If you are an internationally qualified nurse and are interested in working in Australia, you must first become registered as a nurse in Australia.

It is impossible and illegal to work in Australia as a Nurse unless you have the following:

• Registration as a Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).
• Approved visa which includes the condition allowing you to work.

The Australian Government publishes a list of Skilled Occupations that are eligible for both Temporary and Permanent migration:

• Temporary Migration: Subclass 457 visa; Consolidated Skilled Occupation List (CSOL)
• Permanent Migration: Subclass 186/187, 189/190 Skilled Occupation List (SOL)

Registered Nurses are on both these lists, meaning if you an overseas registered nurse and have applied for and been approved for Australian Nurse registration, you can apply for either Temporary or Permanent visa.
As an overseas nurse you cannot apply for a visa to work and migrate successfully unless you first become registered with Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA)
These lists are reviewed annually, to ensure that the occupations specified are unable to source sufficient Australian Permanent residents and citizens to meet the demand for skilled labour in that occupation.
The primary qualification however is that you must first become an Australian Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).
As an Overseas Registered Nurse, you are NOT automatically eligible to be registered in Australia.

Under the National Law, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) is responsible for:

• Registering nursing and midwifery practitioners and students
• Assessing overseas trained nurses who wish to practise in Australia
• Assessing an applicant’s qualifications to establish whether they are equivalent to an Australian qualification
• Developing standards, codes and guidelines for the nursing and midwifery profession

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) assesses applications for registration from internationally qualified nurses and midwives on behalf of the NMBA.

The NMBA is governed by the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law as in force in each state and territory and is responsible for the final decision on each application.
International applicants must meet the registration standards and qualification criteria to be eligible for registration.

Applicants and their agents must fill out :

• A Registration form with
• Appropriate documents and
• Evidence attached and
• Forward this to Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
• AHPRA will assess the application on behalf of the NMBA.

A number of documents will have to be sent Direct to AHPRA by;

• Nursing Councils where you have been, or are currently registered, AND
• Accreditation documents from the relevant Accreditation Agencies.

1.1. If your application is considered complete

This means AHPRA has received all the information to complete an assessment.

The standard timeframe for the assessment of a complete application is:

• Up to 10 days for graduate applications
• Up to 4-6 weeks for all other application types.
• Complex applications, including those from overseas, may take more time.

1.2. If your application is not considered complete

This means AHPRA has not received all the information to complete an assessment.

• A timeframe cannot be given here due to outstanding requirements.
• Incomplete information can extend assessment and approval time by many months
• It is important you provide all information that is required.

It is not unusual for an Overseas Nurse to take 12 months for approval, or worse still refusal.

 

 

1.3. Can I make an application without assistance & advice?

Yes you can, however, it is not unusual for an Overseas Nurse to take 12 months for approval, or worse still, be   refused.

While an application made without assistance and advice is cheaper, the lost time and income (approximately $1000 per week after tax) cancel out any perceived savings.

The standards and qualifications, and the evidence of these, are not negotiable with the NMBA or AHPRA

For some reason, most overseas nurses do not understand, that the NMBA is not negotiable on either;

• The standards and qualification criteria
• The evidence required to support these

Reluctance or inability, to provide appropriate evidence and documents will result in refusal of registration.

Australia has the best reputation in the world for safe practice in Nursing and the standards and qualifications are one of the reasons for this reality.

Australians have the longest life expectancy along with Japan, in the world, partly a result of the competency of the Nursing and Medical profession, and their dedication to excellence and high standards of care.

1.4. How can Nursing Careers Australia assist me with my application?

Nursing Careers Australia has been dealing with the NMBA for 10 years and understands;

• The documents required
• The form these documents MUST take
• The required MANDATORY evidence
• The importance of providing a COMPLETE application
• Understand the assessment process and the requirements
• The Health and Migration laws relative to the Nursing profession
• Have the ability and authority to communicate directly with the assessor to ensure your application is processed successfully.
• The new assessment model used by the NMBA is extremely complicated and difficult to understand.
• Nursing Careers Australia has the experience and legal knowledge to interpret this for you, and assit you to fulfil the mandatory requirements.

