How Pharmacists Can Secure a Permanent Visa in Australia

To all the pharmacists abroad, Australia is the choice for migrating and practising in the country considering its robust Healthcare system, high standard of living, and shortage of pharmacists, especially in the rural areas. Overseas pharmacists look at it as the land of opportunities with a bright future. Considering the shortage of pharmacists in Regional areas, Australia has placed pharmacists on the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL) in July 2021. As of October 2022, this has ceased, but pharmacists remain on the Skilled occupation list. Being on this list means quicker visa processing and a more direct route to permanent residency. To understand this better, let’s have a look at the essential aspects, like:

• Why a Permanent visa is important for pharmacist’s career growth in Australia
• What are the skills assessments to be done by overseas pharmacists for the PR process
• What are the English language requirements for the Australian PR process
• What are the PR visa Options for pharmacists to migrate to Australia
• How can you make this dream come true with Elite Expertise

Importance of Permanent Visa for Career Growth in Australia

There are various benefits to securing a PR in Australia. A permanent visa is a doorway to long-term success, unrestricted practise, and advancement opportunities to succeed in Australia’s healthcare system. With permanent residency, pharmacists can:

• Unrestricted work rights.
• Eligibility to apply for Australian citizenship
• Better job security and improved employment opportunities
• Work in any healthcare setting without sponsorship restrictions.
• Freedom to work and live anywhere in Australia
• Can offer sponsorship to family members for visa application.

Skills Assessment Process for Pharmacists

Can we apply for the PR visa directly, or are there any prerequisites? If this is what you have been wondering, then here is your answer:

For Overseas pharmacists aiming to migrate to Australia and practise as pharmacists in the country, they must initially have their Skills assessed by the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) and prove that they fit into the Australian Healthcare system.

This involves various steps listed below:

• Verification of the educational background.
• Exhibiting that they are ready for the Australian Healthcare system through an examination called the Overseas Pharmacists Readiness Assessment or OPRA exam (This exam was previously called as Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences or KAPS exam)
• Once you clear the above steps, prove your English proficiency, which is a mandate.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

Australia is an English-speaking country, and communication with patients and colleagues is the key to the pharmacist’s profession, so proving your English language skills is a mandate.

• IELTS (Academic): With a minimum score of 7 in each band.
• OET: Score of B in each module.
• TOEFL iBT: With an overall score of 94
• PTE Academic: This is becoming more prevalent with pharmacists, with required scores around 65 in each band.

Test	Minimum Score Requirements
IELTS (Academic)	Overall score: 7.0 Speaking: 7.0 Listening: 7.0 Reading: 7.0 Writing: 7.0 Note: No individual band score should be less than 7.0
OET (Occupational English Test)	Grade: B (in all four components: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking)
TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language – Internet-Based Test)	Overall score: 94 Listening: 24 Reading: 24 Writing: 27 Speaking: 23
PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English Academic)	Overall score: 65 Speaking: 65 Writing: 65 Reading: 65 Listening: 65 Note: No individual section score should be below 65

Permanent Visa Pathways for Pharmacists

There are various options for securing a Permanent visa in Australia for pharmacists, and listed below are a few common ones:

Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190)

This is a permanent residency visa pathway for skilled workers like Pharmacists nominated by an Australian state or territory government, which allows pharmacists to live and work in Australia indefinitely with age requirements of under 45 years at the time of appointment. To qualify:

• Before we consider this option, you must submit an EOI or Expression of Interest to the Australian government stating your interest in migrating to Australia.
• Australia uses a points test score to rank the applicants.
• Passing the OPRA exam or APC assessment and meeting the English requirements are mandated for this process.

This is the pathway to citizenship and provides the ability to sponsor relatives.

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491)

With the growing demand in Regional and rural areas, one of the best options for the PR pathway is Subclass 491, a five-year visa.

