ANMAC Skills Assessment for Filipino Nurses: Step-by-Step Guide 2026

What ANMAC is — and what it is not

ANMAC stands for Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council. Its job is to assess whether your nursing qualification meets Australian standards. ANMAC does not grant you the right to practise nursing in Australia — that is AHPRA's job. ANMAC produces an outcome that says your qualification is suitable for migration purposes.

This distinction matters practically: your visa application relies on your ANMAC assessment outcome. Your legal right to work as a nurse in Australia relies on your AHPRA registration. You need both, and they run as separate applications.

UK and Irish nurses applying under the April 2025 streamlined pathway do not need an ANMAC assessment — AHPRA processes their application directly because the UK and Ireland are comparable jurisdictions. If your registration and experience are entirely in the Philippines, ANMAC is required for most visa pathways.

There are two types of ANMAC assessment: the Full Skills Assessment and the Employer Sponsored Assessment. The Full Assessment is the standard route for nurses preparing before securing employment. The Employer Sponsored Assessment is for nurses who already have a specific Australian employer ready to sponsor them. This guide covers the Full Assessment.

Eligibility: what ANMAC accepts from the Philippines

ANMAC assesses applications from Filipino nurses against the Australian standard for registered nurses. To be eligible for a positive outcome, you generally need:

A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from an accredited Philippine nursing school recognised by ANMAC. Most CHEd-accredited Philippine nursing programmes meet this standard, but ANMAC maintains its own recognition list — check the current list on the ANMAC website before applying if your institution is not one of the major Philippine universities.

Current, valid PRC registration at the time of application. Your licence must be in good standing — not suspended, lapsed, or under investigation. If your PRC licence has expired, renew it before starting your ANMAC application. Lapsed licences are rejected.

Evidence of nursing practice. ANMAC requires documented clinical experience. This is typically your employment history in nursing roles, supported by official letters from employers confirming your role, dates, and clinical responsibilities. There is no minimum hour threshold stated explicitly, but very limited post-registration clinical experience can result in requests for additional information.

English language proficiency. ANMAC requires the same standard as AHPRA: IELTS Academic 7.0 in every band or OET Grade B (Writing C+ from 2025). Crucially, you can use the same test result for both your ANMAC and AHPRA applications — sit the test once, use it for both.

The complete document checklist

Document gaps are the primary reason ANMAC applications are delayed or returned. Prepare every document before you submit — ANMAC does not contact applicants for missing items; it returns the application and the clock restarts.

Required documents: your BSN certificate (certified copy); official university transcripts issued and certified by your nursing school; your current PRC Certificate of Good Standing, dated within six months of submission; employment certificates from every nursing employer covering all roles you declare, on official letterhead, signed by an authorised signatory, confirming exact dates of employment, contracted hours per week, and clinical responsibilities; your IELTS or OET result meeting the required standard; a certified copy of your passport biographical page; and the ANMAC declaration form, completed online.

Employment certificates deserve specific attention. Every single nursing role you have worked — hospital nursing, community nursing, private nursing, even brief contracts — must be documented. A gap in your declared employment history without explanation can trigger an RFI. Former employers in the Philippines can be slow to respond, particularly if you left years ago or if HR departments have changed. Start requesting these letters on the day you decide to apply, not after you have passed your English test.

Documents must be certified copies. A certified copy is endorsed by an eligible certifier — in the Philippines, this includes Justices of the Peace, lawyers, notary publics, and certain registered professionals. Check the current ANMAC list of acceptable certifiers before certifying anything. Documents certified by ineligible signatories are rejected.

The ANMAC application process

All ANMAC applications are submitted through the ANMAC online portal at anmac.org.au. There is no paper or email application process.

Create your account on the ANMAC portal and complete the online application form. The form asks for your personal details, qualification information, employment history, and English language result. Fill in all sections completely — incomplete forms trigger delays before your documents are even reviewed.

Upload certified copies of all required documents through the portal. Scan quality matters: documents must be clearly legible. Blurry or incomplete scans are rejected.

Pay the assessment fee. The Full Skills Assessment fee is approximately AUD $700–$800 as of 2025. Verify the current fee on the ANMAC website before applying — fees are updated periodically. Payment is made through the portal.

Once submitted, ANMAC will review your application for completeness before beginning assessment. If anything is missing or unclear, they will issue a Request for Information (RFI). Respond to any RFI promptly and completely — delays on your side extend your timeline.

Processing time for a complete, compliant application is typically six to twelve weeks. Do not contact ANMAC to ask for a status update until at least eight weeks have elapsed after your complete submission. Premature enquiries do not speed up processing and take assessment team time away from actual applications.

After your ANMAC outcome

ANMAC issues one of two outcomes: Assessed or Not Assessed. An Assessed outcome means your qualification has been found suitable for migration purposes and you can proceed to your AHPRA application and visa process. A Not Assessed outcome means ANMAC found your qualification insufficient, and will state the reasons.

Most BSN-qualified Filipino nurses with current PRC registration and adequate clinical experience receive a positive Assessed outcome. A Not Assessed outcome is rare but can occur if ANMAC has concerns about the quality of your institution's programme, if there are gaps in your documentation, or if your qualification does not meet the content requirements for Australian nursing registration.

If you receive a Not Assessed outcome, you have the right to request a review. The review process involves submitting additional evidence or clarification. ANMAC charges a review fee.

Your ANMAC outcome letter is submitted to AHPRA as part of your registration application. AHPRA will wait for this if it has not arrived when you submit your application. You can begin your AHPRA application before your ANMAC outcome is received — starting early means your other documents are already verified and you save four to eight weeks overall.