Australia has skills shortage of registered nurses

Currently registered nurses are in great demand in Australia and those looking to emigrate can apply under the General Skilled Migration (GSM) Program. Applicants will need to meet the basic requirements for GSM, pass the Australian immigration Points Test and pass an occupation skills assessment to qualify for an Australian visa.

GSM is for professionals and other skilled migrants who have skills in particular occupations required in Australia and who are not sponsored by an employer. Australian Immigration uses a Skilled Occupation List (SOL) as part of their points system. In order to qualify for skilled migration to Australia, you must nominate an occupation from the SOL.

In order to qualify as a Registered Nurse applicants hold at least a bachelor degree or a combination of qualifications and experience that is comparable. In some instances, relevant experience and/or on-the-job training may be required in addition to the formal qualification.

Before emigrating to Australia as a skilled migrant you need to have your skills assessed by the relevant assessment authority for your occupation. For this occupation you will need to be assessed by Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMC).

In order to determine your eligibility to apply for registration as a nurse in Australia, you should apply for an assessment of your qualifications provided you hold, or are eligible to hold, a current nursing registration to practise either in your country of residence, country of origin, or the country where you received your degree.

Additionally, all internationally-qualified nurses and midwives without current Australian or New Zealand registration must complete an English proficiency test.

Before a nurse can be granted registration, they must meet the National Nursing Competency Standards. In order to do this you will need to contact the nursing regulatory authority in the state or territory where you wish to practice.

Once you have your positive assessment letter, you can apply for the skilled migration visa electronically and count your assessment points in the points test in order to qualify for the visa.

For the complete list of occupations on the SOL list please visit our information page.

If you would like to apply for Australia's General Skilled Migration program WorkPermit.com can help. WorkPermit.com is a specialist visa consultancy with over twenty years of experience dealing with visa applications. We can help with a wide range of visa applications to your country of choice. Please feel free to contact us for further details.