Road to Australia as a Medical Laboratory Scientist

Emigrating to Australia as a Medical Laboratory Scientist

Over the years I have been asked by my fellow medical laboratory scientists to help them with links, and processes in relocating to Australia. After sending the process to a fellow last night I felt compelled to write something and post it online such that fellow medical laboratory scientists who are willing to relocate to Australia may find some guidance.

Disclaimer: The following procedure is written in my capacity and does not reflect the ideas and dictates of the mentioned organizations. This process may be used as a guide and is not exhaustive of all the requirements. You will need to check the relevant official documents of the respective organizations.

When I decided to relocate from Africa to a country outside I spent some months researching which nation to focus on. I even considered the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, The United Kingdom, and Ireland until a friend in the United Kingdom pointed out to me that I might need to check out Australia. When I researched Australia I found it very interesting in terms of the opportunities available, the process seemed transparent despite being expensive and requiring patience, and the climate which in other parts comes close to my country Zimbabwe.

I then began the process of how to relocate to Australia and I finally left for Australia on the 25^th of December 2021 with a Permanent Residence Visa Skilled Independent Subclass 189.

The following steps will aid any medical laboratory scientist willing to relocate to Australia using a similar path and the same Visa I applied for.

The process of getting a visa/working in Australia is fairly straightforward but takes much longer than getting a visa to other western nations and is more costly too. However, the big advantage, besides the attractiveness of the country, is that certain skilled persons, including medical laboratory scientists, can get 5yr temporary residence or permanent residence visas without setting foot there and without a job or job offer. 

My process followed the following sequence:

 Australia is a multiculturally diverse nation with many languages but just like other countries in the Commonwealth English is the starting point of everything, particularly in the official space.

 So, the first step will be sitting for an English language test. There are various versions of English testing systems from the famous International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Pearson Testing of English(PTE Academic), TOEFL(used to stand for Testing of English as Foreign Language), and Occupational  English Test(OET) among others. Out of these, I did the IELTS https://www.ielts.org/ and the best is to get at least 7 in each category if you can get above that it will help you with the immigration points (I will explain the point system later). 

English is required for both The Immigration and The Australian Institute of Medical Scientists (AIMS) https://www.aims.org.au/ and you will use it first for AIMS (which I will explain later).

 Depending on where you are the IELTS examination costs approximately USD 300 (it would be best to check with the British Council in your country) https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/

 Whilst you are waiting for your English language test results there is a need to make sure you have the following documents.

 1. All Laboratory Qualifications degrees transcripts included and the course syllabus that you will obtain from the university or department you were trained.

                                                

                                       

2. Registration and practising certificates or Memberships

3. Letters of Employment and these letters should state the position you held, the period you worked, the hours you worked per week as well as the duties you did in that position. Additionally, they have to be written on company letterheads and with the organizational email addresses of the contact person and their qualifications.

4. Passport or any form of Identity

Then you will begin by applying for Qualifications and skills assessments for a medical laboratory scientist from the AIMS.

AIMS has been mandated to assess the qualifications and experience of those wishing to migrate to Australia under the skilled program as Medical Laboratory Scientists. However, a skills assessment is mandatory for those trained outside Australia. The acceptable degree should include the following listed courses or subjects

 Stage 1 of the assessment involves the assessment of your documents and work experience, including your English ability.

The process of assessment involves the sending of reference letters from your previous and current employers, the fully completed application for assessment form https://www.aims.org.au/documents/item/1939, a Copy of your passport or any identity document, English language test, Your registration and practising certificates (they will contact your registration body about your status), You will also have your university submit your academic record as well as your degree certificate.

The process of this stage is outlined here https://www.aims.org.au/services/assessment-options/medical-laboratory-scientist  You can apply anytime.

 The Cost for assessment is about AUD 900 https://www.aims.org.au/services/assessment-options/Fees-for-Qualification-Assessment.

After assessment and you are deemed to be suitable for medical laboratory skills, you will be provisionally graded as a medical laboratory technician; they will send you the letter and an exam application form and will be invited to sit for an AIMS professional examination. Stage 1 takes up to 15 weeks

 Stage 2: of the assessment involves a written AIMS Professional Examination 

which is written in Johannesburg (for those in Africa) usually twice a year March and September depending on when you have applied. You will have to apply for the examination and the earlier the better. The AIMS Professional Examination has 7 sections (Anatomical Pathology, Chemical Pathology, Genomic Pathology, Haematology, Immunopathology, Medical Microbiology, and Transfusion Science). 

