Any UK nurses who have moved to Australia and can give advice?

[GazUK]

Evening all from the rainy UK. 
 

I was just wondering if there are any nurses here that have made the move to Australia in the last year or two who would be willing to have a chat with me and my wife and a friend who are all nurses and are considering the move from U.K. to Australia. We would like to get some further information before paying out for NCLEX and doing the AFPRA process. 
 

if anyone would be so kind to chat please drop a message on here and perhaps we can swap numbers and have a discussion on the topic and hopefully via WhatsApp. 
 

Thanks in advanced. 

[mcdonagh migrations]

G'day Gaz,

Welcome!  You are absolutely not alone, as I am sure you know there is a bit of a flood of NHS workers moving over from the UK to Australia.  I am not a Nurse myself but a Registered Migration Agent (RMA) and one of my specialities is supporting Healthcare workers to move over here.

One of my observations is that people tend to focus very heavily on the Skills Assessment.  Everything I say here is based on the Registered Nurse (Medical) role description (ANZCO code 254418), but there are a lot of specialities as well that may tweak some of this information.  ANMAC are the assessing authority, I am sure you have seen this page but this is a good primer.  One thing to note is that there is a need for a Bachelor of Nursing qualification.  Very generally speaking a practising, registered and experienced Nurse in the NHS should be fine with the assessment, though it will cost more than you expect (as will everything in Migration).

But the Skills Assessment is just part of the picture.  It is still Points assessed and is getting to be popular.  The last invitation round needed 85 points to get an offer so it isn't a 'gimmie'. 

As always a consult with an RMA to get a better and more personal picture is always a wise investment, my details are in my signature but there are several who post on here and any could help.

Good luck!

[Marisawright]

4 hours ago, GazUK said:

I was just wondering if there are any nurses here that have made the move to Australia in the last year or two who would be willing to have a chat with me and my wife and a friend who are all nurses and are considering the move from U.K. to Australia.

I'm not sure how many recent movers we have here -- most people come here to ask questions, then once they've made the move, we never hear from them again unless they're having problems!   They're too busy getting themselves set up in their new lives. 

It might help to know what your specific questions are -- do you want to know about pay and working conditions vs the NHS, or are you worried about the process, or....?

As Andrew says, before you dive into research, the first thing to check is, what are your chances of migrating?  You need to have the required qualifications and experience, BUT you need to hit the points threshold as well.

You need a minimum of 65 points to apply, but that's the same as an employer saying, "You need at least a diploma to apply".  The visa process is competitive, exactly like applying for a job: they don't just process applications in order, they cherry-pick the best.  So although you can apply with 65 points, you're going to be up against people with 70, 80 or 90 points.  Applicants with the highest points get picked first and if they fill the quota, you miss out.  In the last round, nurses with lower than 85 points missed out. 

All is not lost if you can't make that high points score -- there are state-sponsored visas which don't focus so strictly on the points, so you could look at those. 

 

Edited July 9 by Marisawright

[RubyMonday]

I'm a UK registered mental health nurse who is due to move and start my job in Australia in a few weeks. So I haven't technically moved and I'm not working there yet but I did the AHPRA, ANMAC and visa process all myself and am moving there on a 189. I'm happy to answer any questions you have about the process if I can. As always different circumstances may mean that things may not be the same for you though.  

[GazUK]

1 hour ago, RubyMonday said:

I'm a UK registered mental health nurse who is due to move and start my job in Australia in a few weeks. So I haven't technically moved and I'm not working there yet but I did the AHPRA, ANMAC and visa process all myself and am moving there on a 189. I'm happy to answer any questions you have about the process if I can. As always different circumstances may mean that things may not be the same for you though.  

Hey Ruby 

 

thanks for your comments and feed back on this. I’d be great if you could send me over your contact number if you don’t mind so I can discuss this with you further. If that’s ok? 
 

I appreciate your help.

[GazUK]

9 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I'm not sure how many recent movers we have here -- most people come here to ask questions, then once they've made the move, we never hear from them again unless they're having problems!   They're too busy getting themselves set up in their new lives. 

It might help to know what your specific questions are -- do you want to know about pay and working conditions vs the NHS, or are you worried about the process, or....?

As Andrew says, before you dive into research, the first thing to check is, what are your chances of migrating?  You need to have the required qualifications and experience, BUT you need to hit the points threshold as well.

You need a minimum of 65 points to apply, but that's the same as an employer saying, "You need at least a diploma to apply".  The visa process is competitive, exactly like applying for a job: they don't just process applications in order, they cherry-pick the best.  So although you can apply with 65 points, you're going to be up against people with 70, 80 or 90 points.  Applicants with the highest points get picked first and if they fill the quota, you miss out.  In the last round, nurses with lower than 85 points missed out. 