Internationally qualified nurses and midwives who apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) are assessed against the NMBA Registration Standards and the Qualification Criteria of the Assessment Model.

1.1.      Registration Standards

Registration Standards define the requirements that applicants must meet to be considered fit to practise as nurses and midwives.

1.2.      Qualification Criteria

Qualification Criteria define the minimum acceptable education and training that international applicants must   have undertaken.
Applicants must meet all registration standards and qualification criteria in order to be eligible for registration without conditions or limitations.
The current model for the assessment of international qualifications was implemented by the NMBA on 10 Feb 2014.
The model guides the NMBA assessment of international applicants to decide if they have educational qualifications that are ‘substantially equivalent’ to an NMBA-approved Australian qualification under section 53(b) of the National Law.
This is critical information to help the NMBA decide if an international applicant is qualified to provide safe care to patients in Australia.

Registration standards define the requirements that applicants, registrants or students need to meet to be registered.

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia has developed the following registration standards for Overseas Qualified Nurses registering in Australia for the first time:

1.1.      English Language Skills

AHPRA and the Nurse & Midwives Board of Australia (NMBA) has recently (1 July 2015), updated their English language skills requirement:

1. Undergo a valid English language Test exam (IELTS, OET, PTE or TOEFL) and achieve a minimum score as shown in the table below.

• The Nurse & Midwives Board of Australia (NMBA) approved tests are;

 

Name of Test Provider	Overall	Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking
IELTS Academic	7.0	7.0	7.0	7.0	7.0
OET	B	B	B	B	B
PTE Academic	65	65	65	65	65
TOEFL iBT	94	24	24	27	23

•  The required score in each module of any of the above tests can be achieved as follows;
  • From one test sitting
  • A maximum of two test sittings in a 6-month period only if:
    • You achieve a minimum overall score of 7 in each sitting OR
    • You achieve a minimum score of 7.0 in each component across the two sittings AND
    • No score in any component of the test is below 6.5
• Test results MUST be achieved 2 years before the date you lodge your application for registration.

 

2. The ONLY exceptions to the above requirements are;

• Qualified Nurses who are able to demonstrate 5-6 years of full time primary, secondary and tertiary education in one of the following seven recognised countries;
  • Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, UK, USA.
• The 5-6 years of full time education can include either secondary, or tertiary (post-secondary) education and MUST include;
• Evidence of a minimum of 2 years full-time pre-registration study approved by relevant Nurses Board in one of the above countries.

3. If you believe you satisfy any these requirements please contact us, as we can verify if you qualify,

4. The detail of these regulations is exceptionally complicated, and if you lodge an application incorrectly the NMBA will charge an application/assessment/registration fee of $520 and retain the application/assessment fee of $360 and reject your application.

1.2.      Criminal History

A Criminal history check for all countries in which the Nurse has been registered.

1.3.      Recency of Practice

Registered Nurses must have undertaken sufficient practice to demonstrate competence in their professions within the preceding five years.

Practice their profession within the past five years for a period equivalent to a minimum of three months full time.

1.4.      Professional Indemnity Insurance

Nurses and midwives must not practise their respective profession unless they are covered by appropriate professional indemnity insurance (PII) arrangements.

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) assesses each application against the Registration Standards and the Qualification Criteria as published.

There are several possible outcomes for your application:

1.1.      Registration

• Registration granted
• In principle registration
• Registration with conditions and a notation

1.2.      Refusal

• Refusal and referral to an NMBA Bridging Program conducted in Australia
• Registration after reapplying at the successful conclusion of the Bridging Course.

The NMBA has found that nursing and midwifery qualifications issued by education institutions in the countries listed below are likely to meet the requirements for criteria 2 and 3 because there are systems of regular external review (as described above) that have been in place for more than 10 years.

• Canada
• Republic of Ireland
• United Kingdom
• United States of America

The NMBA cannot determine conclusively whether or not a nursing or midwifery qualification meets the requirements for criteria 2 and 3 unless this documentation is provided.

Nursing Careers Australia can assist you in providing the appropriate documentation to enable the NMBA will determine that your qualification does meet the requirements.