Upon successful completion of the AIMS Professional Examination, applicants may be eligible for the skilled occupation of Medical Laboratory Scientist and Professional Membership of AIMS. Everything you need to know about the examination is here  https://www.aims.org.au/services/professional-examinations-for-migration/aims-professional-examination

 You will have to pass the examination with at least 50 % in each of the 7 disciplines to be deemed competent, allowing you to apply for a visa as a medical laboratory scientist. Note: Scientists have a wider selection of visa options. The Medical Laboratory scientists Exam fee is AUD 800 https://www.aims.org.au/services/assessment-options/Fees-for-Qualification-Assessment.

After the exam results, they will send you a letter or any other form of communication letting you know that you have either passed or failed the examination and I hope it will be the former.

Immigration Process

Once the results of the examinations are out you will proceed to the first stage of the immigration process where you lodge what they call an expression of interest(EOI) online with Skill Select by creating an immiaccount https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skillselect/expression-of-interest#.

 In the expression of interest that's where you specify the visa type you want, I would recommend skilled independent Visa subclass189. This step is free.

189 is a skilled Independent permanent residence (PR) visa.

With approval of this visa you will immediately have permanent residence and have access to Medicare (Health Insurance) and family support payments. You can also settle in any state you want anywhere in Australia that you choose. More on the visa subclass 189 https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skilled-independent-189

Visa subclass 491 is similar, however, it is state-sponsored, meaning you will have to reside in the state that sponsors your visa for at least 2 yrs. Sponsoring here does not mean paying any fees for you, it simply means they write a supporting letter to the Immigration department stating that your skills are in short supply in their state.

Many people opt for 491 because it is processed faster as compared to 189.

491 also has additional 10 points added to your points test score threshold (to be discussed below).

Australia and other nations use a point system to determine the eligibility of any migrant. The points test is an objective way to assess your suitability as a skilled migrant. Scores are given for your age, qualifications, English ability, work experience, marital status, and if married, your spouse's skills and English ability. You need at least 65 points to apply for visa subclass 189. So the higher your English scores you have the more points, and the more experienced you are the more points.

More on calculating points for the visa subclass 189 and other visas https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/departmental-forms/online-forms/points-calculator

For the 189, you are advised to have sufficient funds for your upkeep, but you will not be required to submit that proof.

After submission of your EOI then wait for an invitation to lodge a visa application. The application system automatically invites applicants to submit their full applications. Applications with higher points are invited first. There are limits to the number of invitations sent out each year. There are also ceiling limits for each occupation, to avoid all available places being taken up by a few occupations. With more points you have a reasonable chance of getting an invite in 6 or so months from the time you submit EOI, with 80 points, you will get an invitation in less than 3 months and with 90, you will certainly get an invite in weeks. But this all depends on the quality of EOIs in the pool.

Skills Select will then invite you to lodge a visa application. This invite is valid for 60 days so you will have to submit all your documents within this period and submit the visa application. When invited by Skills select, lodge an actual visa application online on your immiaccount. You will need to gather your documents all of them and make sure they all correspond and corroborate. This time you will need all forms of identification from passports to birth certificates, IDs, Driver’s licenses, etc, qualifications, letters of employment, police clearances, and proof of English language proficiency such as letters from institutions that stipulates that the medium of instruction was English, taxes statements, payslips contracts if you have them, marriage certificates, joint bank statements for partners or joint properties. In this instance, I advise you to provide any document proving you are competent in this profession.

Once you submit the required documents you will receive letters to do medical examinations with a specific doctor in your country, city, or state.

The cost depends on the family size and age of applicants. As a primary applicant, you will pay roughly AUD 4250. Get police clearances for everyone above 16 years and the cost varies by country. Each member of your household over 16 must get police clearance from each country where they have stayed for over 12 months.

After submission of all the required documents on your immi accounts you play the waiting game. Wait…… this can be as short as 3 months or as long as a year as they process your application. The case officer handling your application will be in touch when necessary but will be quiet for the most part, so it will be a long and anxious wait as they do their checks.

You must be truthful in your application as they will check your information which may include calling or physically visiting former employers, and universities.

Once you are granted the visa, you can then travel or even apply for jobs whilst you are in your home country. The visa grant will also specify a date by which you must have entered Australia.

The visa process, although long, is transparent and largely predictable. If you are invited and you submit truthful info you will most likely get the visa.

The common reasons for refusal of a visa are failing the character test (usually forged documents or false information); failing the health examinations (that is if you or any family member has a condition that is of public health concern or expensive to treat and the resources for treatment are in short supply here e.g Renal dialysis) or failed background security checks. Some estimates put visa refusals at less than 0.5%.

Also, note that my advice is based on the rules and regulations last when I applied and you also need to verify with AIMS and Immigration department for updates and corrections. Some changes are made now and then. 

That's it in a nutshell. Feel free to get in touch if there is anything you need more clarity or information on the process. All the best in your application