NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA BORDERS ARE OPEN TO REGISTERED PHYSIOS + OTS WITH A JOB OFFER!

AUSTRALIA BORDERS

Australia is OPEN for those with certain visas including the Working Holiday and Sponsorship Visa.

If you arrive between 19/01/2022 - 19/04/2022 you can apply for a refund of your Working Holiday Visa cost.

You can read up more about this on this link: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/whm-program/latest-news

The news suggests Australia may open up to tourists by Easter!

 

HOTEL QUARANTINE 

All states are managing this differently for international/domestic arrivals

Link to different state entry requirements: https://www.australia.gov.au/quarantine

Most states have scrapped quarantine requirements!

 

VACCINATION REQUIREMENT:

FULL VACCINATION REQUIRED, Link to more information

https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/vaccinated-travellers#toc-2

 

PHYSIOS - Registration Important Updates

The Australian Physiotherapy Council (APC) is now able to accept registration applications digitally and exams can be sat at home with live monitoring. 

Applications for the equivalence pathway are taking longer than usual due to a huge volume of applications received in the last few months. 

Once you have successfully completed the registration process with APC, you will receive a certificate that does not expire allowing you to start work in Australia at a time that suits you.​

 

OT’s - Registration

COVID has not affected any part of the registration requirements or process.

 

NEW ZEALAND - BORDERS 

The NZ borders are currently closed however, exemptions are available for critical healthcare workers including Physios and OT’s. 

We have partnered with an immigration expert who is successfully helping our physios/OT's with this process. Our trusted agent can help with the exemption/visa application process and we will cover our agent's fees for anyone who secures a role with one of our partners. These exemptions are currently available to NZ registered healthcare professionals who have a job offer.

If you have your NZ physiotherapy/occupational therapy registration and are interested in coming over on an exemption, please get in touch. We can organise interviews for you and support you with successfully gaining a border exemption. 

 

HOTEL QUARANTINE (MIQ)

MIQ is currently 10 days, you cannot book this until your exemption/visa has been approved. Link for more information:

https://www.miq.govt.nz/travel-to-new-zealand/secure-your-place-in-managed-isolation/

It is very competitive to secure a place and it is currently a lottery system where you need to login on release days and the spaces are then randomly allocated.

Read the website above carefully and keep an eye on the Facebook/Twitter pages for room release dates!

There is a 5 step plan to be able to enter NZ without MIQ starting from 28th February for eligible travelers from Australia, and starting from 14th March for eligible travelers from anywhere in the world: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/covid-19/border-closures-and-exceptions/entry-to-new-zealand/border-entry-requirements

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VACCINATION REQUIREMENT
FULL vaccination required

Link to more information: https://www.miq.govt.nz/travel-to-new-zealand/plan-your-travel-to-nz/overseas-vaccinations/

 

PHYSIOS - Registration

The New Zealand Physiotherapy Board has received a very high volume of applications so the processing time is longer than usual at 4-5 months rather than the usual 2-3 months. 

 

​PHYSIOS - Registration – for students affected by reduced placement hours 

The normal requirement for registration in NZ is for physios to have completed 1000 hours of placement. However, this is the response we received from the NZ board regarding students that have a shortfall in placement hours due to COVID.

If an applicant has not completed 1,000 hours of supervised physiotherapy practice gained in a variety of practice when completing a qualification where students would typically complete 1,000 hours, they must:

i. Provide an explanation from their University regarding the shortfall; and

ii. Confirm that they have completed the remaining hours in their post-qualification work experience, gained in a professionally supported environment. This must be in addition to any post qualification work experience they are required to have as part of the eligibility requirements.

 

OT’s - Registration

Most of the application has now moved online and it has been broken down into two online steps/payments as well as submitting some certified documents by post. 

 

​HEALTHCARE ABROAD

After a tough year in 2020, we have LOVED seeing PT/OT's move abroad in 2021/2022.

Being successful with helping PT/OT's through the challenges of a pandemic, makes us even more excited for what's to come for Healthcare Abroad!

It is 100% possible to move to AUS/NZ through the pandemic and we are very successful with this process.

For those of you who have NZ or AUS registration, please get in touch and we can look to organize interviews for you now! 

Otherwise, the registration process does take time so if you could see yourself working in AUS or NZ in the future, please get in touch to start the process!