Moving to Australia as a nurse from the UAE

Your likely registration route

Most nurses working in the UAE trained in another country. The UAE is not on the reported list of comparable jurisdictions, so your route usually depends on where you first qualified.

Your home regulator

You will need verification from the DHA, DOH or MOHAP (depending on emirate). Some regulators send verification directly to Ahpra or ANMAC, which takes time. Start this first.

Step by step from UAE

1. Check whether you meet the streamlined standard through registration in another country; if not, complete the Self-check.
2. Meet the NMBA English standard: book IELTS Academic, OET, PTE Academic or TOEFL iBT, unless an exemption applies.
3. Complete your stream steps, which may include the NCLEX-RN and OSCE.
4. Choose a visa: points-tested (189, 190, 491) or employer-sponsored (482, 186, 494).
5. Apply for the right ANMAC assessment if your visa needs one.
6. Gather visa documents, including police certificates and health examinations.

Tips for nurses from UAE

• Your Self-check is based on your original qualification, usually from India, the Philippines, Pakistan or elsewhere.
• Collect UAE employment letters with hours and specialty; employers value Gulf hospital experience.
• You may need police certificates for every country you lived in for the visa.
• Book English and NCLEX-RN locally; test centres operate in the UAE.

If you have worked in a comparable country

If you held registration and practised in a comparable jurisdiction before or after the UAE, check Pathway 2.

Common difficulties

• Slow verification from the home regulator or university
• Name or date inconsistencies across documents
• English section scores just below the minimum
• Using unregistered agents who promise guaranteed outcomes