Yes, Irish nurses can work in Australia, and it’s easier than it used to be. Ireland is on the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s (NMBA) list of comparable countries, so a registered nurse with at least 1,800 hours of practice since 2017 can skip the NMBA exams, and the NMBA says registration may take 1 to 6 months. Midwives aren’t covered by that fast track, and everyone needs Australian registration and a visa before starting work.
Everything below is as of November 2026, so check the official pages we link before you pay for anything. Planning the wider move too? Start with our complete guide to moving to Australia from Ireland.
Short version
- Nurses: since 23 April 2025, Irish registered nurses with 1,800 hours since 2017 can use a streamlined pathway with no NMBA exams.
- Midwives: you go through the standard assessment, which typically takes 9 to 12 months.
- Start from Ireland: the Self-check, online orientation, application and ID check can all be done before you fly.
- Working holiday visa: nurses are exempt from the 6 month employer limit, but ordinary nursing won’t count towards your 88 days.
- Sponsorship and PR: midwives and registered nurse specialties are on the lists for the 482, 189, 190 and 491.
Can Irish nurses work in Australia?
Yes, once you’re registered with the NMBA through Ahpra, the agency that runs registration. You must hold that registration before you start work, and the NMBA recommends you don’t apply for jobs until your eligibility is confirmed.
The big change came on 23 April 2025, when a new registration standard for internationally qualified registered nurses (IQRNs) took effect. Its approved comparable jurisdictions are the UK, Ireland, the US, British Columbia and Ontario in Canada, Singapore and Spain.
To use it, you need:
- Registration and practice as a registered nurse in a comparable country. Ireland counts.
- At least 1,800 hours of practice in a comparable country since 2017, which is about a year of full time work.
- To meet the same mandatory standards as Australian trained nurses, including English language skills and recency of practice (at least 450 hours in the past five years).
If you fit, there are no NMBA exams and no qualification upgrade. The NMBA says eligible nurses may finish in 1 to 6 months, depending on how complex the case is, against the 9 to 12 months the standard process typically takes. If you don’t fit, the standard assessment still applies. The full wording is on the NMBA’s IQRN standard page.
Only on the psychiatric, children’s or intellectual disability division? Don’t assume you qualify. The NMBA says a sole qualification in mental health, paediatric or disability nursing isn’t substantially equivalent to its registered nurse qualification, and nurses with one are registered with a notation that limits their scope of practice. Recruiters also report that the fast track excludes sole qualifications, so ask Ahpra before you pay for anything.
Irish midwives: a different route
The fast track is for registered nurses only. As of November 2026 we could find no equivalent for midwives, so you go through the standard process for internationally qualified nurses and midwives (IQNMs). The free online Self-check puts your qualification into a stream:
- Stream A: substantially equivalent. Complete Orientation Part 1, then apply.
- Stream B: relevant but not substantially equivalent. You pass an outcomes-based assessment first, which includes a multiple choice exam and an in-person clinical exam (the OSCE).
- Stream C: you upgrade your qualification before coming back to the process.
Your stream comes from your qualification, not your passport, so run the Self-check before you budget. The NMBA lists the OSCE at AUD 4,000 a sitting. If you’re registered as both a nurse and a midwife, you have to meet the requirements for each profession separately.
How to register: step by step
- Do the Self-check. It’s online and free, and you must complete it before applying.
- Pay the assessment fee and do Orientation Part 1. This is an online course on Australia and its healthcare system. The IQNM assessment fee is non-refundable.
- Gather your documents. See the checklist further down. Send certified copies, never originals.
- Apply through Ahpra and pay the application and registration fees.
- Verify your identity online. Ahpra’s provider, InstaID+, emails you a secure link within 48 hours of applying and you have 30 days to complete it. Ahpra says international applicants can do this before coming to Australia.
- Complete Orientation Part 2. This is a requirement of registration for internationally qualified registrants.
- Renew every year by 31 May.
What it costs
| Item | Cost (November 2026) |
|---|---|
| Self-check | Free |
| IQNM assessment fee | AUD 410 for assessment and orientation, non-refundable |
| Application fee | AUD 346, non-refundable |
| Registration fee | AUD 201 (AUD 193 in NSW), returned if you aren’t approved |
| NMBI certificate (CCPS) | EUR 80 |
| Anmac skills assessment (skilled visas only) | AUD 595, rising to AUD 695 when Anmac’s new fees start |
The NMBA figures are from its schedule of fees effective 9 October 2026. They change every year, so check that page before you pay.
