Due to recent changes regarding applications for International nurses to Australia and the combining of the nursing boards to one central nursing board in Australia AHPRA I have started a new thread for people to discuss the new process on working in Australia.
Currently New Zealand is not accepting new applicants from International trained nurses except those that meet the Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement {TTMR} this will be updated once the New Zealand nursing board reopen their books to International nurses.
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency AHPRA
I have no idea how you guys that do not come from exempt countries getting approval from Ahpra unless you have worked as a nurse in an English speaking country for at least 3 months then you can have exemption from IELTS I was told by officer at ahpra.
If not then ahpra needs to lift their game when employing assessment officers.
I will never be put in a position again were ien nurses did not understand orders in an emergency situation and you guessed it one came from India and the other from the Phillipines where they thought they spoke great English because they spoke it at secondary school and at nursing school. Thing is you do use another language in clinical setting and no way can there be a set standard of the English being taught, by Australian professional Boards.
The bottom line is and thank goodness for Diac you cannot get permission to work in Australia without being tested on your standard of English, whether a BP school takes the risk a student in clinical Practise without an English test and may end up in a clinical negligence case with or without Ahpra approval, and you get your registration you still cannot work legally.
Amen to that ceridwyn. I do understand the predicament of many of my countrymen though. IELTS remains a major stumbling block for us. But desperate times need desperate measures. Sadly, there are many vultures hovering around preying on our vulnerability.... these may be in the form of consultancy or immigration agents, BP schools, and other people just wanting a quick buck without having the conscience that they are fooling people. People will easily be get swayed by promises and assurances that there is a way out of the IELTS test. Even the company that administers the IELTS here in the Philippines doesn't tell you the fastest and cheapest way to become an RN in Aus. Instead, they encourage you to enroll in a 1 to 2 year RN conversion program that costs almost 2 million pesos.
As I have said before, there are enough obstacles for even us who have passed the IELTS test. I can just remember the many sleepless nights, nightmares, severe stress and anxiety of waiting for our AHPRA letter of eligibility. I got mine after 7 long months...and others are still waiting for theirs a lot longer. After that, the added stress of looking for a bp school. Then, the cost of tuition fee, airfare, and pocket money. All these without the 100% assurance of being able to find an employer willing to sponsor us for a working visa.
But how about those others who have opted the other way of not taking the IELTS? I can just imagine the innumerable obstacles they have on top of what I have gone through and will undergo. If you do get through AHPRA, what about the bp? Your options for bp schools will surely be severely limited considering most of the established schools including universities insist on the IELTS. If you do find a bp school and finish it, there is DIAC now (when you are able to find an employer). DIAC, which is a totally different government agency to AHPRA has their own guidelines and they require the IELTS before they give the working visa. And I'm pretty sure they really require the IELTS for your application for PR. They even require this test for other professions that are not as highly skilled as ours like welders, chefs, etc. (albeit on a lower threshold though) how much more for nurses and others in the medical profession that work in a very sensitive and acute environment that needs timely and accurate communication constantly.
At the end of the day, everyone has to make choices. The path you take will have its own consequences. If one option does not pan out, pick up the pieces and start over again. It's not about making the right decisions and choosing the right options all the time... but how you deal with mistakes. Learn from them and move on.
Hi! AAON instructed us to lodge a 456 visa, they do not send a certificate of enrolment which allows you to apply for a student visa. I did my medicals before lodging the visa, because medicals need 1-2 weeks for processing. Good luck! :)
so you enrolled firstat AAON before you applied for the 456 visa?
I think many times people hear stories from a friends sister or that happened to my friendor my Aunt heard this or that, and did not do this or get that and they are now working is AUs as RN, many times these are stories or beliefs that are half right, mostly wrong.
Also remember in the past 6 months many of the past big nursing home sponsors are not sponsoring anymore, there have been big changes, just in 6 months.
So to rely on some information from just 3 months ago, does not justify that it is happening now.
I have also been present when a Filipino nurse was telling a story about what she needed in the way of applying for another job, to another Filipino nurse, and it was not correct. When I questioned her, she admitted to me that the other nurse, came from some island in the Phillipines and her family were low, so she owed her nothing, I was shockked......so I am aware of how false stories begin and continue.
Good luck to those who do their own research, do not rely on others and their stories and think about their duty of care when coming to Australia, and that includes, having your english assessed, aware of your limitations, scope of practise, not afraid to ask when you do not know something.
