Migrate to Australia as a Nurse

Take your nursing career to Australia, with the migration process explained from start to finish.

Whether you are early in your career or ready for a change, these two guides explain the migration process for the nursing starting routes they cover. See how nursing registration, skills assessment and visa preparation connect, then follow the guide that fits your background.

Both complete self-guided PDFs · US$17 once.

Check If I Qualify

Cover of the Direct Pathway Migration Guide — **Direct Pathway**131 pages · registration first

Cover of the Skills Assessment Pathway Guide — **Skills Assessment Pathway**103 pages · assessment first

Check to See If You Qualify.

Recently qualified or further into your career? Compare your qualifications, registration and work history with the full criteria below. These guides cover only these two starting pathways. If neither matches, they aren’t for you right now.

Direct PathwayRegistration-first route · read the full criteria

You may qualify through either route:

Through Your Nursing Qualifications

Your nursing qualification—or combination of qualifications—must be:

Recognised for nurse registration where you studied, including any required pre-registration exams.
Externally accredited and quality-assured when awarded, meeting the NMBA’s requirements.
Comparable to an Australian bachelor’s degree or higher.

Qualifications from Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Singapore, Spain, the UK and the US are more likely to meet the accreditation requirement. Your qualification must still meet all three conditions.

Through Your Registration and Experience

Approved jurisdictions: UK, Ireland, US, British Columbia or Ontario in Canada, Singapore and Spain.

You must have:

Current or previous general RN registration in an approved jurisdiction.
At least 1,800 hours of RN practice in approved jurisdictions since 1 January 2017.

You must also fit one of these situations:

Qualified there: your nursing qualification was obtained in an approved jurisdiction and led to general RN registration there.
Qualified elsewhere: you obtained your nursing qualification on or after 1 January 2017, passed an approved jurisdiction’s regulatory examination process for internationally qualified nurses, and gained general RN registration in an approved jurisdiction since that date.

This registration-and-experience route excludes nurses whose sole qualification is in mental health, paediatric or disability nursing.

Skills Assessment PathwayAssessment-first route · read the full criteria

You need a nursing diploma or higher qualification that led to general RN registration, depending on the registration requirements in that country.

You must also have current or previous nurse registration in:

Canada · Hong Kong · Ireland · Singapore · Spain · UK · US

You must then fit one of these situations:

Bachelor of Nursing from Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, the UK or the US

The additional conditions below do not apply.

Other Nursing Qualifications — Including Diplomas

This group also includes nursing degrees from Singapore or Spain.

You must also have:

A qualification that led to general nursing registration after 1 January 2017.
Passed the relevant regulatory examination process in an approved country, where applicable.
Completed 1,800 hours of paid RN work since 1 January 2017 in that same country.

For either situation, you also need at least three months (260 hours) of paid work within the last five years, matching your nominated nursing occupation.

If one complete route above matches your background, use the guide for that route to plan the stages ahead. This self-check is not an official registration decision, skills assessment or visa outcome.

Buy the Guide — US$17

If no route matches—or you’re unsure—check the NMBA registration requirements for internationally qualified nurses and ANMAC skills assessment requirements before buying.

You can also compare the occupation guides.

See What’s Inside

Australia Doesn’t Have to Be Someone Else’s Move.

If you meet one of the starting pathways above, you have a reason to look seriously at Australia. You may want to practise in another health system, build your career overseas or make a home there.

The guides deal with the process behind that move: which nursing stage comes first, what evidence to prepare and how the later migration applications fit together.

A Route for Your Nursing Background.

The starting point depends on your qualifications, registration and experience. In the Direct guide, the Journey Map places Australian nursing registration before a separate skills assessment. The Skills Assessment guide starts with assessment and shows registration on its own track.

The Direct map from page 7 shows the sequence at a glance. Its Quick Start helps you check what you already have and what remains to prepare.

Buy the Guide — US$17

Journey Map from the Direct Pathway guide — The Direct route from nursing registration to visa preparation, on one page. Journey Map, page 7.

Understand the Visa Routes Behind Your Move.

The nursing pathway you start with does not decide which skilled migration option to investigate. The guides explain the independent, state-nominated and regional routes they cover, including where points, nomination or sponsorship, invitations and the visa application fit.

Worked examples and illustrated walkthroughs take you through the later stages when you are ready to prepare.

Work Out Your Own Nursing Points Score.

If you are looking at a points-based route, you need to see how age, English, education and employment contribute to your possible score. Ana’s illustrative nursing case shows the calculation in the Skills Assessment guide.

Use the worksheet to make your own estimate and mark which claims your records support, and which still depend on a result or document.

Completed calculation from the Skills guide’s illustrative nursing points case — See how age, English, education and work make up Ana’s illustrative nursing score. Skills Assessment guide, page 52.

Get the Right Record of Your Nursing Work.

