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An Indian nurse must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, assessed by Ahpra, before working as a nurse. The visa is a separate application, usually through an employer under the Skills in Demand 482 visa. Ahpra lists India among countries whose nursing qualifications are unlikely to meet one assessment criterion, so your Self-check result decides your steps.
How can an Indian nurse get a nursing job in Australia?
An Indian nurse must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, assessed by Ahpra, before working as a nurse. The visa is a separate application, usually through an employer under the Skills in Demand 482 visa. Ahpra lists India among countries whose nursing qualifications are unlikely to meet one assessment criterion, so your Self-check result decides your steps.
As shown by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) in October 2026, you must apply for and be registered with the NMBA to work as a nurse or midwife in Australia, and you may also need a visa from the Department of Home Affairs. The Board says these are entirely separate processes and success in one does not automatically guarantee success in the other.
The Board's own recommended order is: check you can meet the registration requirements, check the immigration requirements, complete the Self-check, complete the assessment stages for your stream, apply to Ahpra, receive registration, apply for immigration, obtain employment, then emigrate. The Board also advises against irreversible decisions, such as resigning from your job or moving to Australia, until you have applied for and been approved for registration. Confirm all of this on the official pages listed below.
| Step | Who runs it | What the official page says |
|---|---|---|
| Registration as a nurse | Ahpra assesses for the NMBA; the Board decides | Meet the general registration qualification assessment plus the core standards: criminal history, English language skills, recency of practice and professional indemnity insurance arrangements. |
| Skills assessment for migration | ANMAC (the assessing authority shown by Home Affairs) | Separate from registration. The NMBA says some applicants are approved for skilled migration but do not meet its registration requirements. |
| Employer sponsorship and visa | Australian employer and Home Affairs | Skills in Demand 482, Core Skills stream: employer nominates you in a Core Skills Occupation List occupation, pays at least the market salary and the Core Skills Income Threshold, you have 1 year of relevant experience, any required skills assessment and English. |
| Permanent residence (optional, later) | Employer and Home Affairs | Home Affairs says an employer may be able to sponsor you through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186). Nothing on the pages guarantees this. |
The NMBA assigns each applicant to a stream using three criteria: the qualification is recognised for registration in the country where it was earned, it came from a quality-assured and accredited program, and it is at least comparable to an Australian bachelor degree (registered nurse) or diploma (enrolled nurse). Meeting all three puts you in Stream A.
As shown on the NMBA page (reviewed 27 August 2026), India appears in the list of countries whose nursing and midwifery qualifications are unlikely to be assessed as meeting the quality assurance and accreditation criterion. The Board says this list is based on previous assessments and the information currently available, that Ahpra updates it, and that you can contact Ahpra for a review if you disagree with your stream. It also says qualifications Ahpra has not assessed before are assessed at the Portfolio stage. The list is not a final decision on you, but it is a reason to run the Self-check before you spend money on flights, agents or job applications.
| Item | What Home Affairs shows (October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Visa | Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), Core Skills stream. Stay up to 4 years (5 for Hong Kong passport holders). |
| Occupations | On the skilled occupation list, Registered Nurse (Medical) 254418, Nurse Practitioner 254411 and Enrolled Nurse 411411 each show the 482 Core Skills stream and the 186 Direct Entry pathway, and list ANMAC as an assessing authority. Check your own specialisation on the list. |
| Experience | At least 1 year of relevant work experience in the nominated occupation or a related field. |
| Salary | The employer must pay the Annual Market Salary Rate and no less than the Core Skills Income Threshold. The page says thresholds are indexed from 1 July each year, so check the current figure. |
| Visa fee | AUD4,015 for the main applicant and each dependant aged 18 or over, AUD1,005 for each dependant under 18, plus English tests, health checks, police certificates and biometrics. |
| Registration evidence | Home Affairs says that where relevant you must provide evidence from the Australian registration authority that you hold, or will be able to meet, the registration requirements. |
| English | A separate English test result for the visa unless exempt. For tests taken on or after 13 September 2025, minimums include IELTS 5.0 in each band, OET 220 listening, 240 reading, 200 writing and 270 speaking, and PTE 33, 36, 29 and 24. Tests must be taken within 3 years and not taken wholly online. |
Australia is not among the 17 ECR countries listed by the Ministry of External Affairs, as summarised in our ECR passport guide, so the ECR clearance step for those countries does not apply as listed. Confirm on the MEA page before you travel, and note that rules for any Gulf or other ECR-country job are different: see our eMigrate guide if you are also considering one.
Job Spectra is operated by Spectravault Group LLP, with offices in Deira Dubai, Bengaluru and Sugauli, Bihar. We do not currently hold an eMigrate recruiting-agent registration, so we do not recruit Indian nurses for Australian employers, cannot arrange Ahpra registration or visas, and cannot give legal immigration advice. Our no-upfront-job-fees policy is on the Trust Center. You can submit your CV for roles we do list, but we cannot promise any job or visa.
Last reviewed 2026-10-19. Information only, not legal advice.
No. You must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, and Ahpra assesses your qualification and may require an Orientation course, a portfolio and exams depending on your stream. Indian registration is one item the Board looks at, not a substitute.
As shown on the NMBA page (reviewed 27 August 2026), India is in the list of countries whose qualifications are unlikely to meet the quality assurance and accreditation criterion. The list is based on past assessments, and you can request a review of your stream from Ahpra.
If you are placed in Stream B, the Board says the outcomes-based assessment has a multiple-choice exam and an OSCE. For registered nurses the multiple-choice exam is the NCLEX-RN, delivered by Pearson VUE. Stream A candidates complete Orientation Part 1 instead of exams.
The NMBA uses the NCLEX-RN as the multiple-choice exam in its IQNM assessment for registered nurses. You register through your IQNM dashboard. The page also says results from another regulator can be transferred to Ahpra, so read its transfer rules first.
For the Skills in Demand 482 visa you need an approved employer to nominate you, so an offer comes first. Home Affairs lists some nursing occupations on other visa lists too, but each has its own conditions, so check the official occupation list before relying on any route.
The NMBA recommends getting registration before immigration, and advises you not to resign or move until registration is approved. The processes are separate. Home Affairs also asks for evidence from the registration authority that you hold or can meet registration requirements.
Australia is not among the 17 ECR countries in the Ministry of External Affairs list as summarised in our ECR guide. That means the ECR clearance step for those countries does not apply as listed. Confirm on the MEA page before you travel.
The official pages we read give no nurse salary figure. Home Affairs says the employer must pay the market salary and at least the Core Skills Income Threshold for a 482 nomination, and NSW Health says pay rises with years of experience. Check the employer's award or pay document.
Home Affairs says an employer may be able to sponsor you for permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) after the 482, and some nursing occupations show a 186 Direct Entry listing. No page guarantees permanent residence, so check eligibility on the official 186 page.