Do Irish nurses need IELTS or OET?
Usually not. Everyone has to meet the English standard, but Ireland is a recognised country, so if you went to school and trained here you’ll usually meet it through education rather than a test. The primary language pathway needs:
- English as your primary language.
- At least six years of primary and secondary education taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country, with at least two of those between years 7 and 12.
- A qualification completed in English in a recognised country.
There’s also an extended education pathway: five years of continuous education in English in a recognised country, including at least two years of your nursing or midwifery programme. If neither fits, you’d need an accepted English test.
Went to a Gaelscoil? The wording says “solely in English”, so check how your schooling counts. The extended education pathway may suit you better, as it can use your degree years. Ask Ahpra before you book a test.
Which visa can you use?
Registration and your visa are two separate applications, and the NMBA is clear that success in one doesn’t guarantee the other. Home Affairs lists Midwife and the registered nurse specialties for the 482 Core Skills stream, 189, 190 and 491. There’s no single “registered nurse” code: you pick the one that matches your experience, such as Registered Nurse (Medical), (Surgical), (Mental Health) or (Critical Care and Emergency).
Working holiday visa (subclass 417)
If you’re 18 to 35, this is the simplest way in. It costs AUD 840, you stay 12 months and you apply from outside Australia. Our working holiday visa guide walks you through it. Two things matter for nurses:
- The 6 month limit doesn’t apply to you. Normally you can only stay 6 months with one employer, but Home Affairs exempts critical sectors. Health covers “all work carried out in hospitals” and names nurses, and aged care and disability services are exempt too.
- Nursing won’t get you a second visa. Health isn’t on the approved list of specified work for your 88 days, apart from critical COVID-19 work, which needs evidence that it supported the pandemic response.
Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)
In the Core Skills stream an employer sponsors you for up to 4 years, and you can apply for permanent residence later if you’re eligible. You need at least 1 year of relevant work experience, and you must be paid the market rate and no less than the Core Skills Income Threshold, which is AUD 79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. The visa costs from AUD 4,015. Ask early who pays for what, and look through jobs with sponsorship on our board.
Skilled visas (189, 190 and 491)
- 189: permanent, no sponsor, and it costs AUD 6,135. You need an invitation, at least 65 points and a skills assessment, and you must be under 45 when invited.
- 190: permanent, nominated by a state or territory. You need 65 points and must be under 45.
- 491: 5 years in a designated regional area, nominated by a state or territory or sponsored by an eligible relative.
Your skills assessment comes from Anmac, not Ahpra, and it’s a separate process. Nurses currently or previously registered in Ireland can apply for Anmac’s Full skills assessment before getting Ahpra registration. Midwives need at least a Bachelor of Midwifery from Ireland, the UK or the US, and to be registered as a midwife in that same country, so if you trained through a higher diploma, ask Anmac first.
Our partner Migration Unity are registered migration agents who can check your options, and our guide to visa options to stay longer covers the wider picture.
Nurse pay in Australia by state
Public sector pay is published, so you can see the real numbers. These are base rates for registered nurses and midwives, before penalties.
| State and scale | Base pay |
|---|---|
| NSW public health system, from 1 July 2026 | 1st year: AUD 1,566.70 a week 8th year and after: AUD 2,199.60 a week |
| Victoria public sector, from first full pay period on or after 11 May 2026 | Grade 2 Year 1: AUD 1,619.00 a week Grade 2 Year 8: AUD 2,067.50 a week, rising to AUD 2,089.40 on 30 November 2026 |
| Queensland Health, from 1 April 2026 | Grade 5 pay point 1: AUD 87,790 a year Grade 5 pay point 7: AUD 112,607 a year |
| WA Health, from 12 October 2026 | Level 1.1: AUD 85,848 a year Level 1.8: AUD 112,644 a year |
Private hospitals and aged care have their own agreements. Where you land on a scale depends on how your experience is counted, so ask about your Irish years and get the answer in writing before you sign. South Australia is left out because its replacement agreement only went to a staff ballot in July 2026. Weigh all this against the cost of living in Australia too.
