How to become a registered nurse and gain residency in Australia

Nursing is a noble and altruistic profession, concerned primarily with the aiding of others who cannot fend for themselves. As with many medical degrees, nursing boasts a very high graduate prospects offering encouragement to students that employment is probable come graduation day. In Australia, registered nurses are always high in demand as graduates in this field will soon be unable to meet patient demand.

For international student who is thinking of up-rooting from home and start afresh in a new nation, you can highly consider taking up a nursing qualification in Australia as the government has allocated over 17,000 spots each year to apply for residency through becoming a registered nurse.

In this article we will cover some basics of which institution should you consider studying the Nursing qualification. How do you register to be a Nurse after completing the qualification; and finally, what are the processes required to apply for Australia residency.

Top Nursing institutions to consider in Australia

Through our detailed analysis we would highly recommend studying the Nursing qualification through University of Tasmania’s Bachelor of Nursing program.

Why University of Tasmania?

• If you have graduated from a tertiary institution in Tasmania after studying in the state for a minimum of 1 academic year, you can apply for state sponsored visa. Graduates who apply for a Tasmanian Government nominated visa need to commit to staying in Tasmania for 2 years after their visa is issued 
• If you have completed at least 2 years of study in Tasmania, you will be able to receive extra points to apply for residency. The threshold to be eligible to apply for residency is 65 points, however through studying in Tasmania you will high chance of obtaining over 70 points
• Living cost can be a huge factor when one considers studying abroad. Tasmania, Australia offers very affordable accommodation where you can expect to pay around AUD$150 per-week in rental. To put this into comparison, you are expected to pay around AUD$350 per-week in Sydney, Australia
• The university also offers amazing scholarship, the latest scholarship involves providing international student with a 25% tuition fee reduction (almost up to AUD$25,000) for the duration of the course

To receive a free e-brochure of entry requirements, scholarship opportunities and course detail, simply complete the interest form

Which other institution you can consider?

According to the annual survey completed by the prestigious QS Rankings on the ‘best’ institution to provide the Nursing qualification, the following table provides you with a quick summary of which other University you should consider. However, when it comes to ‘the best’ often you would need to consider paying a much higher tuition fee & living cost.

If you would like a complete breakdown of the entry requirements, program structure and scholarship opportunities of any of the choices above, simply complete the interest form and you will receive a free downloadable e-brochure.

How do you become a Registered Nurse in Australia?

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) assesses applications for registration from internationally qualified nurses and midwives on behalf of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). NMBA is governed by the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law which is enforce in each state and territory and is responsible for the final decision on each application to be a registered Nurse

Applicants must meet the registration standards and qualification criteria in order to be eligible for registration. Once you have completed your Nursing studies it is best to go through the AHPRA registration guideline to become a registered Nurse or Midwifery.

How do you apply for residency through a Nursing qualification?

There are basically 2 options here – either through the Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189) application or through the Skilled Regional Visa (Subclass 887) The difference between the 2 is that the latter requires you to complete your qualification in a regional area (think of Tasmania, Darwin, etc.)

In general, you will have to go through what the government called: Points-tested immigration system (basically meeting various requirements to accumulate points to apply for residency) These key selection factors include age, English language proficiency, education background, etc. To find out more information on applying for residency through a Nursing qualification, we have provided a comprehensive guideline. 

If you would like to explore a career in Nursing and submit a free application to a Nursing program, simply connect with Excel Education and we would love to assist you!