English Proficiency Exam for the AMC Successful Graduates - Again and Again - Request for Policy Review

Sep 2, 2026

Request for reconsideration of English proficiency requirements for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) who have successfully passed the Australian Medical Council (AMC) exams, including OET and clinical/MCQ components. The author reports B-grade results in all four English skills, GP experience, and completion of AMC certification, yet delayed NSW medical board registration due to a strict English validity window. Claims that repeated OET attempts and the policy application have caused severe financial strain, mental distress, and worsening health, requesting investigation, policy fairness, and an alternative communication skills course.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Subject: English Proficiency Exam for the AMC successful Graduates again and again??

Background and eligibility

English policy validity and registration delay

Advocacy, legal basis, and requested investigation

Impact on health, family, and finances

Specific requests to the OET department

Dr.Nasir Mehmood Baig 17/01/11 The Secretary, Secretariat Overseas Trained Doctors Inquiry,House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and AgeingParliament House,Canberra. # Subject:English Proficiency Exam for the AMC successful Graduates again andagain?? Dear Sir/Madam I am an International Medical Graduate who have successfully passed all the examinations of the Australian Medical Council such as the English Proficiency the OETwith B Grade in all 4 English skills,the MCQ exam (theory)and the Clinical exam inMay 2007. I am a New Zealand citizen and have over 8 years GP experience in Pakistan. The NSW Medical Board raised an issue of English proficiency in early 2007 that allAMC graduates must provide English proficiency result less than two years at the time ofinternship(one year supervised training).I provided the English result to the AMC beforemy medicine exams and that was a mandatory requirement of the council.According tothe AMC pathway(Booklet,2006-07)to get a registration has been successfully madebut I have been unable to get registration by the board to start my one year supervisedtraining program yet. I completed all my exams in May 2007 and the new English policy came in to poweron1st of July 2007.It was ridiculous that the Board treated us very badly and the newEnglish policy was applied equally to successful AMC graduates and those who wereplanning to start the AMC exams .I understand that a new policy is always applied to newapplicants.In 2007,the Board granted hundreds of registration to IMGs just only on thebasis of English .At that time English became primary/secondary/tertiary criteria forgetting a registration in NSW. I approached several politicians All these respected people asked the board members regarding mycase but they declined their requests. According to Health Act 1992,registration is available to those doctors who haveobtained the AMC exams,passed the AMC exams and obtained the AMC certificates.According to the above law I have completed allthe requirements but unfortunately Ihave been unable to get the registration by the board yet.(A copy of letter is attached) I financed thousand of dollars and my precious time to complete all the above steps andfinally they pushed me in a hell. After doing the English(with B Grade in all 4 skills),I remained in Australia and did themedicine exams .I do not think that my English was slipped backward.I believe that twoyears English result validity is totally wrong if a candidate remains in English speakingcountry.I discussed the above issue with many English teachers and they said that thevalidity must be 5 years. I have suffered a lot just because of English policy.I am so frustrated,depressed andrecently have been diagnosed Diabetes type two.My whole family have been sufferingfrom depression.I have 4 young children aged 9,7,6 and 2 years old and they lookforward to me.You can believe me“I could not have a good sleep for many months justuncertainty of my future. I permanently migrated to Australia in 2005 and brought about $40000 which I alreadyfinanced to complete my AMC exams.I have a big family and therefore,I have juststarted to drive taxi to feed my children.It is a terrible time on my family to survive here. I have written the same OET English exam 19ᵗtime over the last 3 years and passed 3skills several times but failed in 4”.This endless exercising is continuing and now it iscausing adverse effects on my performance and health.(Copies of old and new Englishresult are attached). I believe that some authorities have put "red label"with my name and that is makingproblem in my success.I have done OET several times very well but they intentionallyfailed me in one component.The reason which I considered is to approaching severalpoliticians and few federal agencies such as Ombudsman.I have spent about$15000 topay the OET fees and few preparation courses.I understand that now the OETdepartment should consider

FAQs

Why is the author requesting a review of the English proficiency requirement?

The author states that, despite passing AMC exams and providing English results with B grade in all four skills, the NSW board has not allowed registration to begin supervised training due to an English validity policy.

What English-related rule does the author say caused the problem?

The author challenges the two-year validity requirement, arguing that English results should not expire for candidates who remain in English-speaking environments and suggesting that the validity should be longer.

What are the consequences described for repeated OET attempts and delays?

The author reports significant financial costs from repeated exam attempts, prolonged uncertainty affecting sleep, family depression, and diagnosis of type two diabetes, and states performance is now adversely affected.

Sep 2, 2026

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