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International Nurse Pathway: Study, Register and Work in AustraliaYour nursing experience can open a new pathway in Australia.

Explore the possible steps for internationally qualified nurses who want to study, seek registration or explore work opportunities in Australia.

Find my pathwayCheck official requirements

Guidance only. Registration and visa requirements must be confirmed with the relevant official authority.

  • Register
  • Study
  • Work

Stay safe. Be cautious of anyone promising guaranteed registration, guaranteed employment or guaranteed permanent residency. Read how to protect yourself.

Review status. Sources are being confirmed. The first review checked official links and terminology using search results, and a CareCareer team member is still to confirm each source page directly.

CareCareer provides general career and pathway information. It is not a migration agent, regulator, education provider or legal adviser.

Where would you like to start?

What best describes your situation?

Optional. Nothing you choose here is saved or sent anywhere.

Three connected, but separate, processes

These are three separate processes with different authorities. They can influence each other, but completing one does not complete another: a course does not grant registration, registration does not grant a visa, and a visa does not grant registration.

1 · Professional registration

Registration steps

Registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), through Ahpra, is how nurses become able to practise in Australia. It is a separate process from study and from any visa.

    • Explore

    Work out which of your situations applies before starting any application.

    • Verify

    The Self-check helps identify the assessment pathway that may apply to an internationally qualified nurse or midwife.

    • Prepare

    Gather evidence early. Some documents can take time to obtain.

    • Verify

    After the Self-check, the Board identifies the assessment stages that apply to your situation.

    • Apply
    • Await decision

    Applications are made through the official portal once the stages identified for you are complete.

    • Apply

    Once you hold registration, or where a role does not require it, look at roles that suit your experience.

2 · Study in Australia

Study steps

Studying is handled by education providers, with a student visa handled by the Department of Home Affairs. It does not replace the registration process.

Please note: Admission to a course does not guarantee professional registration, employment, permanent residency or a future visa.

    • Explore

    Check that a nursing program appears on the Board's list of approved programs before you commit.

    • Verify

    Each provider sets its own entry requirements, and they differ between providers and courses.

  3. Step 3 of 9: Check fees, location and delivery

    • Explore

    Compare total costs, campus locations, placement arrangements and delivery mode directly with each provider.

  4. Step 4 of 9: Apply to the provider

    • Apply

    Applications go to the education provider, not to CareCareer. Keep copies of everything you submit.

    • Await decision

    If a provider offers you a place, it issues the enrolment documents that a student visa application relies on.

    • Verify
    • Apply

    Investigate the requirements on the Home Affairs page for the Student visa (subclass 500) and how they apply to you.

  7. Step 7 of 9: Complete the course

    • Prepare

    Meet the provider's course requirements and any conditions that apply to your visa.

    • Verify

    Check registration with the NMBA and Ahpra separately. Finishing a course is one part of that process, not the whole of it.

    • Explore

    Work rights and any later visa are separate from your course and from registration. Check each with Home Affairs.

3 · Work and migration

Work and migration options

A visa is separate from professional registration. Whether any visa suits you depends on your circumstances, and eligibility is decided by Home Affairs, not by CareCareer. Where your situation is complex, consider a migration agent on the official register (see the safety section below).

Visa information is general. Whether any visa may suit you depends on your circumstances and the rules at the time. CareCareer does not assess visa eligibility, and nothing here means a visa is available to nurses or to you. Registration and visa requirements change. Always confirm current requirements with the official authority.

State and territory governments set their own nomination criteria, so check the relevant state or territory site. Where your situation is complex, consider a registered migration agent (see the safety section).

Explore related care roles while you plan

Some people look at related care roles while they work towards registration. These roles are different from registered nursing, and each has its own requirements.

  • You need the right to work in Australia, which depends on your visa. Check your visa conditions with Home Affairs.
  • Employers set their own requirements, such as checks, training and experience.
  • You must not practise beyond the scope of the role you are employed in, or present yourself as a registered nurse.
  • Working in one of these roles does not automatically lead to registration.

Requirements for these roles are set by employers and by bodies such as the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (official website, opens in a new tab) and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (official website, opens in a new tab).

Get ready

Document readiness checklist

A simple way to keep track of what you have gathered. Requirements differ between registration, study and visas, so treat this as a starting list, not a full one.

0 of 13 ready to review

  • Not yet checked
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This checklist is saved only in this browser. CareCareer does not ask for, upload or store your passport, identity documents or any document contents.

“Ready to review” only means you've gathered the item. It does not mean it meets any requirement. Exact document requirements may vary. Follow the current instructions from Ahpra/NMBA.

English and communication

English language requirements can apply in three different places, and each has its own rules. There is no single score that satisfies all of them.

Building day-to-day communication skills

  • Practise clinical handover and documentation in plain, precise English.
  • Get familiar with Australian health terminology, abbreviations and medication names.
  • Build confidence with patient and family communication, including asking for clarification.

You can also explore Academy learning resources. Registration and visa requirements change. Always confirm current requirements with the official authority.

Find my pathway

A short questionnaire to suggest where to look first

Seven short steps. It doesn't decide anything about registration, visas or jobs. It suggests where to look first and explains why. Your result is an educational guide, not a registration, visa or employment assessment.

Your nursing qualification

Where did you complete your nursing qualification?
Which best describes your qualification?

Please don't enter personal details. This questionnaire doesn't ask for a name, date of birth, passport or visa number, health or criminal-history details. Your answers stay on this page and are not saved or sent anywhere.

