Australia PR for Nurses from the UAE: Ahpra, English Tests, States

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Australia PR for nurses from the UAE: Ahpra, English tests, states

A nurse registered in the UAE who wants Australian permanent residence has to clear two separate processes, and they run in a fixed order. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) must register you through Ahpra before ANMAC will assess your skills for migration; the visa and any state nomination come after that. Two things have changed recently: the NMBA’s minimum English test scores changed on 23 April 2026, and several state nomination programs were closed or not yet open when we checked in August 2026. This guide sets out both stages as they stand now.

At a glance

  • Registration comes first: the free Ahpra Self-check sorts you into Stream A, B or C, and Stream B means the NCLEX-RN plus an OSCE sat in Adelaide.
  • English scores changed on 23 April 2026: IELTS Academic 7 overall (writing 6.5), OET 350/360/350/360, PTE Academic 63 overall. Test-centre sittings only.
  • A nurse registered only in the UAE uses ANMAC’s Modified skills assessment (AUD 395), which needs NMBA registration first.
  • Midwife 254111, Nurse Practitioner 254411, the Registered Nurse codes 254412 to 254425 and Registered Nurses nec 254499 are on the Core Skills Occupation List; the visas in play are the 189, 190, 491 and employer-nominated 186.
  • Healthcare applications are prioritised under Ministerial Direction 119, but several state programs were closed or not yet open when we checked.

Step one: NMBA registration through Ahpra

Ahpra runs a free online Self-check for internationally qualified nurses and midwives (IQNMs). You must complete it yourself rather than through an agent, and you enter your qualification exactly as it appears on your degree certificate. The tool then assigns you to a stream. The stream is decided by the qualification alone; a UAE licence and years of clinical work in the UAE do not change it.

  • Stream A: substantially equivalent to an Australian qualification. Pay the IQNM assessment fee, complete Orientation Part 1, then apply for registration.
  • Stream B: relevant but not substantially equivalent. Orientation Part 1, a Portfolio of documents, then an outcomes-based assessment (OBA): a multiple-choice exam followed by an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).
  • Stream C: the qualification does not meet the criteria and must be upgraded (for example, a Bachelor degree at AQF level 7) before you can apply.

If your qualification has never been assessed, it will not appear in the Self-check and Ahpra assesses it at the Portfolio stage. The IQNM assessment fee of AUD 410 is non-refundable.

What the OBA involves

The RN multiple-choice exam is the NCLEX-RN, delivered by Pearson VUE. Ahpra’s exams team confirms eligibility within four weeks. Once authorised, you have 90 days to schedule and sit the exam, and results are emailed within six weeks. An international scheduling fee applies if you sit at a centre outside Australia.

The OSCE cannot be sat in the UAE. Ahpra delivers it at Adelaide Health Simulation in Adelaide, South Australia, and candidates must travel to Australia for it. The fee is AUD 4,000. Neither Ahpra, the NMBA nor Adelaide Health Simulation provides a preparatory course. Applicants based in the UAE should include the travel and the time away from work in their planning from the start.

Ahpra fees, effective 18 September 2025

Item Fee (AUD)
Self-check Free
IQNM assessment (assessment and orientation) 410
NCLEX-RN exam Set by Pearson VUE, paid to them
OSCE for IQNM 4,000
Application fee, general registration 332
Registration fee, general registration 193

The streamlined IQRN pathway usually does not apply from the UAE

Since 2025 the NMBA has had a separate registration standard for internationally qualified registered nurses with at least 1,800 hours of practice since 2017 in an NMBA-approved comparable jurisdiction. Those jurisdictions are the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, British Columbia and Ontario in Canada, Singapore and Spain. The standard removes the NMBA examinations for these nurses, and the NMBA says registration may take one to six months for them, against the typical nine to twelve months for the exam-based process.

The UAE is not an approved comparable jurisdiction. A DHA, DOH or MOHAP licence does not give access to the streamlined route, whatever the length of UAE experience behind it. Nurses in the UAE are sometimes told otherwise; the NMBA standard does not support that.

The English standard: exact scores from 23 April 2026

The NMBA’s English language skills registration standard (2025) came into effect on 18 March 2025. The minimum test scores were then changed on 23 April 2026 to align with the Department of Home Affairs migration scores, and the new scores apply to tests taken on or after that date.

Test Overall Listening Reading Writing Speaking
IELTS Academic 7 7 7 6.5 7
OET n/a 350 360 350 360
PTE Academic 63 58 59 60 76
TOEFL iBT (Australia version) 91 22 22 23 24

Ahpra accepts test-centre sittings only; at-home versions of these tests are not accepted. Results may be combined from a maximum of two sittings within 12 months, provided each sitting meets the overall minimum (for IELTS, 7 overall in each sitting) and no component in either sitting falls below the set floor (for IELTS, 6.5).

Many nurses in the UAE choose OET, and test-centre sittings are available in Dubai. Because a second sitting only counts if it falls within 12 months of the first, it is worth planning the test date around your roster rather than taking the first available slot.

Step two: the ANMAC skills assessment for migration

Ahpra registers you to practise. ANMAC assesses your skills for migration, which is a separate exercise with a separate fee. An ANMAC outcome letter is needed for General Skilled Migration (the 189, 190 and 491), for an Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement and for a Designated Area Migration Agreement. The letter does not by itself produce a visa.

