Australia clearly has its attractions – stunning beaches, beautiful weather and an infamous laid-back lifestyle. But if you’ve previously been put off by the paperwork of taking up nursing in Australia, it’s getting even easier for nurses to make the move. From last July, nurses no longer need to register with each individual state to practise. Instead, the country, like the UK, has a national registration and accreditation scheme run by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. Add that to the fact that nurses are in high demand in Australia, and as such their visa applications usually get top priority, and you have the makings of a pretty smooth move down under.

Australia is looking for nurses in all specialisms
Dependent on certain criteria, you can have the option of moving permanently as a skilled migrant, working temporarily in the country, or, for those just looking for a taste of the delights Australia has to offer who are aged between 18 and 30, you can head there for a working holiday. There are also options to get occupational trainee visas if you are looking to undertake a supervised training programme in the workplace to improve your skills.

You’ll need to be able to prove that you are proficient in speaking the English language, and there are a number of tests you can take to demonstrate that, and you’ll also need to provide evidence that you are qualified to practise as a nurse.

If this all feels like too much paperwork, you can employ the services of a migration agent, who will advise you how to apply for a work visa, as well as counselling you in choosing the best area to live in terms of schools or lifestyle, as well as help you with finding a property and your financial arrangements.

Useful websites to help you make the move:

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council

• anmc.org.au/faqs
  
• www.anmc.org.au/migration_skills_assessment
• www.anmc.org.au/recognition_of_skills

Immigration and visa service

• www.australia-migration.com/page/Immigration_and_Visas/6
  

Department of Immigration and Citizenship

• www.immi.gov.au

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia

• www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au

How do I apply to have my skills assessed? You apply online. To make it quicker and easier it is helpful to start by going to application options. Here you select what type of applicant you are. This will take you to the correct information you need to apply for the right type of migration skills assessment.

Do I require a full assessment or modified assessment? If you hold current registration as a nurse and/or midwife in Australia and/or New Zealand, you qualify for a modified assessment. If you hold registration anywhere else in the world you need a full assessment.

What do I need to work in Australia as a nurse of midwife? To work in Australia as a nurse or midwife, you need to be registered and maintain a current licence giving you authority to practice. Without this you would be working illegally.

To register you need to contact the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). AHPRA’s website has more information about what the agency does and for their contact details.

Where can I find information on where to work? ANMAC does not provide information on where you can find employment as a nurse or midwife. It is not our role to do so.

You can look for work on employment websites that include opportunities for nurses and midwives. To find these, search through your web browser, using phrases like ‘nursing employment Australia', ‘midwifery employment Australia’ and ‘health jobs’.

Do I need to do an English language test as part of my migration skills assessment? If you are an international applicant you have to provide evidence of your English language abilities as part of your migration skills assessment. Australia is an English speaking country and it is important that healthcare professionals working here are proficient in English (reading, speaking, writing and listening skills). This enables nurses and midwives to communicate competently and safely with patients and their families, colleagues and other health professionals.
All internationally-qualified nurses and midwives without Australian or New Zealand registration have to apply for full assessment to ANMAC. This requires you to complete an English proficiency test.


What English language test does ANMAC accept? We accept successful completion of either of these English language tests:

1. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Test. Nurses and midwives must achieve a score of 7 or more in reading, listening, writing and speaking with an overall band score of 7 or more of this test.
2. Occupational English Test (OET) For Nurses. Nurses and midwives must achieve a B pass or higher in all four sections of this test.

Important! You must get minimum scores in one sitting. Tests are valid for 2 years. You only have to pass one of these tests, not both.

How do I get an employer to sponsor me? ANMAC does not provide information on employer sponsorship. It is not our role to do so.
You need to contact employers and nursing and/or midwifery agencies directly for this. For more information visit Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

I am coming to Australia on a working holiday or temporary visa. Do I need a migration skills assessment by ANMAC? No. You only need to have your qualifications and skills assessed by ANMAC if you are migrating to Australia under General Skilled Migration. DIAC will advise you if a skills assessment is required for your particular visa.

What can I do to fast track my application? ANMAC does not fast track applications. To be fair and equal to all applicants, we assess applications in the order we receive them, not in any other kind of priority order. There is no point, therefore, in contacting us to ask for your application to be fast tracked or treated as a priority.

Can I appeal the result of my migration skills assessment by ANMAC? Yes. Follow these 2 steps:

1. Write ANMAC an email including your full name, date of birth, registration number and stating why you are appealing. You must do so within 30 days of the date on the Letter of Determination you received from us that states you are not suitable for migration.
2. Pay a $390.00 fee to have your application for appeal considered. This is non-refundable. ANMAC only accepts Visa and Mastercard payments.

What if I do not agree with the outcome of ANMAC’s appeal?

The outcome of our review is final.

How long does it take to process my skills assessment application? It usually takes 12 to 14 weeks for ANMAC to assess your application. However it can take at least if:

1. We are busy with a large number of applications to assess (for example, graduation time).
2. You do not provide all the information we need to assess your application.

When you do not provide everything we need, we contact you to get you to send it to us. This causes delays, especially for those living overseas.

To make sure you know what you have to send us, read the online information carefully.

What do I do if I have not heard from ANMAC on the outcome of my skills assessment and I am worried my visa will run out? We email you or your nominated agent during the assessment process at the right time. There is no need to contact us as this slows down the assessment process.

What happens when you get my application and payment? Once you have completed the online application form and made your payment, we email you:

• a receipt
• reference number
• your application documents
• further instructions.

