Good news for nurses looking to have their skills assessed as part of the Australian visa application process! The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) has today provided clarification to Visa Bureau on their assessment criteria when nominating a nursing specialisation for a pre-migration skills assessment under the ANZSCO coding system.

Although not yet updated on ANMC’s website, in responding to a query regarding the amount of work experience required for applicants nominating a specialised area of nursing, and whether qualifications in that specialisation are required, the ANMC confirmed the following:

"The ANMC will require evidence of at least three months (full time equivalent) paid work experience in a specialty, within the last five years. They do not necessarily need post graduate qualifications in the chosen specialty, but if they do, documentation should be included. If this standard cannot be met, the applicant [can be] assessed as a general nurse."

This is good news for nursing professionals looking to nominate a specialised occupation, as the requirements for doing so at a skills assessment level are relatively easy to meet. It also confirms the route for nurses who cannot meet this requirement, or who are not nominating a specialised area. 

We are continuing to liaise with skills assessment bodies where appropriate to clarify and confirm assessment requirements, and will update this blog as and when information becomes available.

- Matt Parker is a Caseworker for the Australian Visa Bureau.

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