If your route needs employment evidence, the Direct guide shows the difference between an employer-issued Statement of Service and a professional reference.

It includes request wording you can adapt for HR or a supervisor, plus a checklist to review the reply before you use it.

Buy the Guide — US$17

Comparison of a Statement of Service and professional reference inside the Direct guide — Compare the two letter types, adapt the request wording and check the reply. Direct Pathway guide.

Keep the Guide with You Beyond Submission.

The guides continue beyond submission. Illustrated EOI and visa chapters explain the applications; later pages cover messages and requests after lodgement, changes in circumstances, the written decision and what to read in a grant letter if a visa is granted.

The Skills Assessment excerpt shown here is from page 100. It explains what to monitor while an application is being processed.

Excerpt from the Visa Processing chapter covering messages, changed circumstances and the written decision — Guidance after lodgement, from the Skills Assessment guide, page 100. Excerpt from the actual PDF.

The Experience Behind These Guides.

Andy Michaels of Oz Unpacked has worked in migration for more than ten years and overseen hundreds of applications across occupations.

The pages shown here are from the guides themselves. You can read the examples and see how the work is explained before you decide to buy.

Keep Australia Moving Between Shifts.

You may work on your plans between shifts or return after a few busy weeks. The trackers and evidence register give you a place to note records, requests and follow-ups.

When you come back, you can see what you have done and what still needs attention.

Both Nursing Guides. One Payment.

US$17

Both complete PDFs are included. Follow the guide for the starting pathway you meet; the later migration chapters overlap.

Direct Pathway Migration Guide

131-page PDF. Australian nursing registration first, followed by skills assessment and migration planning. Includes the Journey Map, Quick Start and later application chapters.

Skills Assessment Pathway Guide

103-page PDF. Assessment first, with Australian nursing registration shown as a separate track. Includes a two-track map, evidence register and later migration chapters.

What You Get for Your Australian Nursing Plans

The guides include the maps, examples and working pages shown above, plus the six practical uses below.

Follow a Route Built Around Your Nursing Background.: The maps and Quick Start connect your qualifications, registration and experience to the relevant starting stages. You can see how the nursing work leads into migration, without assembling your plan from advice for nurses with different backgrounds.
Understand the Migration Options You’re Pursuing.: The skilled migration overview explains the independent, state-nominated and regional routes covered in the guides, including where nomination or sponsorship enters. You can understand what each route involves and how it connects to points, invitations and the later visa application.
Make Plans Using Your Own Points Calculation.: Follow Ana’s illustrative nursing example in the Skills guide, then use the worksheet for your circumstances. Distinguish what your records support from what still needs a result or document, and see the questions to resolve before building plans around the total.
Know How to Ask for the Nursing Records You Need.: The Direct guide’s employer-letter comparison, adaptable request wording and review checklist help you explain what you need to HR or a supervisor. Turn a vague requirement into a specific request and check the reply against the guidance.
Pick Up Your Plans Without Starting Over.: Trackers and the evidence register keep records, requests and follow-ups visible between busy weeks. When you have time for Australia again, return to the next outstanding item instead of reconstructing your preparation from memory.
Know What Comes After the First Nursing Stage.: The EOI and visa walkthroughs show how nursing history, qualifications, English results and other personal information enter the applications. Later chapters cover nomination, invitations and final review, so your purchase remains useful after the starting stage.

The Guidance Behind the Working Pages.

Official requirements are free to read. These guides explain how the covered nursing and migration stages connect.

Use the worked pages as you prepare: Ana’s points example, the employer-letter comparison, route maps and illustrated applications.

Both complete nursing PDFs

Buy the Guide — US$17

Before You Get Started

Do I Need to Read Both Guides?

No. Follow the guide for the starting pathway you meet. Both PDFs are included, but they cover alternative starting routes and their later migration chapters overlap.

Is This Useful If Australia Is Still Just an Idea?

Yes, if you meet one of the covered starting pathways. Begin with the route maps and skilled migration overview to understand the process before getting into individual applications. The worked examples and preparation pages are there when you need them.

What If I’ve Already Begun Preparing?

The value is in the detail as well as the overview. Compare your calculation with the nursing points example, adapt a request for an employer record or use the illustrated EOI and visa walkthroughs to review your preparation. Knowing the basic terms doesn’t make those working pages redundant.

Can I Read the Guides on My Phone?

Yes. The PDFs can be read on a phone, tablet or computer. A larger screen or printout gives you more room for detailed examples and working pages.

Start Your Nursing Move to Australia.

Follow your qualifying pathway with nursing examples and working pages, from the starting stages through migration applications and the written decision.

Both complete PDFs · US$17 one-time payment.

These guides cover only the two starting pathways above. If neither matches your qualifications, registration and experience, they aren’t the right purchase for you yet.

Your DetailsName and email

PaymentReview your order