• Subclass 491 can further lead you to a permanent residency after three years.
• This can be sponsored by an Australia state or any family member who is eligible to do this.
• This temporary visa allows pharmacists to live, study, and work in approved locations.
• The candidate can travel in and out of Australia during this visa period.

Skilled Employer-Sponsored Regional Visa (Subclass 494)

This visa allows skilled workers like Pharmacists to live and work in designated areas if nominated by an employer in regional Australia. This visa includes:

• This visa is valid for a period of 5 years.
• Sponsorship by an employer is a mandate.
• After three years, this can be your pathway to permanent residency.
• Options for dependent visas.
• There is no need for a points test like the Subclass 491 and 190 visas.

It best suits candidates with employer support but with lower points on the general skilled migration scale.

There are three streams:

• Employer-Sponsored Stream
• Labour Agreement Stream
• Subsequent Entrant Stream (for family members)

Employer-Sponsored Visas (Subclass 186 & 482 leading to PR)

These visa options enable employers all over Australia to sponsor overseas-qualified pharmacists:

• Subclass 186 is a direct permanent visa.
• Subclass 482 (Temporary Skill Shortage): this can lead to PR after 2–3 years of working.

Overseas Pharmacists often use this route with job offers in metropolitan hospitals or chain community pharmacies.

Training Visa (Subclass 407 visa)

This temporary visa allows Overseas professionals like pharmacists to move to Australia for workplace training or supervised practice or to gain work experience in Australia.

• It is mainly suitable for candidates completing internships or skill development.
• This visa is valid for 2 years and will strengthen the job-readiness in Australia.
• It is not a direct PR visa, but it improves your resume and enhances your odds for future sponsorship or skilled visa pathways.

 How Elite Expertise Can Help to Become a Registered Pharmacist in Australia

 Elite Expertise is the best online education platform for training overseas pharmacists in licensure exams like the KAPS/OPRA exam (Australia), PEBC exam (Canada), and PSI equivalence exam (Ireland). For migrating to Australia, the first step is to clear the skills assessment and the OPRA exam, and here is where our directors and Educators, Mr. Arief Mohammad and Mrs. Hariak Bheemavarapu, provides all the guidance.

Here’s how Elite Expertise can support you at every step:

• Skills Assessment: As mentioned earlier, assessing your skills to best suit Australian Healthcare is a mandate, and Elite Expertise provides support throughout this journey.
• OPRA/KAPS Exam Preparation: This preparatory course has high success rates in KAPS, making us unique in this field. The OPRA exam replaced the KAPS exam in March 2025, and the results and success of the first-ever OPRA exam prove its efficiency in training students through its curated mock tests and mentorship.
• Expert Trainers: You will learn from real pharmacists, which is an added advantage. Both the trainers, Arief and Harika, are Clinical pharmacists themselves, and their teaching methodology reflects their expertise and experience in the field.
• PTE Preparation: As we understand that proving your English language proficiency is a mandate through this journey, PTE has also included training to help you meet language requirements confidently.
• Australian Intern written and oral exams preparatory course: Elite Expertise extends its support throughout the journey of becoming a registered pharmacist in Australia. Clearing these intern exams is a mandate to get fully registered as a pharmacist in Australia.

Final Thoughts

Australia has been a dream country for all overseas-trained pharmacists. With the inclusion of pharmacists in the skilled occupation list, there’s never been a better time for immigrants to pursue pharmacy jobs in Australia. Australia offers pharmacists multiple options for permanent residency visas during this journey. Choosing the right visa option for your target varies with the candidate’s requirements. However, certain steps are common in the journey and are mandated to achieve your goal, like assessing your skill, passing the OPRA/ KAPS exam, and proof of English language proficiency.

The path might seem overwhelming and complex, but with the proper guidance offered by Elite Expertise, you can confidently take the next step toward becoming a registered pharmacist in Australia and securing your permanent visa. Making the right decisions to reach your dream career is important, so all the best for your future!