Courses you may wish to explore

Listings from providers on CareCareer. Listing a course is not an endorsement, and none of them is a route to registration or a visa on its own. For a specific course, use the education provider's own website. CareCareer course listings link to the provider.

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Nursing and care jobs

Current listings, filtered by role type. Always confirm requirements directly with the employer.

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Listings are posted by employers. CareCareer does not assume a role offers sponsorship or accepts overseas-qualified applicants. Each card shows only what the listing itself says.

Stay safe: fraud and scam awareness

Be cautious of anyone promising guaranteed registration, guaranteed employment or guaranteed permanent residency.

  • Use official government websites for registration and visa information.
  • Check that anyone giving paid migration advice is on the official register of migration agents.
  • Do not pay for job offers that are not genuine, or for a job offer that asks you to pay first.
  • Never use altered or false documents. Doing so can end an application and have serious consequences.
  • Don't share your passport or identity documents with organisations you haven't verified.
  • Confirm course and provider details directly with the provider.
  • Keep copies of everything you submit.

Official guidance: Using a registered migration agent (official website, opens in a new tab) · Search the register of migration agents (official website, opens in a new tab) · Visa scams (official website, opens in a new tab) · Beware of immigration scams (official website, opens in a new tab) · Jobs and employment scams (official website, opens in a new tab)

Frequently asked questions

Do I need Australian registration to work as a nurse in Australia?

To practise as a nurse in Australia you generally need to be registered with the NMBA through Ahpra. Roles that don't require nursing registration are different jobs, and they don't let you practise as a nurse. Confirm with the NMBA.

Official source: Internationally qualified nurses and midwives (official website, opens in a new tab)

What is the Ahpra Self-check?

The Self-check is an online step on the Ahpra portal. It helps identify the assessment pathway that may apply to an internationally qualified nurse or midwife.

Official sources: Self-check (official website, opens in a new tab) · Completing the Self-check (official website, opens in a new tab)

Is the assessment route the same for every internationally qualified nurse?

No. Which assessment stages apply depends on your Self-check outcome, so two nurses can have different steps. The Board decides this, not CareCareer.

Official source: Completing the Self-check (official website, opens in a new tab)

Can I study nursing in Australia?

Many Australian education providers offer nursing courses, and some are open to international students. Entry requirements, costs and student visa rules vary, so check the provider and the official sources.

Official sources: CRICOS: courses and providers for international students (official website, opens in a new tab) · Approved programs of study (official website, opens in a new tab)

Does studying nursing in Australia guarantee registration?

No. Admission to a course does not guarantee professional registration, employment, permanent residency or a future visa. Registration is decided separately by the registration authority.

Official source: Registration standards (official website, opens in a new tab)

Can I work while waiting for registration?

Some people work in related roles that do not require nursing registration, if they have the right to work in Australia. Your visa conditions and each employer's requirements apply, and you must not practise as a nurse without registration.

Official source: Visa Finder (official website, opens in a new tab)

Can I work in aged care or disability support while I plan?

These are separate roles with their own requirements, such as checks and orientation, and you need the right to work in Australia. They do not automatically lead to registration.

Official sources: NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (official website, opens in a new tab) · Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (official website, opens in a new tab)

Does registration guarantee a visa?

No. Registration and visas are separate processes decided by different authorities. Being registered does not by itself give you a visa.

Official source: Visa Finder (official website, opens in a new tab)

Does a visa guarantee registration?

No. Holding a visa does not give you nursing registration. You would still need to go through the registration process.

Official source: Internationally qualified nurses and midwives (official website, opens in a new tab)

Can an employer sponsor me?

Some employers sponsor overseas workers, but many do not, and whether one can sponsor you depends on the role, the employer and current rules. CareCareer never assumes a job offers sponsorship. Confirm directly with the employer and check Home Affairs.

Official sources: Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) (official website, opens in a new tab) · Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) (official website, opens in a new tab)

Are regional and remote roles treated differently?

Some visa and nomination arrangements involve regional areas, and some regional employers recruit actively. What applies to you can change, so check the relevant Home Affairs and state or territory pages.

Official sources: Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) (official website, opens in a new tab) · State and territory nomination (official website, opens in a new tab)

Do I need an English test?

It depends on the requirement. Registration, study and visas each have their own English rules, and exemptions or different evidence can apply in some situations. Read the standard or page for the process you're in.

Official sources: English language skills registration standard (official website, opens in a new tab) · Visa Finder (official website, opens in a new tab)

Will my overseas qualification be recognised?

Whether and how it is recognised is decided by the NMBA and Ahpra through their assessment process, starting with the Self-check. CareCareer cannot tell you the outcome.

Official sources: Qualification and registration requirements (official website, opens in a new tab) · Self-check (official website, opens in a new tab)

Where should I verify information?

Use the official sources listed on this page: Ahpra and the NMBA for registration, the Department of Home Affairs for visas, the Department of Education and your education provider for study, and the employer for job requirements. Requirements can change.

Official sources: Internationally qualified nurses and midwives (official website, opens in a new tab) · Visa Finder (official website, opens in a new tab) · CRICOS: courses and providers for international students (official website, opens in a new tab)

More on CareCareer

CareCareer provides general career and pathway information. It is not a migration agent, regulator, education provider or legal adviser.

Registration and visa requirements change. Always confirm current requirements with the official authority.

Your result is an educational guide, not a registration, visa or employment assessment.

Pathway information last reviewed: 19 September 2026
Next scheduled review: 19 December 2026
Information sources: Department of Home Affairs, Ahpra/NMBA and other official Australian sources.