APHRA Registration

• Duration: 10 weeks

Australia now has an AHPRA/NMBA streamlined registration pathway for eligible internationally qualified Registered Nurses (IQRNs). It took effect on 23 April 2025 and remains part of the current registration framework

Are You a UK-Registered Nurse Planning to Move to Australia?

You may be eligible to apply for Australian nursing registration through the AHPRA/NMBA Streamlined Registration Pathway if you:

✓ Are currently registered as an Adult Registered Nurse in the UK

✓ Originally qualified as a nurse outside an NMBA-approved comparable jurisdiction and meet the Pathway 2 requirements

✓ Successfully completed the UK registration examination process for internationally qualified nurses

✓ Have completed at least 1,800 hours of registered nursing practice in the UK or another NMBA-approved comparable jurisdiction

✓ Meet the NMBA English Language Skills Registration Standard

✓ Meet the other mandatory NMBA registration requirements

The streamlined pathway can provide eligible internationally qualified nurses with a more direct route to Australian RN registration.

REQUIREMENTS

• The requirement is at least 1,800 hours of RN practice in an NMBA-approved comparable jurisdiction such as the UK, rather than simply “one year full-time.
• For Pathway 2, since 1 January 2017 the applicant must have completed the relevant nursing qualification outside a comparable jurisdiction, successfully completed the international RN examination process leading to registration in a comparable jurisdiction, and accumulated the required 1,800 hours there. For the UK route, the nurse must hold adult nursing registration for Pathway 2
• The English requirement is also more nuanced than “reached the UK within one year of clearing IELTS/OET.” NMBA has specific rules allowing English-test validity to be extended in certain circumstances where the applicant has continuously worked in an appropriate role in a recognised country; the exact conditions should be checked for each applicant.