Visa & Nurse Registration

Nurses and Midwives wishing to work in Sydney or elsewhere in the state of New South Wales must first register with the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Board. If you are already registered in another Australian state or in New Zealand you can transfer your registration by completing a mutual recognition form.

Nurse Registration

Professional Connections will assist you with all aspects of Registering as a Nurse or Midwife in Australia. To be eligible for employment as a nurse in NSW, registration with the NSW Nurses and Midwives Board (NMB) must be held. Each Candidate (both nurses and midwives) must pay the registration fee of AUS$ 80.00(2008). If a candidate wishes to register as both a nurse and a midwife, you need to submit two separate application and the fee is AUS$ 160.00. In Australia, each state has its own registration board, the registration fee and processing time therefore vary. For more information, please see the websites of the individual nursing boards in Australia.

• Australian Capital Territory http://www.actnmb.act.gov.au/
• New South Wales http://www.nmb.nsw.gov.au/
• Victoria http://www.nmb.nsw.gov.au/
• South Australia http://www.nursesboard.sa.gov.au/
• Western Australia http://www.nmbwa.org.au/
• Northern Territory http://www.nt.gov.au/health/nurse_midwife/index.shtml
• Tasmania http://www.nursingboardtas.org.au/

The NMB will assess overseas applications individually in order for you to be placed on the Register. It may take 8-12 weeks to receive feedback from the NMB, once they have received a complete application, depending on their current workload. Please do not submit the application to the nursing board until you are absolutely certain that all the required documentations are included.

Overseas nurses must also hold a visa that permits work. Once you have obtained the NMB registration, your prospective employer in NSW can apply for a visa sponsorship nomination from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).

Visa Application

When the nomination has been obtained you can apply for your Sponsorship 457 Visa (online) or permanent entry via post to the Australian authorities. You cannot apply for any type of employment visa without being registered with the NMB.

Neither Professional Connections nor the hospital are allowed to apply for your Visa on your behalf, however we will guide and assist you as much as possible. We are not migration agents and legally we are not allowed to provide personal advice. We can however, give you some information / assistance based on our own experience with other nurses. Should you have any direct questions regarding the visa, you have to contact DIAC directly and normally, it only takes them a few days to reply. When undertaking employment in New South Wales, there are currently three forms of Visa that a candidate may apply for:

• Working Holiday Visa (WHV) - It is only applicable to those candidates aged between 18 and 30. This allows you to work for up to a year in Australia but crucially only for six months in one employment position before moving on to a different health board or hospital. The WHV is designed to enable you to work and take a holiday in Australia. This Visa cannot be extended, and it is only offered once in a lifetime, those who wish to remain in Australia must therefore apply for another Visa, as or before the Working Holiday Visa expires. This type of Visa is recommended specifically for applicants looking to experience Australia in a more relaxed setting, and for those unsure if Australia is the right career choice for them.
• Temporary Long-Stay Business Visa (subclass 457) - It is valid for up to four years and requires your potential employer to sponsor you and (if necessary) your spouse and dependants. Application for the 457 cannot begin until you accept a job offer from a hospital in Australia. The process takes on average eight weeks. There are a number of requirements to be met prior to a hospital applying for your Sponsorship Nomination. Each candidate will be assisted throughout this process by his or her personal Recruitment Co-ordinator. The 457 is recommended to those candidates who already know about living in Australia and are looking to further their career without committing entirely to one nation. The 457 is the most commonly requested and issued Visa among all of our applicants. Apply online
• Permanent Residency Visa(PR) - It is the most time consuming and potentially problematic Visas offered by the Australian authorities. Applying for the Permanent Residency Visa outside of Australia takes three to six months to process and requires a great deal of paperwork. As always your personal Recruitment Co-ordinator will assist and advise you through the process. However, the Permanent Residency Visa is only recommended to those candidates who are prepared for a longer recruitment process and are certain that employment in Australia is the right career path for them.

To apply for a visa you must first print out the forms required for your medical (chest x-ray, B-Hep Ag, Hep-C and HIV test) and go to a "panel doctor" (list of these is available at www.immi.gov.au). Following this the doctor sends the medicals directly to Sydney. Depending on your employment history (countries worked in) the Immigration department may e-mail you to request further clarifications.

At present it takes 1 – 2 weeks to get a 457 sponsorship nomination letter and 3 – 4 weeks for the visa to be issued, providing there are no delays with your medical. Permanent residency nomination may take 6-8 weeks to obtain and approcimately 6 months to issue. You must apply by post directly to the Australia authorities which issue your nomination.

All applicants need to obtain criminal clearance in Australia before they can commence employment. You must also obtain Police Clearance documents from your current local authority and send them to the Australian authorities. There will then be a deliberation period before your visa is granted.

All types of Visa's are processed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). For the 457 and Permanent Residency, you will require sponsorship from a potential employer.