Oh one last thing....we do admire those who do get through, the ones who have had obstacles to get to Australia you can tell, they make wonderful colleagues, friends and nurses to their patients. Most of the time you have to tell them to slow down....yep
I was approved for a tourist visa for 8 months with multiple entry. Lucky for us because they give special consideration to overseas nursing students Btw, are you in for the etea sept. intake?
im for the october intake with joiemike...=) are you on sept?? when did you get there arreyn?? did you tell them your getting a tourist visa for you BP?
Thanks for the post Mhai. I did inquire yesterday and their reply goes like this:
Dear *****,
Thank you for your interest in ACT Government Health Directorate Overseas Qualified Nurse Program, please find attached pertinent information. The process for application and criteria for acceptance is outlined in the attached please review the attached and if you wish to proceed please forward you CV and application form to me directly. The program is not available for rest of this year we are not yet at the stage of planning next year currently.
**************
I'm hoping they will have available slots for me next year. As for now, the waiting continues.:)
I got this letter last july... sent them all the requirements and they told me they would contact me for a slot... then just this week, i asked for updates and they told me about the course not being available for international applicants... but, you can try sending them though... no harm trying...=)
Hi guys. I went to the Australian Embassy visa processing center yesterday and inquired about the visa for bp. And the girl told me that it's Business Short Stay (visa subclass 456). When someone mentioned here about tourist visa subclass 676, I checked the DIAC website :
BUSINESS SHORT STAY (Subclass 456)
This visa allows business people to make a short business visit to Australia for up to three (3) months during your visa validity period. Business activities may include a conference, negotiation or exploratory business visit.
Who is this visa for?
This visa is available to all passport holders who want to visit Australia for business purposes. No sponsorship is required.
Certain business visitors will also be eligible to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or an eVisitor.
This visa allows business people to make a short business visit to Australia for up to three (3) months during your visa validity period. Business activities may include a conference, negotiation or exploratory business visit.
Who is this visa for?
This visa is available to all passport holders who want to visit Australia for business purposes. No sponsorship is required.
Certain business visitors will also be eligible to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or an eVisitor.
attend to business activities in Australia including conferences, business negotiations or exploratory business visits
be allowed to engage in limited work, if for example it is highly specialised and non-ongoing
enter Australia once or on multiple occasions during the visa validity period
stay in Australia for up to three months from the date of each entry
bring your partner or dependent children to Australia.
TOURIST VISA (Subclass 676)
This visa allows people to visit Australia for a holiday or recreation, or to visit family and friends. This visa may also be used for other short-term non-work purposes including study for less than three months.
Who is this visa for?
This visa is available to all passport holders who are:
outside Australia and want to apply for a visa to visit Australia
in Australia and want to extend your stay as a visitor.
Certain tourists are also eligible to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or an eVisitor.
People who intend to visit for medical treatment or to transit through Australia, should not apply for a visitor visa online. The following visas maybe more appropriate.
This visa is designed only to allow temporary travel to Australia for tourism purposes or to visit family and friends. It cannot be used for long-term stays or residence. To be eligible for a further Tourist visa in the future, you must maintain extended periods of time outside of Australia.
If you would like to migrate or spend longer periods in Australia, you should explore more appropriate visa options which may be more suitable.
If granted, this visa will allow you either a single or multiple entry to Australia for a stay period of up to three, six or 12 months.
The period of stay and number of entries granted will depend on the purpose of the visit and your personal circumstances.
So, comparing the two visas, tourist visa 676 is more advantageous. But I don't know about this visa. My niece who underwent the bp last year was on a 456 visa.
Does anybody here know of someone who went through the bp on a 676 visa?
How long is the processing for this 676 visa and what are the requirements? How much does it cost? I would prefer this if there is a possibility of being granted a 6 month multiple entry visa. A lot more time to find employer. A lot more savings in terms of visa fees (Since you won't be needing a tourist visa to extend your stay). And if ever you exit after the bp, you also don't need to apply for another visa to go back to Aus.
The lady in the embassy says it takes around 10days for a tourist visa to be approved... not really that long since business visa is 5-6 day... not much diff.... so are you going for tourist joiemike??? the medicals need a subclass number before proceeding...
Specializes in Acute Care. ER. Aged Care/LTC. Psyche.
re: to take IELTS or not.
just my opinion,
it's better to take IELTS (or OET) now and be done with it, instead of trying to get through the process convincing yourself that you won't need it. Because the truth is, even if you came from the most prestigious nursing school in the Philippines and have used English as the language of instruction, we still used (are still using) our native language when doing bedside care, when dealing with our patients, and almost all of our nursing duties. However we show the world that we are proficient in the English language, we are still viewed as using English as a second language. And there's nothing wrong with that. We have our own language that we should be proud of. But we also have the responsibility of complying with whatever country we want to settle in.