The NMBA has found nursing and/or midwifery qualifications issued by education institutions in certain countries may meet the requirements for criteria 2 and 3 because:

some, but not all, education institutions and nursing education programs are subject to the systems of regular external review described above,

Qualifications in this category include those completed in the following countries:

• Belgium – Flanders region (nursing and midwifery)
• Hong Kong (nursing and midwifery)
• Pakistan (nursing and midwifery)
• Singapore (nursing and midwifery)

The NMBA has found nursing and midwifery qualifications issued by education institutions in the following countries are unlikely to meet the requirements for criterion 2 and/or criterion 3 because education institutions and/or nursing and/or midwifery education programs are not subject to systems of regular external review described above

Countries are unlikely to meet the requirements for Criterion 2 and/or Criterion 3
Albania	Denmark	Iraq	Nepal	Serbia	Thailand
Austria	Estonia	Israel	Netherlands	Slovenia	Turkey
Barbados	Fiji	Italy	Nigeria	South Africa	Ukraine
Belgium	Macedonia	Japan	Norway	South Korea	Zambia
Bosnia	France	Jordan	Palestinian	Spain
Brazil	Germany	Kenya	Philippines	Sri Lanka
Bulgaria	Ghana	Lebanon	Poland	Swaziland
Cambodia	Greece	Lithuania	Portugal	Switzerland
China	India	Malaysia	Romania	Sweden
Colombia	Iran	Namibia	Saudi Arabia	Taiwan

The NMBA will refuse you registration if your qualification does not meet the requirements for criteria 2 and 3 or you do not provide the relevant documentation.

However, you may be referred to an NMBA-approved bridging program if your qualification meets criteria 1, 4, 5 and 7 and you meet all registration standards.

The mandatory requirements to be referred to a Bridging course require that Mandatory Registration Standards and the Qualification criteria 1,4,5, and 7 be satisfied at a minimum. These include:

1.1.      Mandatory Registration Standards

• English Language Skills
• Criminal History
• Recency of Practice
• Professional Indemnity Insurance

1.2.      Mandatory Qualification Criteria

• Criteria 1 Registration in Country of Origin
• Criteria 4 Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing
• Criteria 5 Workplace Experience-Clinical Practice
• Criteria 7 Graduation with Nursing Qualification at level AQF 7

A bridging program is a program of study approved by the NMBA that enables Internationally Qualified nurses and midwives:

• who do not qualify for registration under section 53(b) of the National Law
• to meet the requirements under section 53(c) by completing further study and assessment
• against the NMBA’s Competency Standards.

To be eligible, international applicants must be referred to a bridging program by the NMB following assessment that they meet the minimum Mandatory Registration Standards and Qualification Criteria.

Applicants who do not wish to undertake a bridging program can upgrade their current nursing or midwifery qualification either in:

• Australia or
• Overseas

If overseas you need to be sure the degree meets the accreditation requirements of criteria 2 and 3, many do not.

All NMBA-approved bridging programs for registered nurses are listed on the AHPRA website.

• Entry to a bridging program of study for registration first requires a letter of referral from the NMBA.
• Bridging programs are offered by independent education providers approved by the NMBA

The pricing and availability of the programs are determined by the education provider, not the NMBA.

Although there are approved bridging programs for midwives, none are currently being offered by education providers.

Until NMBA-approved bridging programs for midwives are offered by education providers, midwives can upgrade their qualifications by:

• Enrolling in a NMBA-approved program of study leading to registration as a midwife in Australia, and
• Seeking credit for previous study).
• The decision to recognise previous study is made by the education provider.
• The NMBA does not influence this decision.

The course is usually 12 weeks and structured as follows;

• Theory/Laboratory component is approximately 4 weeks and
• Clinical Placement 8 weeks.

The NMBA approves programs and providers, but does not determine the cost of the program

A Bridging Course is typically conducted over a 12-week period at a cost of $11,000-$14,000
Education providers who run bridging programs determine the cost of each program.
Bridging Programs are expensive for the following reasons;

• Nurses practising without registration under supervision require substantial insurance
• The cost of experienced and senior supervisory staff in Australia is well over $50 per hour
• All hospitals and health facilities now charge Education providers for utilising their facilities and staff
• Rental of commercial property to conduct classroom education and laboratory training is expensive.
• Sophisticated equipment, required for clinical training is expensive.
• All facilities and placement hospitals are subject to audit and approval by the NMBA.

