Registered Nurse: Ireland to Australia

Step 1

Registering as a nurse in Australia and getting permission to work there are decided by two different authorities under two different laws. Neither one follows automatically from NMBI registration.

Step 2

The online Self-check is the compulsory first step for every internationally qualified nurse. Its outcome routes you to Pathway 1, Pathway 2 or one of the assessment streams, and that outcome controls what happens next, whatever your own reading of the rules suggests.

Step 3

Pathway 1 is the streamlined route for nurses whose qualification and practice sit inside NMBA-approved comparable jurisdictions, and the NMBA's published requirements name the Republic of Ireland among those countries. Being from a listed country does not, on its own, place you on Pathway 1; the Self-check and a full Ahpra assessment do.

Step 4

Pathway 2 is a second streamlined route. It is for nurses who qualified outside the NMBA-approved comparable jurisdictions, then gained general registration in one of them through a regulatory examination process, and have since practised for at least 1,800 hours in approved jurisdictions since 1 January 2017.

Step 5

When the Self-check finds that neither Pathway 1 nor Pathway 2 fits, it assigns Stream A, B or C. Each stream has its own assessments, and the portal lists exactly which ones apply to you.

Step 6

Whatever route the Self-check assigns, the NMBA registration standards still apply: English language skills, recency of practice, criminal history, professional indemnity, identity and supporting documents. Irish evidence does not always fit the Australian formats.

Step 7

Ahpra will want evidence of your registration status from NMBI. NMBI supplies this as a Certificate of Current Professional Status, which it also calls a Certificate of Good Standing, requested through MyNMBI. This is also the moment to decide whether you keep renewing your Irish registration or remove your name voluntarily.

Step 8

After the pathway or stream steps are done, you lodge the registration application with the NMBA through Ahpra, respond to requests through the published application stages, and complete orientation when directed.

Step 9

NMBA registration carries no right to enter or work in Australia. The Department of Home Affairs decides visas and work rights through its own processes, whether the route is a skilled visa, an employer-sponsored visa or, for Irish passport holders aged 18 to 35, a Working Holiday visa.