Kenyan doctor shares struggles amid federal government's push to settle skilled migrants in regional Australia

His comments come amid the federal government's push to settle skilled migrants in regional areas by offering two new visas from November, on wards.

It has been considered a favourable move for regional cities such as Wagga, which is preparing for a population boom in the next 19 years. Local leaders have previously identified migration as a short-term solution to the existing skill shortages.

Despite the federal government's latest campaign, and the city screaming for skilled workers, Dr Phillip Ochoki has found himself "between a rock and a hard place".

He has been applying for a visa for the past three months - and counting. In the meantime, Dr Ochoki moved to the region to boost his chances of finding employment.

"For me to get a work visa, I have to get a job offer and for me to get a job offer, I have to have a work visa," he said.

Although the visa comes with additional benefits for the holder including more flexibility to move between regional towns and extending the visa's validity, Dr Ochoki said the long, complicated process could turn-off applicants who are looking to settle in regional Australia.

One of the biggest obstacles Dr Ochoki has encountered was finding instructions to ensure his application contains what is required.

"I had to call the department of immigration, who referred me to the medical board who referred me to the Australian Medical Council. The information is not in one place and you really have to look for it to make the proper assessment," he said.

Dr Ochoki said Australia's healthcare system and a "better work-life balance" attracted him to regional living. However, he said the federal government needs to ensure jobs are easily accessible for migrants before pushing them towards regional areas.

"If I do get work in the Riverina I would stick here for awhile, but if I can't get a job opportunity it would not be prudent of me to be loyal to a region that I can't work in," he said.

"If the government really want people to stick to regional areas they should probably make sure there are job opportunities."

Regional Development Association Riverina chief executive Rachel Whiting said the changes to the regional work visas benefit many sectors in Wagga, but it could be at the expense of the applicant.

She said skilled workers will be required to work in the area for three years before applying for permanent residency, which was previously capped at two years.

"What people don't realise is that skilled migrants don't have access to state education for their children and have to pay. They don't have access to Medicare so they need full private health insurance," she said.

"So three years is a really long time to have provisions for that and they are expected to be self-fund for that time."

Despite these challenges, Ms Whiting said it was promising that the region could invite people from a broader list of occupations.