The Bottom Line
- Some centralised recruitment processes (e.g., PGY2 match-style programs) can exclude IMGs who don’t hold (or won’t imminently hold) the required registration status.
- Do not treat ‘Australia’ as one recruitment market — eligibility is process- and state-specific.
- Your strategy should align recruitment cycles, registration timing, and realistic pathway constraints (Standard/WBA/AoN etc.).
This is where many IMGs burn time: they apply to highly visible match processes without realising the process may be effectively closed unless they meet specific registration criteria.
The operational lesson is simple: **check eligibility before you build your plan around a recruitment process**.
Eligibility is often registration-gated
Some published eligibility criteria explicitly exclude IMGs without general registration (or require you to be eligible for general registration by the start date). If you’re on the Standard pathway and still pre-general registration, build an alternate job acquisition plan rather than relying on a process that will screen you out.
Internal links to keep this high-intent reader on iatroX
Suggested embeds:
- Australia Master Map: /academy/img/australia-img-registration-master-map-2026
- Standard pathway decision content: /academy/img/amc-part1
- Study Systems (how to maintain performance during applications): /academy/study
- Quiz landing (conversion): /quiz-landing
- Toolkits (career admin): /academy/toolkits