Once the NMBA refers you to a bridging program, we will close your application.

• After you successfully complete a NMBA-approved bridging program,
• You are then eligible to make a new application for registration.
• This means a new application form with relevant fees and documentation.

You will only need to resubmit any documentation that has expired. As we will still have record of your previous documentation, you can refer to it without needing to resubmit it.

The NMBA will assess any future application you make based on;

• The legislative requirements and registration standards in place at the time that your application is received,
• The successful completion of an NMBA-approved Bridging Program of study.

If Nursing Careers Australia has assisted, you with the AHPRA application initially we will advise you on the correct procedure.

We are aware of several nurses who did not seek professional advice left Australia after their Bridging Course.

They failed to follow the correct procedure and were advised by the NMBA that they would be required to return to Australia before registration could be granted.

As for the application you should seek professional advice about all registration procedures.

The NMBA procedures and requirements are is not optional or negotiable.

You must:

• Complete and submit an AGBP-40 application form and make all declarations required in the form.
• Pay the registration and application fees; the overseas assessment fee is not charged when making a new application after completion of a bridging program.
• Provide a copy of your course completion certificate from the bridging program.
• Provide all identification requirements (as detailed in the Proof of Identity fact sheet) not previously provided.
• Arrange for a new Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Registration Status to be sent to AHPRA directly from the relevant authority.

If your work history has changed since you initially applied for registration, you must:

• Provide an updated Statement of Service from your employer(s) covering the time since you initially applied
• Submit a new curriculum vitae that describes your full practice history and any training undertaken in accordance with the Information and definitions section of the AGBP-40 application form.
• You will be required to apply for an international criminal history check if you:
  • declare a criminal history outside Australia, and/or
  • have lived in a country other than Australia for six consecutive months or more since the age of 18.
• If applicable, you must provide on details of any impairment that affects your capacity to practice.
• If your NMBA-approved English language test has expired, you must provide:
  • a new certificate, or
  • evidence that you have been continuously enrolled in a program of study taught and assessed in English and approved by the recognised nursing and/or midwifery regulatory body in any of the countries listed in the English language registration standard.

Upon review of the submitted documentation, you may be requested to provide additional documentation.

All documentary evidence must meet the AHPRA certification requirements.

You will only be registered if you have successfully completed the NMBA-approved bridging program and meet all the NMBA’s other registration requirements.

• If you complete a bridging program not approved by the NMBA, your application for registration will be refused.
• If you complete a bridging program not first been assessed, and referred by the NMBA, you may be refused.

Once the NMBA has approved your registration, you are eligible for a work visa, either;

• after completing a Bridging Program or

after you are assessed by the NMBA and meet all Registration Standards and all 7 Qualification Criteria,

There are two major categories of visas with work right,s that as a Registered Nurse in Australia, you can apply for:

1.1.       Temporary Work Visas

The usual visa applied for, if a Registered Nurse wishes to work in Australia, is a subclass 457

While there are other temporary visas that have work rights, such as a Holiday Work visa, these normally do not allow work for extended periods of time.

1.2.       Permanent Residence Visas

There are a wide range of Permanent Residence visas that have work rights, without significant restrictions, as is the case with the subclass 457 visa.

Permanent Resident visas are granted for 5 years, but renewable, and rarely cancelled, if the holder is resident in Australia for at least 3 out of the 5 years, and has no security breaches during the time they hold the visa.

The 457 visa program is designed to fill skill shortages that cannot be met from the local labour market.
Holders of a 457 visa can be approved for a short period such as 3 months or a maximum period of 4 years.
It is possible to renew a 457 visa, provided a new nomination and application is submitted and the sponsors approval is current.