Modified skills assessment Full skills assessment
Who Current NMBA (Ahpra) or New Zealand registration Registered as a nurse in Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Singapore, Spain, the UK or the US
Fee AUD 395 AUD 595
Wait for assessment to start 6 to 8 weeks 6 to 8 weeks
Outcome letter validity 2 years 2 years

A nurse registered only in the UAE is not eligible for the Full assessment. The sequence is therefore to finish NMBA registration first and then apply on the Modified pathway. To be assessed against a specialty code such as 254415 (Critical Care and Emergency), you need at least three months (260 hours) of paid work in that area within the last five years; without it, the assessment is against 254499 Registered Nurse nec. For work experience to be recognised in the outcome letter, ANMAC requires 36 months (3,120 hours) of paid overseas experience or 12 months (1,040 hours) in Australia. Non-genuine claims lead to a two-year lock-out.

Which visas, and what each requires

The Core Skills Occupation List includes Midwife (254111), Nurse Practitioner (254411), the specialty Registered Nurse codes 254412 to 254425 and Registered Nurses nec (254499). That list governs the employer-nominated 186. The points-tested 189, 190 and 491 require an occupation on the relevant skilled list, a suitable skills assessment, an invitation and the 65-point pass mark. Our Australia points calculator and skilled migration page cover the points test in detail.

Visa Who nominates Stay Base charge (AUD) Notes
189 Skilled Independent Nobody Permanent From 6,135 Occupation on list, suitable skills assessment, invitation, points test
190 Skilled Nominated State or territory Permanent From 6,140 Same tests plus state nomination (5 points)
491 Skilled Work Regional State, territory or eligible relative 5 years From 6,140 Nomination worth 15 points; PR via the 191 after 3 years
186 Employer Nomination (Direct Entry) Employer Permanent From 6,140 Under 45 unless exempt, CSOL occupation, 3 years experience, positive skills assessment unless exempt

Processing priority follows Ministerial Direction 119. In August 2026 Home Affairs was allocating 189 and 190 applications from onshore healthcare applicants lodged as recently as June 2026. Non-priority offshore applications being allocated at the same time dated from November 2025 for the 189 and February 2025 for the 190. Applicants lodging from the UAE should plan on the offshore timelines.

State nomination: who is actually inviting nurses

  • New South Wales: the 190 Skills List includes unit groups 2541 Midwives, 2543 Nurse Managers and 2544 Registered Nurses. NSW selects candidates itself, there is no direct application, invitations last 14 days, and NSW calls nomination “exceptionally competitive”.
  • Victoria: 3,400 places in 2025-26 (2,700 for the 190, 700 for the 491), closed to new Registrations of Interest on 28 April 2026; the 2026-27 program was not yet open in August 2026.
  • Queensland: the offshore list shows RN codes 254412 to 254425 as eligible for both 190 and 491, with 65 points, competent English and one year of experience required. Registrations of Interest for the 2025-26 round are closed, and Migration Queensland says the 2026-27 settings and opening date will be published in due course.
  • Western Australia: the General stream uses the WASMOL Schedule 1 and 2 lists and ranks overseas and interstate candidates equally. Check the current WASMOL for your code.
  • South Australia: nomination fee AUD 394 for either visa, more than 2,000 places in 2025-26, and offshore candidates are invited straight from their SkillSelect EOI without a separate Registration of Interest.
  • Tasmania: the 491 overseas invitation-only pathway is not running for 2026-27, but overseas health professionals with a job offer from a Tasmanian health provider remain eligible for 190 nomination through the Health or Education Sector Job Offer pathway.

Two of these routes depend on an employer. A job offer from a Tasmanian health provider keeps the 190 open there, and an Australian employer can nominate you for the 186 without any state program being involved.

From the UAE: what this means for you

Documents. Two items need particular care. The first is your degree certificate, because the Self-check is keyed to its exact wording. The second is verification from each overseas regulator you have been registered with, including DHA, DOH or MOHAP. ANMAC requires those verifications to be sent directly by the regulator, not by you and not from a free web-based email address. Scans must be in colour at 600 dpi or higher and saved as PDF, and anything not in English needs a NAATI-certified translation.

English tests. Test-centre sittings in Dubai or Abu Dhabi only; at-home versions are not accepted, and two sittings can only be combined within 12 months.

Timelines. The NMBA describes the exam-based registration process as typically nine to twelve months. ANMAC’s current wait before a Modified assessment starts is six to eight weeks. The visa stage comes after that, and the allocation dates above show offshore files running behind onshore healthcare ones. Most of this can be done while you continue to work in the UAE; the OSCE trip to Adelaide is the main exception.

Frequently asked questions

Can I skip the OSCE with a strong UAE licence?

No. Your stream is decided by your qualification, not your licence. Only 1,800 hours in the NMBA’s comparable jurisdictions unlock the exam-free pathway, and the UAE is not one of them.

Do I need ANMAC before Ahpra?

Not if the UAE is your only registration. ANMAC’s Modified assessment requires current NMBA or New Zealand registration, and the Full assessment is limited to seven named countries that do not include the UAE.

Is state nomination worth chasing from Dubai right now?

Selectively. In August 2026 Queensland and Victoria were closed or not yet open and NSW was highly competitive, while South Australia invited offshore nurses straight from SkillSelect. A hospital job offer widens your options in Tasmania and through the 186.

What to do next

Start with our free eligibility assessment on the Australia page, call 04 357 7796, or book a 20-minute review through our contact page. We will walk you through the Self-check criteria, which you complete yourself, and check which state lists carry your ANZSCO code. We do not promise outcomes; registration and visa decisions belong to the NMBA and Home Affairs. More guides are in our guides library.

Sources

Cover photo: Emilio Sánchez Hernández via Pexels

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