Australia PR for Nurses: Everything You Need to Know (2026)

Your first step is identifying your ANZSCO code. This code determines which visas you're eligible to apply for. Registered Nurses and Midwives generally sit on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), opening up all main skilled visa pathways.

It's easy to get confused between ANMAC and AHPRA, so let's clear that up. To apply for a skilled migration visa, the Department of Home Affairs requires a positive skills assessment from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC).

Meanwhile, to actually work as a nurse in Australia, you need to be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

• •The Pathway: If you're an internationally qualified nurse, you'll generally undergo ANMAC's Full Skills Assessment. Once you arrive or if you want to speed things up, gaining AHPRA registration allows you to apply for ANMAC's 'Modified Assessment', which is often smoother.
• •Processing Times: Currently, ANMAC advises a processing time of around 6 to 8 weeks for a skills assessment. Make sure your documents are perfect-requests for further information are the biggest cause of delays.
• •English Test Strategy (OET): While IELTS, PTE, and the in-person 'TOEFL iBT Australia' are accepted for your visa, the Occupational English Test (OET) is a firm favourite. If you score a Band B across all components, you'll satisfy both Home Affairs' English requirement and AHPRA's registration requirements simultaneously.

Nursing is competitive, but because the demand is so high, the points cutoff for an invitation is often lower than for fields like IT or accounting. Let's look at how nurses typically stack up on the points test.

State nomination (Subclass 190 and 491) is a fantastic avenue for nurses, particularly if your points score sits closer to 65. Because healthcare is a universal priority, almost every state and territory actively invites nurses.

• Western Australia (WA): WA has incredible demand for nurses, especially in regional areas. Perth is classified as regional for the 491 visa, making it a highly attractive option.
• Victoria (VIC): Victoria heavily prioritises healthcare workers, with a particular focus on mental health nurses and midwives.
• Queensland (QLD): With a growing population, Queensland consistently includes nursing on its priority lists.
• South Australia (SA): SA has a long history of warmly welcoming healthcare professionals, with Adelaide serving as a great regional base.
• New South Wales (NSW): NSW frequently invites Registered Nurses, particularly those willing to work in regional health districts.

Once you have your ANMAC skills assessment and English test results, you'll lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect. It's important to understand how invitations are handed out from here.

For the independent Subclass 189 visa, the government runs periodic invitation rounds. If multiple nurses have the exact same points score (e.g., 75 points), SkillSelect uses a tie-breaker called the Date of Effect. This is simply the date and time you reached that points score. The earlier you lodged or updated your EOI to reach that score, the higher up the queue you sit.

For state-nominated visas (190 and 491), the states run their own show. They don't wait for Home Affairs' invitation rounds. Instead, they look at their own quotas and priorities, picking candidates directly from the SkillSelect pool.

Want to make your application more competitive? Here are the most reliable ways for nurses to pick up extra points:

• Ace the English Test: Pushing your score from Proficient (10 points) to Superior (20 points) in the OET or IELTS is the single most powerful way to jump the queue.
• Australian Work Experience: Racking up local experience gives you extra points (5 points for 1 year, 10 for 3 years). Note that this combines with your overseas experience, capped at a maximum of 20 points total.
• NAATI CCL: If you speak a community language, passing the NAATI Credentialed Community Language test adds an easy 5 points to your tally.
• Partner Points: If your partner gets a skills assessment in an eligible occupation and passes their English test, they can contribute up to 10 points to your application.

A quick note: while some graduates (like IT or accounting) can claim 5 points for a Professional Year program, this isn't an option for nursing graduates.