Moving to Australia as a Nurse
Nursing is one of the most reliable routes into Australia, but the sequence trips people up: registration and skills assessment are two different processes run by two different bodies, and doing them in the wrong order wastes months. This guide sets out the order, the decision points, and how nursing pay actually works once you arrive.
Quick answer
Overseas nurses need registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia through AHPRA before they can practise, and a separate ANMAC skills assessment for a points-tested skilled visa. Registration is about your right to work; the skills assessment is about your visa. Start registration first — it takes the longest, and a skills assessment is of little use if you cannot register.
Two processes, two bodies, one order
The most common and most expensive mistake is treating registration and skills assessment as the same step. They are not, and they are assessed by different organisations against different criteria.
AHPRA, acting for the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, decides whether you may practise as a nurse in Australia. ANMAC decides whether your qualifications and experience meet the standard for a skilled migration visa. You will generally need both, and you should begin the registration pathway first because it governs whether working in Australia is possible at all.
Employers will ask about your registration status, not your skills assessment. A job offer is often contingent on registration being underway or complete.
The registration pathway
Internationally qualified nurses are assessed against the NMBA's standards for the division they are applying to — most commonly Registered Nurse, with a separate pathway for Enrolled Nurses and for midwives.
Depending on where you trained, your route may involve an outcomes-based assessment with a written component and a practical clinical assessment, or a more direct pathway if your qualification and regulatory system are closely comparable to Australia's. Nurses from the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, the United States and a number of other jurisdictions often follow a shorter route than those from countries whose systems differ more substantially.
Because the specific pathway depends on your country of qualification and can change, confirm your route directly with AHPRA before paying for anything. The registration standards and the current pathway definitions are the authority on this — not a recruitment agency's summary, and not this page.
English language requirements
English is assessed twice — once by the NMBA for registration and once by the Department of Home Affairs for your visa — and the registration standard is usually the higher bar.
The NMBA accepts several tests, including IELTS Academic and OET, and applies minimum scores across each component rather than an overall average. This catches people out: a strong overall score with one weak component will not satisfy a per-component minimum. There are recognised-country and prior-education exemptions for some applicants.
For the visa itself, higher English scores also earn points on the points test, so a strong result can serve both purposes.
Which visa
Nursing occupations have appeared consistently on Australia's skilled occupation lists, which opens several routes.
- Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent) — points-tested, no sponsor required, permanent from grant. The highest bar and the most freedom.
- Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated) — points-tested with state or territory nomination, which adds points and often has its own occupation criteria. Permanent from grant, with an expectation you live in the nominating state.
- Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional) — provisional, regional, with a pathway to permanent residency. Nursing demand outside the capitals is strong and nomination is often more attainable.
- Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) — employer-sponsored and temporary, and frequently the fastest way into the country when a hospital or aged-care provider wants you now.
How Australian nursing pay actually works
This is the part overseas nurses are least prepared for, and it matters more than any headline salary figure.
Public sector nursing pay is set by state and territory enterprise agreements, not by individual negotiation. Each agreement defines graded levels — Registered Nurse Level 1 with incremental years, then Level 2 and above for senior and specialist roles — and your pay is largely determined by which increment you are placed on. That placement is negotiable in the sense that recognised overseas experience can move you up the scale, so evidence of your years of practice is worth assembling carefully before you accept an offer.
On top of base pay, shift penalties for nights, weekends and public holidays make a substantial difference to actual earnings, and superannuation is paid by the employer on top of salary rather than deducted from it. Comparing an Australian offer against a UK or Irish salary on base pay alone will understate it.
Rates differ between states and are renegotiated periodically, so check the current enterprise agreement for the state you are moving to rather than relying on a salary aggregator.
A realistic sequence
For most nurses, this order minimises wasted time and money:
- Confirm your registration pathway with AHPRA for your country of qualification.
- Sit the English test that satisfies the NMBA standard, aiming above the minimum in every component.
- Begin the registration application, including any required assessments.
- Apply to ANMAC for the skills assessment for your nominated occupation.
- Submit an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect, or pursue employer sponsorship if you want to arrive sooner.
- Plan the physical move only once you have a visa outcome or a firm sponsored offer.
Sources & further reading
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia — registration standards
- AHPRA — overseas practitioners
- ANMAC — skills assessment for migration
- Department of Home Affairs — skilled visas
Figures are indicative and were last reviewed on 27 July 2026. Always confirm current fees and requirements with the relevant official authority before acting.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need AHPRA registration before applying for a visa?
Not strictly for every visa, but in practice you should start it first. Registration determines whether you can work as a nurse in Australia at all, takes the longest, and is what employers ask about. A skills assessment without a viable registration pathway is of limited use.
How long does the whole process take?
Plan in months, not weeks. English testing, registration assessment, skills assessment and the visa itself each have their own timeline, and they only partly overlap. Nurses who move quickly are usually those who started the registration pathway early and had documentary evidence of their experience ready.
Is my UK or Irish nursing qualification recognised in Australia?
Nurses qualified in comparable regulatory systems, including the UK and Ireland, generally follow a shorter registration route than those from systems that differ more substantially. That is not the same as automatic recognition — you still apply, still meet the English standard, and still satisfy recency-of-practice requirements. Confirm your specific pathway with AHPRA.
Which state is best for nurses?
It depends on what you want from the move rather than on pay alone. Enterprise agreements differ between states, regional roles often carry nomination advantages and incentives, and cost of living varies enormously — a higher Sydney salary can leave you worse off than a regional post. Consider nomination criteria, the agreement rates and housing costs together.
Can I bring my family?
Yes. Skilled visas allow you to include a partner and dependent children, and a partner with their own skilled occupation may add points to your application. Factor in the Australian school year starting in late January when planning arrival timing.
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