Introduction

A woman from the Philippines got her Australian PR in less than a month after landing in Australia! And she's not the only one using this method—many others are following her steps!

#01: Philippine Nurse Uses New Zealand as a Stepping Stone to Get Australian PR in One Month

Would you be interested in a method where you can get your Australian PR in less than a month? Here's the story of Jinky, a nurse from the Philippines.

Over the past few years, Jinky has worked as a nurse in the Philippines, Oman, and the UK, and now she’s working in Victoria, Australia. Although she never worked in New Zealand, Jinky had registered as a nurse with New Zealand’s Ministry of Health.

Why did she register as a nurse in a country she had never worked in? Well, Jinky had a good reason.

In 2022, after falling in love with Australia's weather and lifestyle, Jinky decided to move from the UK to Australia. She was already a registered nurse in the UK, but to work in Australia, she would need to go through a strict assessment and approval process.

However, there’s an "open secret" in the industry: you can use New Zealand as a stepping stone to register as a nurse in Australia.

New Zealand as a Stepping Stone

According to New Zealand’s policy, UK-registered nurses do not need the Competency Assessment Program (CAP) or an English language proficiency test to register in New Zealand. This also applies to nurses from countries like Ireland, the USA, Canada, and Singapore (with language exams for Singapore nurses).

For Jinky, it was easy to get her New Zealand nursing registration.

New Zealand and Australia have a Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement, which allows professionals, including nurses and midwives, to have their qualifications mutually recognized in both countries.

After submitting her qualifications and documents online, Jinky became a registered nurse in New Zealand with little effort. From there, she applied to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council as a New Zealand registered nurse, and her application was approved quickly.

She completed the entire process while still working in the UK. Simple as that!

In September 2022, Jinky arrived in Australia on a work visa. Just one month later, she got her PR!

Jinky said, "It took me five years to get my PR in the UK. But in Australia, I got it in less than a month!"

#02: New Zealand as a Stepping Stone Is an "Open Secret"

Jinky’s method is no longer a secret in the industry. On YouTube, Jinky has over 17,900 followers, and there are many tutorial videos on how to use New Zealand as a stepping stone to Australia. There's even a specific hashtag: #NewZealandPathwayToBecomeANurseInAustralia.

This shows that the pathway from being an international nurse in New Zealand to Australia is a reliable route that many people have successfully followed.

As Saju Cherian, a member of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO), puts it:
"Many people who find a good job in New Zealand stay here, but some choose to move to Australia."
Why Australia? Simply put, it's because of the better pay.

OECD data shows that in 2021, the USA and Australia (along with Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) were the countries with the highest nurse salaries when measured in USD and adjusted for purchasing power parity. New Zealand ranks 14th, with Australia in the 5th spot.

In the year leading up to March 2024, 38,017 nurses were registered in Australia, with 10,620 of them being New Zealand-registered nurses.

Final Thoughts

Even though we often hear that Australia's economy is struggling, many people are still fighting to move there.

Whether it’s higher salaries, better work conditions, work-life balance, or quality of life, it’s clear why so many people are eager to settle down in Australia.