English language requirements are in there for a reason, and that is to ensure patient safety (and more). And no matter how we subjectively assess ourselves on our proficiency, we really can't quantify how much we know, or what more is needed. And that's why AHPRA requires an objective measure - and that is IETLS (or OET). Of course, native speakers maybe the exceptions, but we all know why.
I don't want to show off or anything, but if I really want to try to escape the IELTS requirement, I could have done so by arguing that I've been working in an English-speaking country for 2 years now. But again, rules are rules. We all know that IELTS is somehow expensive, and maybe band 7 is hard to achieve, but if we really are sure of what our capabilities are (in this case, our English proficiency), and believe in it, then we can surpass this obstacle.
ielts..... those who do not want to take it, okey, do not take it.... it is very beneficial to your career and personal plans not to take that exam now, you will not need ielts in the futue anyway.....
The lady in the embassy says it takes around 10days for a tourist visa to be approved... not really that long since business visa is 5-6 day... not much diff.... so are you going for tourist joiemike??? the medicals need a subclass number before proceeding...
Hi Mhai. Just talked to the girls at VIA this morning. I downloaded the form 48R for the subclass 676 visa and printed it. Here is the dilemma. They told me that it doesn't matter if we apply for 456 or 676, it will take 3 to 4 weeks to process our visa because or medical test results have to be forwarded to the Aus embassy in Manila. They told me to apply for the visa immediately next week so there will be ample time for our start of classes on Oct 3. They said they are open on Tuesday to accept applications. But I cannot apply on Tue yet because my medical test will still be on Wed. I will also remit my payt to ETEA on Wed also. And looking at the documentary requirements, 676 has a few more than 456. I still am going to ask for advice from my niece about her experience in applying or the 456 visa last year. So, this is my timeline :
Aug 31 (Wed) 10am - medical test
12nn - go to bank for TT to ETEA tuition fee
2:30pm - go to VIA to submit application for 456 visa (this is my first option since I don't think I
can finish all the other documents in time for the 676)
If I can't get to VIA by 3pm cut-off time on Wed, I will just submit the application on
Glad to be of help
joiemike
314 Posts
Amen to that ceridwyn. I do understand the predicament of many of my countrymen though. IELTS remains a major stumbling block for us. But desperate times need desperate measures. Sadly, there are many vultures hovering around preying on our vulnerability.... these may be in the form of consultancy or immigration agents, BP schools, and other people just wanting a quick buck without having the conscience that they are fooling people. People will easily be get swayed by promises and assurances that there is a way out of the IELTS test. Even the company that administers the IELTS here in the Philippines doesn't tell you the fastest and cheapest way to become an RN in Aus. Instead, they encourage you to enroll in a 1 to 2 year RN conversion program that costs almost 2 million pesos.
As I have said before, there are enough obstacles for even us who have passed the IELTS test. I can just remember the many sleepless nights, nightmares, severe stress and anxiety of waiting for our AHPRA letter of eligibility. I got mine after 7 long months...and others are still waiting for theirs a lot longer. After that, the added stress of looking for a bp school. Then, the cost of tuition fee, airfare, and pocket money. All these without the 100% assurance of being able to find an employer willing to sponsor us for a working visa.
But how about those others who have opted the other way of not taking the IELTS? I can just imagine the innumerable obstacles they have on top of what I have gone through and will undergo. If you do get through AHPRA, what about the bp? Your options for bp schools will surely be severely limited considering most of the established schools including universities insist on the IELTS. If you do find a bp school and finish it, there is DIAC now (when you are able to find an employer). DIAC, which is a totally different government agency to AHPRA has their own guidelines and they require the IELTS before they give the working visa. And I'm pretty sure they really require the IELTS for your application for PR. They even require this test for other professions that are not as highly skilled as ours like welders, chefs, etc. (albeit on a lower threshold though) how much more for nurses and others in the medical profession that work in a very sensitive and acute environment that needs timely and accurate communication constantly.
At the end of the day, everyone has to make choices. The path you take will have its own consequences. If one option does not pan out, pick up the pieces and start over again. It's not about making the right decisions and choosing the right options all the time... but how you deal with mistakes. Learn from them and move on.