The first step – getting registered with AHPRA (Australian health practitioner regulation agency) the equivalent of the Nursing and Midwifery council for the UK. If you are from the UK, your registration is equally recognised – helpful for us qualified in Britain! Also, citizens trained and qualified in Canada, the US, South Africa, New Zealand, and Ireland have the same advantages! Nurses certified from other countries still have the opportunity of obtaining their AHPRA registration – but it is a lengthier process! Including taking English language tests and further nursing exams to prove competency and training.
To get your AHPRA registration you need:
✅ NMC pin and nursing degree
✅ Proof of English ability (IELTS or OET or exemption if eligible) – this will be something I will go into and explain over the series! I needed this for my permanent residency application, but not for my 417 working holiday visas.
✅ID& criminal check
✅ Registration fee
✅ Health check (only approved at certain clinics in the UK- costs £600!!)
💡 MY ADVICE: start early and save for this! With my flights to Australia and this process I spent £1650! It also took longer than I had imagined!
I started my application in late April, and my registration came 4 days before I flew to Australia in September. I have heard of horror stories of people arriving to Australia and waiting months for their AHPRA to come through. So, I would recommend leaving 3-6months to apply for your registration- just to be safe!
UK Nurse in Aus 