original document is not in English, then an original or certified original translation, from a licensed translator must be provided.
How to Pay:
Once the SIMG Application has been submitted, you will then receive a payment link to pay corresponding fees.
Please refer to the Handbook for specialist international medical graduates for further information.
In New Zealand
We will base your application on the documents submitted to the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ). Please contact the MCNZ to determine what documents you are required to submit with your application.
If we've previously assessed you in Australia and you now wish to complete your clinical practice assessment period in New Zealand, you'll need to apply to the MCNZ for assessment for vocational registration. The requirements for fellowship as specified by ANZCA in Australia are applicable in New Zealand, however, you will need to contact the MCNZ to discuss the assessment process for vocational registration.
If you've previously been assessed for the MCNZ vocational registration pathway and now wish to apply for assessment for fellowship of ANZCA or FPM please contact us to find out if you need to submit a new application.
Please refer to the Handbook for specialist international medical graduates for further information.
The preliminary review process is an assessment of comparability and applies only to Australian applicants. The preliminary review is conducted against the criteria outlined in the Handbook for specialist international medical graduates. The review will determine if the applicant meets the criteria to progress to interview.
Summary of preliminary review (SPR)
After the college completes the preliminary review, a summary of preliminary review (SPR) will be sent to the applicant. The SPR confirms what documents and information the applicant submitted and what deficiencies or gaps there are.
Please refer to the Handbook for specialist international medical graduates for further information.
In Australia
Following the preliminary assessment, the applicant will either be invited to attend an interview for further assessment or will be assessed as ineligible to continue in the SIMG pathway. SIMG interviews are usually undertaken in person at our offices in either Melbourne or Wellington. Video interviews may be conducted at the discretion of the SIMG Director of Professional Affairs.
In New Zealand
The MCNZ will review the application and determine whether the applicant will be invited to interview for further assessment. An invitation to present for an interview does not guarantee entry into the SIMG pathway.
Please refer to the Handbook for specialist international medical graduates for further information.
Following your interview, we will send you a report 1 and/or assessment outcome report which outlines the requirements you must undertake in order to successfully complete the SIMG assessment process; these requirements make up your individual program. Applicants will be provided with an “agreement to continue in the SIMG process” form, which they must complete, as well as pay their annual fee, in order to commence their individual program. Once this occurs, they will become SIMGs who are active in the SIMG pathway.
The individual program (IP) is generally made up of six components:
- Clinical practice assessment (CPA)
- Patient clinical interaction assessment (PCIA) for SIMGs required to sit the anaesthesia examination (effective from 2025 Hospital Employment Year)
- Anaesthesia final examination/Pain medicine examination or SIMG performance assessment
- Effective Management of Anaesthetic Crisis (EMAC) course (anaesthesia SIMGs only)
- Multisource feedback (MSF) *
- Continuing professional development (CPD)
* All SIMGs must complete a MSF during their CPA period. Those SIMGs who complete a PA will complete a MSF during the PA. This will satisfy the MSF requirement.
Those SIMGs who do not complete a PA must complete an MSF which aligns with the MSF described in the ANZCA and FPM CPD program.
For more information about PCIA, please check Patient Clinical Interaction Assessment FAQs.
Please refer to the Handbook for specialist international medical graduates for further information.
Once you have successfully completed all requirements as set out in your report 1 and/or interview outcome report, we will undertake a review of your file. Once this review confirms successful completion of all requirements, you will have completed your individual program. Should you fail to complete all requirements within the specified time frame your application will be closed.
Once you've successfully completed all the requirements of your individual program you will be informed that you may apply for admission to fellowship of ANZCA/FPM.
Please refer to the Handbook for specialist international medical graduates for further information.
Application processing time
The following indicative processing times are drawn from average applications processed in 2025. Application processing times vary according to submission completeness, quality and application volumes at the time. Applicants are encouraged to have their primary and specialist qualifications verified and confirm all required documentation are provided prior to submission to prevent delays.
Processing times will be reviewed and updated quarterly to ensure the information remains accurate and reflects current trends.
ANZCA’s summary reports on the specialist pathway provided to the Medical Board of Australia / Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) can be located here.
Current processing time for Standard SIMG Assessment Pathway from January to September 2025:
Key application stages | ANZCA processing time | Performance benchmark | |
Time for Summary of Preliminary Review (SPR) to applicant
| 4 days | <21 days | Outperforming benchmark |
Time for applicant response | 3 days | <21 days | Outperforming benchmark |
Time to first available interview
| 1 month 14 days | < 4 months | Outperforming benchmark |
Time from interview to decision (issue of Report 1)
| 6 days | < 14 days | Outperforming benchmark |
* A completed application is one that includes all required documentation, both primary and specialist qualifications verified and application fee paid and submitted in the correct format and meeting all eligibility requirements.
Current processing time for UK and Ireland trained specialists (interview waived) from January to September 2025:
Key application stages | ANZCA processing time | Performance benchmark | |
Time for SPR to applicant (paper review)
| 3 days | <21 days | Outperforming benchmark |
Time for applicant response | 2 days | <21 days | Outperforming benchmark |
Time from paper review to decision (issue of Report 1)
| 3 days | < 14 days | Outperforming benchmark |
* A completed application is one that includes all required documentation, both primary and specialist qualifications verified and application fee paid and submitted in the correct format and meeting all eligibility requirements.
Tips for applicants
The timeframe from application receipt to reach the completed application received status depends largely on the quality and completeness of the submission. The most common waiting time is qualifications and Certificate of Registration Status (CORS). We strongly encourage applicants to ensure all required documents are provided and to have both primary and specialist qualification verified on AMC portal, and have CORS ready before submission.
Checking for completeness prior to submission helps avoid delays and supports a smoother assessment process.
Fees and Forms
How to pay:
Once the SIMG application has been submitted, you will then receive a payment link to pay the corresponding fees.
Explore this section
Eligibility criteria for overseas-trained anaesthetists to practice in Australia and gain ANZCA fellowship through the SIMG pathway.
Information for overseas-trained specialist anaesthetists and specialist pain medicine physicians wishing to practice in New Zealand.
The Medical Board of Australia (MBA) expedited specialist pathway is for SIMGs seeking specialist registration in Australia.
The Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) has introduced a new fast-track registration for specialist international medical graduates (SIMGs), enhancing support for New Zealand’s medical workforce.
Applicants who wish to enter a short-term training (STT) position in specialist anaesthesia or pain medicine in Australia must be assessed for the purpose of medical registration. This pathway does not lead to fellowship.
The SPR is prepared for all applicants in Australia and summarises the initial assessment of an SIMG’s suitability to enter the SIMG process.
The clinical practice assessment (CPA) period is the period of supervised clinical practice an SIMG must complete during their individual program.
The SIMG PA is a one-day assessment conducted by two fellows and at times an observer in the SIMG’s actual working environment.
Find information about the required fee payments as part of the ANZCA SIMG & STT Pathways.
As an SIMG supervisor, you play a vital role in the training, assessment, and welfare of your SIMG and should have a broad understanding of the SIMG program.
The Area of Need (AoN) process applies to Australia only and is used to address medical workforce shortages in designated areas. It doesn't directly lead to fellowship or specialist registration by the Medical Board of Australia.
Frequently asked questions about ANZCA & FPM SIMG pathways
Specialist international medical graduates share their experiences of the journey to attaining ANZCA fellowship.