All is not lost if you can't make that high points score -- there are state-sponsored visas which don't focus so strictly on the points, so you could look at those. 

 

Hey 

 

thanks so much for your detailed response - I appreciate that. It’s more in terms of the process and what the lifestyle is actually like when you’re there. Is it as good as it looks on these YouTube videos. 
 

we are Accident and Emergency Nurses with 10 years experience within the NHS and my wife is a band 7 which is a managerial position with accident and emergency. 
 

could she get a position within a hospital at her current grade or would she need to start again from nurse and work her way up again? 
 

thanks for to her help and advice 

[GazUK]

11 hours ago, mcdonagh migrations said:

G'day Gaz,

Welcome!  You are absolutely not alone, as I am sure you know there is a bit of a flood of NHS workers moving over from the UK to Australia.  I am not a Nurse myself but a Registered Migration Agent (RMA) and one of my specialities is supporting Healthcare workers to move over here.

One of my observations is that people tend to focus very heavily on the Skills Assessment.  Everything I say here is based on the Registered Nurse (Medical) role description (ANZCO code 254418), but there are a lot of specialities as well that may tweak some of this information.  ANMAC are the assessing authority, I am sure you have seen this page but this is a good primer.  One thing to note is that there is a need for a Bachelor of Nursing qualification.  Very generally speaking a practising, registered and experienced Nurse in the NHS should be fine with the assessment, though it will cost more than you expect (as will everything in Migration).

But the Skills Assessment is just part of the picture.  It is still Points assessed and is getting to be popular.  The last invitation round needed 85 points to get an offer so it isn't a 'gimmie'. 

As always a consult with an RMA to get a better and more personal picture is always a wise investment, my details are in my signature but there are several who post on here and any could help.

Good luck!

Hey Andrew 

 

thanks so much for getting in touch. 
 

we’ll be sure to touch base with you once we’ve done our research and looked at the visa options. 
 

I look forward to speaking with you soon. 
 

Regards 

 

[RubyMonday]

24 minutes ago, GazUK said:

Hey Ruby 

 

thanks for your comments and feed back on this. I’d be great if you could send me over your contact number if you don’t mind so I can discuss this with you further. If that’s ok? 
 

I appreciate your help.

You can DM me but if it's not super personal then better just to put it on here then it can potentially help other people as well. 

[Marisawright]

11 hours ago, GazUK said:

thanks so much for your detailed response - I appreciate that. It’s more in terms of ....what the lifestyle is actually like when you’re there. 

That's a huge question.  If I asked you what the lifestyle was like in the UK, what would you say?  I'm sure you'd say the lifestyle in Cornwall was very different from the lifestyle in Bolton. It's no different in Australia. 

Most migrants come to one of the capital cities, and are surprised how big and congested they are.  Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth are all bigger than Birmingham.  You're not going to be living by the beach in any of those cities -- that's strictly for multi-millionaires.  In Sydney, most ordinary people live in the outer suburbs, nearly two hours' drive to the nearest beach. 

As nurses, you're lucky -- you should have plenty of job opportunities outside the big cities.  There are hospitals in smaller, regional cities where housing is more affordable.  You've probably never heard of any of them, but I'd say they're your best bet for a good lifestyle. 

If weather is part of your question, then bear in mind that the distance between Melbourne to Brisbane is the same as the distance between London to Benidorm.   So there are big differences in weather depending where you choose to live. Generally, the further north you go, the hotter and more humid it gets.  

 

[Steve Elliott]

I tend to agree with Marisa on this. 

Regional centres do tend to struggle to attract doctors, nurses and allied health workers, so that very fact has provided an opportunity for many migrants to get their foot in the door by heading to the regions. - I'm not talking the "Outer Hebrides", many region towns and cities have decent population size, essential services and all the vital infrastructure with great lifestyle, but no beaches! 

The regions are a complete contrast to the cities but could potentially provide a pathway to relocation closer to a city if that is your desire.

I work with an RMA who, prior to becoming an agent, was an A&E nurse then intensive care paramedic for over 20 years. Several years back she recruited over 200 medicos from throughout the UK. She ran a comprehensive induction program for the UK recruits to familiarise them with local knowledge. Trust me, while A&E staff throughout the world all witness almost identical trauma, when you arrive in Australia, you will truly understand the meaning of "Only in Australia" . Likewise Aussies doing a stint of work in the UK encounter lots they rarely see in OZ. 

With migration, you need to be both patient, realistic and flexible and dare I say it, courageous!

Good luck with your journey !