How can I check the status of my application? We will contact you regularly to update you. You do not need to regularly phone or email us. This only slows the assessment process down.

What is a verification of registration letter and why do I need one? Depending on where you are from this could also be called a verification of registration letter or a certificate of good standing. Whatever the name, this document confirms your registration and good standing as a nurse or midwife. It comes from the organisation responsible for registering nurses and midwives in your country or jurisdiction of current registration.

This organisation must send an original document to ANMAC via post. We cannot accept a photocopy, fax or scanned copy of the letter from you or any other source.

Once received, we keep your verification of registration letter on file and match it to your application when we process it..

When I apply, which Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) Code do I use? To apply under an ANZSCO Code you must have evidence that you are currently registered as a nurse or midwife, and practising in the field. If your area of expertise is not listed you need to nominate 254499 (nec) as your ANZSCO code.

Descriptions of each occupation can be found on the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ website.

Who can certify the documents I need to send to ANMAC for assessment? The only people who can certify your documents are a:

• Legal Practitioner
• Justice of the Peace
• Peace Commissioner
• Commissioner of Oaths
• Commissioner of Declarations
• Notary PublicJudge
• Magistrate
• person legally designated to sign documents from an embassy or consulate.

ANMAC recommends you ask the same person who certifies your application form to certify all other documents.

Does the person who certifies my documents just sign each one? No. They have to do more than that. The person who certifies your documents has to:

1. Include this statement on every document: I certify that this is a true copy of the original document
2. Put their signature underneath this statement.
3. State which profession they are a member of (they must be on ANMAC’s list of accepted professionals)
4. Include the date, their contact address and their phone number.
5. Apply an official stamp or seal, if available.

Who can I use for my professional references? You should use the person who managed or supervised you. This person must be a registered nurse or midwife.

What information do my professional references need to provide? On official letterhead your professional references need to provide:

• your dates of employment
• your areas of experience
• a statement about your professional competence as a nurse or midwife
• examples of your professional competence as a nurse or midwife.

Your referee needs to date their original letter and include their name, position and signature on it. 

ANMAC has provided an example (71 KB)that helps to explain the criteria listed above.

If your professional references do not meet these criteria then we will not accept their reference. This will slow down your application processing time because you will have to find another reference.

What is a 'transcript or syllabus' of nursing or midwifery education? Transcript

A transcript is a document your training or educational institution or university issues to outline the subjects you have taken (content by subject and the amount of theoretical and clinical time).

Some institutions will send the transcript directly to us and others will send it to you (in this case you need to certify a copy and send to ANMAC). This can be done at any time, including before you send your completed migration skills assessment application to us. Once received, we will keep your transcript on file and match it to your application when we process it.

Syllabus

If you are cannot obtain a transcript, ANMAC will accept a syllabus covering the course details from the period in which you were trained. This syllabus must come directly from the training institution or the nursing and/or midwifery regulatory authority in the country where you were trained. We will not accept a syllabus you send yourself.

What happens if my training institution has closed? If you cannot get a transcript because your training institution has closed, you can apply to the nursing and/or midwifery regulatory authority in the country where you were trained and ask them to send ANMAC the syllabus information relating to your period of training. The syllabus must come directly from the institution or authority. We will not accept a syllabus you send yourself.

What is an initial registration certificate? An initial registration certificate is one of the supporting documents you need to provide when you send ANMAC your online application for migration assessment. It is issued by the nursing and/or midwifery regulatory authority that has registered you as a nurse and/or midwife.

The initial registration certificate is generally the size of a sheet of A4 paper.

What is a practicing licence? A practicing licence is the official document you receive after paying a registration fee to your nursing and/or midwifery regulatory authority.  

The length of time the license is valid varies. Some are renewed every year and others less often. Some regulatory authorities (for example AHPRA) do not issue these licences.

A practising license is generally the size and shape of a credit card.

Assessment process
ANMAC’s assessment process is methodical and thorough. This ensures we perform our duties to the highest standards on behalf of the Australian Government. It also ensures we support ANMAC’s duty to help protect the health and safety of the community by promoting high quality standards for nursing and midwifery education.

The assessment team in our International Services section handles all skills assessments of nurses and midwives for migration purposes. We assess both modified and full assessments at our office in Canberra, Australia. You do not need to be present for this.

We systematically follow these 3 steps when processing your application for skills assessment.

How is my ANMAC application form assessed?

1. Review application and supporting material We review your application form and supporting material. This is handled by our assessment team in the International Services section.
   
   You must be a registered nurse and/or midwife for us to assess you skills for migration purposes:
   
   
   • If you hold Australian or New Zealand registration you will be assessed under modified guidelines.
   • If you are registered elsewhere in the world you will need to undertake a full assessment.
2. Determine whether suitable or not suitable for migration The International Services assesses all of your documentation against our 5 standards for assessment.
   
   If you meet ALL 5 standards we will find you suitable for migration. If you do not meet one or more of the standards you will be found unsuitable for migration.
   
   
3. Letter of Determination When our assessment is complete, we send you or your migration agent a Letter of Determination. This tells you if we find your nursing and/or midwifery skills suitable or not suitable to migrate to Australia. We send this letter by mail because it has to be an original. We cannot scan, fax or email it.
   
   

Find out what to do after you receive your Letter of Determination

How to apply Go to the application options page and decide which type of applicant you are. Please ensure that you read all the back ground information before you proceed to the online form.