This visa allows you to:

• Work in Australia for up to four years
• Bring your family to work or study in Australia
• Travel in and out of Australia as often as you want.
• Apply for permanent residence sponsored by the employer
• The applicant can be in or outside Australia when their application is lodged

The main requirements of this visa include;

• An approved employer is required to sponsor the main applicant
• The main applicant must work in the business of the sponsor
• This visa is usually granted on a full time basis (at least 30 hours per week)
• The employer is required to assume certain responsibilities for the applicant and their family
• The main applicant is required to work only for the sponsor
• The visa is approved for a particular position and occupation
• If the occupation changes or the holder is promoted, a new nomination is required
• The holder of a 457 visa is eligible for Permanent Residence nomination by the employer
• Employers often sponsor holders of this visa for Permanent Residence if they are satisfied with their performance.

Sponsorship for the 457 visa is more difficult to find over the last 2 years as employers have preferred to employ Permanent Residents if available.

Nursing Careers Australia does have access to employers who are prepared to employ Registered Nurses on a 457 visa, provided they are prepared to agree to a 4 year contract.

Usually after 2 years on this 4-year contract, the employer is prepared to offer sponsorship for Permanent Residence for the remaining 2 years of the contract.

There are approximately at least well over 3,000 jobs advertised every month on the main internet site in Australia, Seek.com, and Indeed.com.

The current job market has vacancies in the following segments:

• Aged Care
• Regional Areas
• Acute Care
  • Operating Theatre
  • Dialysis
  • Mental Health
  • Orthopaedics
  • A&E
  • Other specialty areas

Employers prefer Registered Nurses who;

• Will commit to a 4-year contract on a 457 visa
• Nurses who are prepared to live in Regional & Remote Areas
• Experienced Nurses with at least 2-3 years’ experience
• Nurses will excellent communication skills

Agents overseas may advise you that you can apply to migrate to Australia, either Temporarily or Permanently, because you are a Registered Nurse in your country of origin or any other country, where you may have lived and worked.

They may further advise that if you apply to the Australian Nurses and Midwives Accreditation Council (ANMAC) for a skills assessment, which if positive, will make you eligible for a Temporary or Permanent work visa.

This advice is incorrect, either due to lack of knowledge or deliberately fraudulent, in order to extract money from you on the basis you can be approved for a work visa in Australia.

As an overseas Registered Nurse it is not possible to be approved for a temporary work visa or Permanent Residence if you are not registered as a Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).

If your partner or spouse is a Permanent resident sponsoring, you, or includes you as a dependent on his sponsored work visa you can live in and work in Australia, but until you are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), you cannot work as a Registered Nurse.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council’s (ANMAC) is authorised by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP). to assess the skills of nurses and midwives seeking to migrate to Australia under Australia’s General Skilled Migration program.

However, a successful outcome of a skills assessment by ANMAC does not qualify an applicant for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia to work in Australia.

ANMAC under Australia Health law, cannot register nurses, it can only assess skills

The registration process is independent and separate to the skilled migration process.

To work as a nurse or midwife in Australia you must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and meet the Board’s registration standards.

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) cannot by law, and will not, grant you a visa based on a positive Skills Assessment by ANMAC, unless you are Registered with the NMBA.

Not all Temporary work visas or Permanent visas require a skills assessment to be approved for a visa, and in fact the majority of work visas granted to nurses do not require a skills assessment by ANMAC.

However, in every case without exception, as Nurse, you must be registered with NMBA to be granted

By law ANMAC cannot, and does not register nurses to work in Australia. This is the responsibility of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.

A formal Skills Assessment by ANMAC is usually not required for Temporary work visas sponsored by an Employer, since the Department of Immigration is confident an employer is capable of accurately assessing an applicant’s skills in the occupation of Nursing.

Skills Assessments are usually required by the Department of Immigration when a Registered Nurse is applying for Permanent Residence if the nurse has NOT worked for the employer for at least 2 years, or is applying independently without an employer as a sponsor.

A formal Skills Assessment by ANMAC provides the Department of Immigration with the following:

• Assurance the applicant is registered with Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).
• The applicant has work experience that may qualify for points under the skilled migration scheme
• The applicant has a degree that is equivalent to an Australian Bachelor of Nursing degree and may qualify for points under the skilled migration scheme.
• The work experience of the applicant equates to work at an appropriately skilled level as a Registered Nurse.

A successful outcome of a skills assessment by ANMAC does not qualify an applicant for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia to work in Australia, nor does it guarantee the awarding of points under the Skilled Migration Scheme.