Home > How to Emigrate to Australia as a Nurse in 2023
How to Emigrate to Australia as a Nurse in 2023
Nurses can emigrate to Australia in 2023. Nurses are considered to be in high demand in Australia, and there are many visa options available for qualified and experienced nurses looking to immigrate to the land down under.
One option is the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), which is a permanent residence visa that allows skilled workers to live and work anywhere in Australia. To be eligible for this visa, you will need to have your qualifications and work experience assessed by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) and have a positive skills assessment.
Another option is the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190), which is a permanent residence visa that requires you to be nominated by a state or territory government. This visa also requires you to have your qualifications and work experience assessed by ANMAC and have a positive skills assessment.
You can also look into employer-sponsored visa, such as the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa (subclass 482) or the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) visa (subclass 187) which are temporary or permanent residence visa that requires sponsorship from an Australian employer.
Am I Eligible to Immigrate to Australia as a Nurse in 2023?
Firstly, you’ll need to score 65 Points on the Australian Immigration Points matrix.
Calculate age points to emigrate to Australia as a nurse
Age 18 – 24 = 25 points
Age 25 – 32 = 30 points
Age 33 – 39 = 25 points
Age 40 – 44 = 15 points
Age 45+ Not Eligible
Calculate work experience points to emigrate to Australia as a nurse
PHD = 20 points
Degree = 15 points
Trade Qualification = 10 points
Calculate English Language points to emigrate to Australia as a nurse
Good = 20 points
Medium = 10 points
Basic = 0 points
Calculate Partner Visa points to emigrate to Australia as a nurse
If your partner is under 45 and has an occupation on either of the in demand lists they could earn the overall application an extra 5 points by having their skills formally assessed for Australian Immigration.
Calculate Qualification points to emigrate to Australia as a nurse
Good = 20 points
Medium = 10 points
Basic = 0 points
There are no extra points for having a master’s or second degree
Calculate other bonus points to emigrate to Australia as a nurse
When you’re looking to emigrate to Australia as a Nurse and checking out your options you’ll find that its not just Australia as a whole that wants your skills on a federal basis, its also the individual states and territories themselves which have nursing on their ‘local’ in demand occupation lists.
For example, the following Australian States & Territories have an urgent need for Nurses and Midwives:
By agreeing to live and work in one of these States for a period of two years you can claim an extra five points on your overall visa application for State Nomination and Sponsorship (190 Visa). And if you agree to live outside of the major metropolitan areas then the following states may award you 10 extra points for a 489 visa.
New South Wales
Northern Territory
South Australia
Tasmania
Victoria
You Need a Positive Skills Assessment to Immigrate to Australia as a Nurse
In order to emigrate to Australia as a Nurse you’ll need a positive Skills Assessment with ANMAC, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council. It’s the job of ANMAC to establish your suitability to emigrate to Australia as a Nurse and is a complicated process.
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) is the organization responsible for assessing the qualifications and work experience of nurses and midwives who wish to emigrate to Australia. ANMAC is a national accreditation body that ensures that internationally qualified nurses and midwives meet the same standards as those qualified in Australia.
The Skills Assessment fee is the cost to have your qualifications and work experience assessed by ANMAC, it is a mandatory step in the process of emigrating to Australia as a nurse. The fee is used to cover the costs of processing your application, including assessing your qualifications, work experience, and English language proficiency.
The fee for ANMAC skills assessment varies depending on the type of assessment and on the country of your primary qualifications, it can range from $600 to $800 AUD.
To successfully pass the stringent criteria laid down by ANMAC for nurses emigrating to Australia you will need to provide:
Passport
Evidence of name change (if applicable)
Letter of Good Standing for migration purposes
Detailed and migration specific references from every employer
English Test Results
Degree Certificate
Degree Transcripts
Confirmation of the Theory and Practice hour components of your course
Theory & Practice Hours for ANMAC
ANMAC is now requiring a detailed statement of theory and practice hours. This can be included on the academic transcript although from many countries such as the USA, Canada and the UK this information is not included by default.
Syllabus
If you cannot obtain a transcript the assessment body will accept a syllabus covering course details from the period you were trained. This syllabus must come directly from the educational body and the assessment body cannot accept a syllabus you provide yourself.
What if your training Institution is closed?
In this instance you can apply to the nursing regulatory authority in your home country and ask them to post the syllabus information relating to your period of training to the skills assessment body.
References
You will need a reference from the person who directly manages or supervises you. This person must be a Nurse or Midwife. References need to include:
dates of employment
areas of expertise
a competence statement with examples of day to day activities
outline of CPD to date
Your referee needs to date their original letter and include their name position and contact details. The reference must be signed by the referee and should include their current PIN number from country of registration.
Fitness to Practice
You will need a verification / certificate of registration letter. This is a certificate of good standing , confirms your registration, good standing and fitness to practice. You will also need your initial registration certificate (this is an A4 size certificate not your card). At no point does the Assessment body want any original documents. These are never returned.
After your ANMAC skills assessment has been returned positive you’ll create and submit your Expression of Interest. The EOI, as its more commonly known is a pool or database of candidates all looking to emigrate to Australia as a Nurse.
If I’m a Nurse Emigrating to Australia how long does the Expression of Interest stage take?
Once your expression of interest is lodged it can take up to two years to be invited to apply although on average nurses tend to receive their invitations in around four months depending on points score.
How much does it cost to emigrate to Australia as a Nurse
The total fees do mount up so its important to have a clear idea of the financial side of emigrating to Australia as a Nurse:
ANMAC: $600-$800 AUD
Australian Visa Fee for the main applicant: $3755 AUD
Australian Visa Fee for the Second applicant such as partner or spouse: $1875
Australia Visa Fee for Children Under 18: $940
What does an Australia Visa Allow me to do?
As a qualified Nurse scoring 65 points you are eligible to emigrate to Australia on a 189, 190 and 489 Visa class. The 189 and the 190 allow you to live and work in Australia and can convert into Dual Citizenship and Nationality. The 489 initially lasts for four years and can convert into Permanent Status also. The Employer Sponsored Visa class is now known as the TSS Visa and can also lead to eventual Permanent residency status after a few years.
Once I emigrate to Australia as a Nurse can my family come with me?
Of course. Eligible family members include your partner / spouse and any children you have although each applicant does have to pass their own Character Background checks and their medicals.
Once I emigrate to Australia as a Nurse how do I get registered?
AHPRA is the Registration Body in Australia responsible for Nursing registration and whilst their requirements are like those of ANMAC there are some differences including the specific components of your qualification course being examined in detail.
The final stage of AHPRA requires that you present in person at an AHPRA office within three months of receiving an initial letter of determination therefore it’s usual practice to leave your AHPRA registration until you’ve received your invitation to apply to emigrate to Australia as a nurse.
Jane Njoma is an Australia Migration Agent who has many years of work experience as an Australian Migration Consultant and runs Lets Go Emigrate Australia as a Free Resource for Information on Immigrating to Australia. Jane believes in broader global access to Australian Immigration information and provides the information free of charge and making it available to the greatest number of people worldwide.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
