AHPRA is the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and oversights the various National Boards, including the Medical Board of Australia. Often doctors will refer to AHPRA and the Medical Board interchangeably although they do have separate functions.
Put simply for International Medical Graduates it is not possible to register with AHPRA, i.e. it is not possible to gain medical registration, without having an appropriate job offer first.
This is a key condition whether you are applying via the Standard Pathway, Competent Authority Pathway, Short Term Specialist Training Pathway or the Specialist Pathway.
The reason for this is that the Medical Board needs to check the job versus the type of registration you are applying for and ensure that the supervision arrangements are appropriate.
The situation is different for Australian doctors who are able to register with AHPRA separate from having a job position.