What a GP earns: UK vs Australia
UK average
£69.2k
313 live listings
Australia average
A$162.5k
≈ £84.3k · +22% vs UK
≈ £78.7k in UK buying power
What does life cost after the move? Rent, fuel, bills & take-home →
Mean advertised salaries, live listings both countries · GBP equivalent at the current ECB rate · “buying power” uses World Bank purchasing-power parity (2025) — what the salary actually buys, after Australia's higher prices · Australian salaries are usually advertised excluding the compulsory 12% employer superannuation (pension), so the real package typically runs above the figure shown · cost of living differs (rent is the big one, both directions).
Registration & recognition
AHPRA registration (Medical Board) plus specialist recognition — UK GPs typically go through the RACGP’s recognised-qualification pathway, and many start in "distribution priority areas".
The honest bit
The money is real (A$168k is the advertised average, and rural GPs earn far beyond it) but so is the paperwork — this is the most heavily regulated route on this page, and where a good agent earns their fee twice over. Expect location conditions in your early years.
The route, in plain English
- 1. Skills often first. Many skilled visas require a skills assessment before you apply (not all do, and some applicants are exempt): trades go through Trades Recognition Australia, health professions through their boards (AHPRA), teachers through state registration. Check the requirement for your specific visa.
- 2. Employer sponsorship. The Skills in Demand visa is the main employer-sponsored route (temporary, with pathways to stay); the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) is the permanent version. Regional employers have extra options — which is why so many sponsored jobs are outside the big cities.
- 3. Or land first, convert later. Brits aged 18–35 can take a Working Holiday visa (now up to three years, no farm-work requirement) and job-hunt onshore — a common route into sponsorship for trades and hospitality.
- 4. Get real advice before you spend. Assessments and visas cost thousands — a MARA-registered agent earns their fee here.
This page is information, not migration advice. Visa rules change and your circumstances matter. For advice you can rely on, use a MARA-registered migration agent (or an IAA-regulated adviser in the UK — the Immigration Advice Authority, formerly OISC). JobsBrio publishes live pay and market data — the ad counts here are live listings whose text mentions visa sponsorship, which is not a guarantee any employer will sponsor you.