Getting your qualifications recognised

Your UK qualifications may need checking twice: once for your visa (a skills assessment) and once to be allowed to work (registration or a licence). They are separate steps run by different bodies.

Two different checks

Passing one doesn’t mean you’ve passed the other. A nurse, for example, may need an assessment for the visa and registration with Ahpra to start work.

Which visas need a skills assessment

• Skilled Independent (189), Skilled Nominated (190) and Skilled Work Regional (491): always
• Employer-sponsored visas such as the Skills in Demand (482) and Employer Nomination (186): for some occupations. Your employer or a registered migration agent can tell you
• Assessments are usually valid for up to 3 years (some bodies set a shorter period) and must still be valid when you are invited or apply

Who does skills assessments

Which body assesses you depends on the occupation code (called ANZSCO) on your visa. Fees below were read from each body’s own website in October 2026. Fees and times change, so check before you apply.

Doctors deal with different bodies. The Australian Medical Council (AMC) checks medical qualifications and runs exams and specialist assessments, and the Medical Board of Australia decides registration (see below). For your visa, check which assessing authority covers your occupation with Home Affairs or a registered migration agent. Gather certified copies of degrees, transcripts and detailed reference letters from employers before you start. Most delays come from missing evidence.

Health professionals: Ahpra

Ahpra (the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) registers 16 health professions, including doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, psychologists, physios, paramedics and occupational therapists. You must meet standards on English, criminal history, insurance and recent practice, and provide a certificate of good standing from your UK regulator, such as the GMC or NMC. Ahpra suggests applying at least 8 weeks before you plan to start work.

• Doctors who trained and worked in the UK may use the competent authority pathway, which leads to general registration
• Specialists in anaesthesia, general practice, obstetrics and gynaecology, general paediatrics, general medicine, psychiatry and diagnostic radiology may qualify for the expedited specialist pathway, with 6 months’ supervised practice
• Registration and your visa are separate processes: getting one doesn’t guarantee the other
• Nurses and midwives start with the Nursing and Midwifery Board’s online self-check, which tells you which assessment stages you need

Teachers: register in your state

To teach in a school you must register with the teacher regulator in the state where you will work, as well as passing the AITSL assessment if your visa needs one.

Trades: licences are set by each state

Electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and some building trades need a state licence before working on their own, even after a skills assessment. Each state sets its own rules, and electricians usually need extra Australian training on local wiring standards. In NSW and Western Australia, for example, overseas-trained electricians first need an Offshore Technical Skills Record from a provider approved by Trades Recognition Australia, then Australian gap training and supervised work before a full licence. NSW also applies this to plumbers, and offers a provisional certificate while you finish. Contact the licensing regulator in the state you’re moving to early.