UK Nurse Moving to Australia: The AHPRA Streamlined Pathway Guide (2026)

What changed in April 2025

AHPRA introduced a simplified registration pathway for internationally qualified nurses from comparable jurisdictions. A comparable jurisdiction is one whose nursing registration standard AHPRA has assessed as substantially equivalent to the Australian standard. As of April 2025, the comparable jurisdictions for registered nurses are the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States of America, Canada (Ontario and British Columbia), Singapore, and Spain.

For eligible nurses, the change removes both Outcomes-Based Assessment stages: the NCLEX-RN multiple-choice exam and the OSCE clinical exam in Australia. Under Pathway 1, a nurse who holds a nursing qualification from a comparable jurisdiction and has practised at least 1,800 hours as a registered nurse since 1 January 2017 applies directly for general registration instead of going through the IQNM exam route.

Most UK-trained nurses also avoid the English test, but the basis for that is often misstated. The NMBA's English standard has an education-based pathway: if English is your primary language, your schooling was in English in a recognised country (the UK and Ireland are both on the list) and your nursing qualification was taught and assessed in English, no test is required. It rests on where and in what language you were educated, not on your passport or your NMC registration — so a nurse who trained overseas and later registered with the NMC generally still needs a test result.

The streamlined pathway does not mean standards are lower. AHPRA has assessed the NMC and NMBI registration processes as rigorous enough that duplication is unnecessary. UK and Irish nurses still undergo AHPRA's character assessment, identity verification, and recency of practice review.

Do you qualify for the streamlined pathway

To use the streamlined pathway, you must meet all of the following conditions at the time of your AHPRA application.

You must hold current, valid NMC registration (UK) or NMBI registration (Ireland). Your registration must be in good standing — not suspended, lapsed, conditions imposed, or under investigation. If your NMC registration has lapsed since you last worked, reinstate it before applying. A lapsed registration means you fall outside the streamlined pathway and must use the standard internationally qualified nurse process.

You must have completed at least 1,800 hours of practice as a registered nurse since 1 January 2017, in an NMBA-approved comparable jurisdiction. Hours before that date do not count, however long you have been qualified, and hours worked outside the comparable jurisdictions do not count either. The NMBA treats 1,800 hours as roughly one year of full-time work in Australia, so part-time practice counts but takes longer to accumulate.

Your practice must be as a registered nurse in a clinical role. Hours in a managerial role without clinical practice, or in an education role, do not count toward the recency requirement. Administrative nursing roles that are non-clinical are similarly excluded.

One exclusion catches UK nurses in particular: the standard is built around general (adult) registration. If you completed the CBT and hold NMC registration in mental health, children's or learning disabilities nursing only, you are not eligible and will be assessed through the standard IQNM process instead. If you hold adult registration alongside another field and have the hours as an adult nurse, you may still qualify. Nurses who trained outside a comparable jurisdiction can use Pathway 2, but only if the original qualification was completed on or after 1 January 2017 — see our Irish nurse guide, which covers Pathway 2 in detail.

Documents required

The streamlined pathway requires a significantly shorter document list than the standard pathway. You will need: your NMC or NMBI Certificate of Good Standing; a certified copy of your UK or Irish passport; evidence of recency of practice (employment letters or payslips confirming your clinical nursing hours in the past three years); and AHPRA's character declaration form, completed online.

You do not need: an NCLEX-RN or OSCE result, or an ANMAC skills assessment — ANMAC is a migration step that some visas require, and Ahpra neither needs it nor waits for it. You will not need an English test result if you meet the standard through the education pathway above.

The NMC Certificate of Good Standing is ordered directly from the NMC website. As of 2025, the fee is £34 and turnaround is typically five to ten working days. Order it as soon as you decide to apply — it must be current when AHPRA receives it, and it has a validity period. Do not leave this step until the last minute.

NMBI issues an equivalent letter of good standing from their Irish registration authority. The process and fee are similar. Contact NMBI directly for current fees and turnaround times.

The AHPRA application process

All AHPRA applications are submitted online at ahpra.gov.au. Create an individual account and complete the application for international registration as a registered nurse.

The application asks you to declare your qualification, your employment history, your English language status, any character matters (criminal history, disciplinary proceedings, health conditions affecting practice), and your current registration status. Complete all sections truthfully and fully — incomplete declarations are grounds for refusal and can affect future applications.

Under English language, indicate which pathway you meet the standard through — for most UK-trained nurses that is the education-based pathway rather than a test result. If Ahpra requires clarification, they will contact you.

Under skills assessment, indicate that you are applying under the comparable jurisdiction pathway. You will not be asked to submit an ANMAC outcome.

Upload your documents: NMC or NMBI Certificate of Good Standing, passport copy, and practice evidence. Pay the application fee (approximately AUD $365 as of 2025).

Once submitted, Ahpra reviews your application. The NMBA's guidance is that eligible nurses can complete registration in one to six months under these pathways, against nine to twelve months for the examination route — a complete, well-evidenced application sits at the fast end of that range. Ahpra will contact you if it needs more information. Once approved, your registration appears on the public register and you can start sponsored employment.

Dual registration: keeping your NMC while holding AHPRA

You can hold both NMC and AHPRA registration simultaneously. Maintaining both is your responsibility — neither body automatically informs the other of changes to your status.

Maintaining NMC registration while working in Australia requires you to continue meeting NMC revalidation requirements: 450 practice hours, 35 hours of CPD, and five written reflective accounts over each three-year cycle. This is manageable if you are working clinically in Australia and logging your CPD. It is worth maintaining NMC registration for the first year or two in Australia — it gives you flexibility to return to UK employment if circumstances change, and some Australian employers view it positively.

AHPRA registration requires annual renewal (approximately AUD $193 per year) and evidence of continuing professional development meeting NMBA requirements. Ensure you understand AHPRA's CPD requirements before starting work in Australia — they differ from NMC revalidation requirements.

If you decide to permanently relocate to Australia and no longer intend to work in the UK, you can let your NMC registration lapse at renewal. There is no obligation to maintain it indefinitely.

After AHPRA: visa and employment

AHPRA registration opens the door to Australian employment. Your employer will then sponsor your Skills in Demand (482 SID) visa for the nursing occupation. The employer must be an approved sponsor — not all healthcare employers are. Check this early rather than late: it is the most common reason an otherwise promising job offer goes nowhere.

The 482 SID visa is initially granted for up to four years. After two to three years of sponsored employment under the nursing ANZSCO occupation code, most nurses are eligible for the 186 Employer Nomination Scheme permanent residency visa. Nurses in regional areas or working in aged care may access PR pathways faster.

Salary for registered nurses in Australia ranges from AUD $75,000 to $95,000+ base for Grade 3–5 positions, with shift penalties, overtime rates, and the compulsory 11.5% employer superannuation contribution on top. Most UK nurses find their total take-home pay is materially higher than equivalent NHS band positions even accounting for the higher cost of living in major Australian cities.

Frequently asked questions