Welcome to the first stage of your assessment journey, as you work towards your goal of becoming a registered physiotherapist in Australia.
This page will introduce you to the different assessment pathways that the Australian Physiotherapy Council offers to overseas qualified physiotherapists. Once you have read this page you should be able to determine which pathway is the right one for you and your circumstances.
Why do overseas qualified physiotherapists need to be assessed?
If you are an overseas qualified physiotherapist who wants to work as a physiotherapist in Australia, you will need to pass certain criteria to meet the standards of physiotherapy practice here in Australia.
The Australian Physiotherapy Council is the assessing authority for overseas qualified physiotherapists wanting to practice in Australia. The Council’s role is to assess the qualifications and skills of overseas qualified physiotherapists for registration and migration purposes.
Once the Council has assessed that you meet the Australian physiotherapy competency standards, and you have received your Final Certificate, you will need to obtain your General Registration from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra).
What is the right assessment pathway?
There are a couple of assessment pathways that you may be eligible to apply for if you fit the criteria. We recommend you take the time to read about each pathway to help make an informed decision that suits your situation.
The Council’s assessment pathways:
1. Standard Assessment Pathway
Most of the overseas qualified physiotherapists who apply to be assessed by the Council, undertake our Standard Assessment Pathway.
2. Express FLYR Pathway
To determine if you are eligible for Express FLYR Pathway, check the list of current Express FLYR approved countries and other requirements.
3. FLYR Pathway
To determine if you are eligible for FLYR Pathway, check the list of current FLYR approved countries and other requirements.
3. Equivalence of Qualification Pathway
To determine if you’re eligible for Equivalence of Qualification, check if your qualification is already on the list of the approved programs.
4. Assessment for Skilled Migration Visas
If you need an assessment for migration purposes, please head to the Assessment for Skilled Migration Visas.
Frequently Asked Questions
To work as a registered physiotherapist in Australia, you will need to be assessed by the Council.
Once you have been successfully assessed against the Australian standards of physiotherapy practice, you can apply for registration with Ahpra.
Along the assessment pathways, if you have received an Interim Certificate from the Council, you will be able to apply for Limited Registration from Ahpra so that you can work under the supervision of a fully registered physiotherapist.
The Interim Certificate is an essential part of the Standard Assessment Pathway and the FLYR Pathway.
The Interim Certificate gives you the opportunity to be eligible to work under supervision and gain clinical skills and experience in Australia.
You will receive your Interim Certificate which is valid for two years after you have successfully completed Eligibility Assessment and Cultural Safety Training. The Interim Certificate meets one of the requirements of Limited Registration for Supervised Practice with Ahpra. When working under limited registration, make sure you have a valid Interim Certificate which expires in 2 years.
We recommend you gain as much exposure and clinical skills in the Australian healthcare system by working under supervision across diverse clinical settings.
Read our Express FLYR & FLYR Pathway page for more information.
For more information read our Assessment for Skilled Migration page.
You must pay for each assessment along with your application. For more information head to our Fees page.
Ahpra is the registration body for healthcare practitioners in Australia, including all physiotherapists.
To be registered you will need to liaise with Ahpra directly. Head to their registration page.
While there are no English language requirements to be completed for the Council’s assessments, all the Council’s assessments are conducted in English.
You will need to provide evidence of English language proficiency to be registered with Ahpra.
If you need to have an Assessment for Skilled Migration, you will need to meet English language requirements.
You do not have to be in Australia to undertake most assessments. You only must be in Australia to complete your Clinical Assessment which is the last assessment on the Standard Assessment Pathway.
Depending on your assessment pathway there will be a list of documents that you will need to provide to the Council. The required documents can be found under ‘Fact Sheet’ on each assessment web page on the Council’s website.
If you’ve completed an Ahpra Approved Program of Study for physiotherapy in Australia, you would be eligible to apply directly to the Physiotherapy Board of Australia for registration to practice here. That means that you would not require any assessments with the Council for registration purposes. Please visit the Ahpra website to search for Approved Programs of Study by profession. Simply select “physiotherapist” and then click Search in order to see a list of programs that will lead to registration upon successful completion.
In the event you wish to complete a course of study to gain specialist knowledge, we recommend contacting the Australian Physiotherapy Assoc iation to see if they have a list of courses offered by universities.
The Council’s Assessment team are available to assist with questions about completing assessments. There are also resources, fact sheets and information available on each assessment page on our website.
If you have any special needs that will affect your ability to take the assessments, it is your responsibility to advise the Council. Please email [email protected] well in advance about adjustments that may be required.