How shift penalties work
Penalties are extra pay on top of your ordinary rate for unsocial hours. They’re set by your award or agreement, so they differ a lot:
| Public sector | What you get |
|---|---|
| NSW | Afternoon shift 10% or 12.5%, depending on start time. Night shift starting 4pm to 4am 20%. Saturday time and a half, Sunday time and three quarters |
| WA | Afternoon 15%, night 35%, Saturday 50%, Sunday 75% |
| Victoria | Weekend ordinary hours at time and a half. Shift allowances are flat dollar amounts set in the agreement |
In NSW the weekend rates replace the shift premium rather than stack on top of it. The NSW award also gives six weeks of annual leave to staff required to work on a seven day basis, against four weeks for everyone else.
Agency and travel nursing
Agency work means an agency or a health service’s relief pool sends you to fill shifts or short contracts. Travel nursing is the same idea, often in regional or remote areas. Queensland Health even runs its own agency for short term remote relief jobs.
It can suit working holiday makers who want to see the country, but you still need registration before your first shift. Ask each agency who pays for travel and accommodation, and whether you’re casual. Casuals get a loading instead of paid leave, and in Victoria’s public agreement that’s 25%.
What to request from NMBI and your college before you leave
From NMBI:
- Certificate of Current Professional Status (CCPS), EUR 80. This is also called a Certificate of Good Standing. Log in to MyNMBI, go to Registration Services, then Request CCPS, and name Ahpra as the regulator. NMBI emails it directly to them and you get a copy in My Documents.
- Time it right. Ahpra’s forms treat these certificates as valid for three months from issue, so don’t order yours too early.
- Anmac needs its own. If you’re doing a skills assessment, your regulator has to send Anmac verification directly too.
- Registered elsewhere? Ahpra wants a certificate from every country where you’ve been registered in the past five years, so a stint in the UK means one from the NMC as well.
From your college:
- Your award certificate and full academic transcript, as certified copies.
- A letter confirming your course was taught and assessed solely in English, if your transcript doesn’t say so. Ahpra wants this sent directly by the college.
- Evidence of your theory and practice hours, if they aren’t on the transcript. Anmac asks for this.
From your employers: statements of service showing your dates, role and hours. Ask before you hand in your notice.
Your Irish registration: NMBI’s annual retention fee is EUR 100. Restoring your name after voluntary removal costs EUR 100, but after removal for non-payment it’s EUR 350, so don’t just let it lapse.
For the rest of the move, use our moving to Australia checklist. Bringing savings over? CurrencyFair is our main partner, and our money transfer guide compares the options.
Finding nursing jobs in Australia
Once your registration is on track, browse nursing and healthcare jobs on the Irish Around Oz job board, and set up job alerts so new roles land in your inbox. Picking a city? We have guides for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast and Perth.
Moving over on your own? Our Facebook groups are full of Irish people in Australia who can tell you which areas suit you and help you find your feet.
FAQ
Can Irish nurses work in Australia?
Yes. You need NMBA registration through Ahpra and a visa with work rights. Eligible registered nurses can use the streamlined pathway.
Do Irish nurses have to sit the OSCE or NCLEX for Australia?
Not if you meet the IQRN standard, which removes NMBA exams for eligible nurses. If you don’t meet it, your Self-check stream decides whether you need them.
How long does Ahpra registration take for Irish nurses?
The NMBA says 1 to 6 months on the streamlined pathway, depending on complexity. The standard process typically takes 9 to 12 months.
Can I start the process from Ireland?
Yes. The Self-check, Orientation Part 1, application and identity check are all online.
Can Irish midwives use the fast track?
No. It covers registered nurses only as of November 2026. Midwives use the standard IQNM process, starting with the Self-check.
Can I work as a nurse on a working holiday visa?
Yes, once you’re registered. Health is a critical sector, so you can stay with the same employer for more than 6 months without asking permission.
Does nursing count towards my 88 days?
No, ordinary nursing isn’t on the specified work list. The only health work listed is critical COVID-19 work, which needs evidence.
Is nursing on the skilled occupation list?
Yes. Midwife and the registered nurse specialties are listed for the 482 Core Skills stream, 189, 190 and 491.
