Lizzie344

I thought I would update on this thread as I have recently received some news that has scuppered my immigration plans. I applied for my skills assessment with ANMAC and within a week, I received an email from them stating that they were freezing my application for two years unless in the meantime I could prove that I had obtained registration with AHPRA. This is all because my course is one of the fast-track 2 year postgraduate diplomas. I have since spoken to four different registered migration agents and have been advised that if I apply to AHPRA now, I might as well take my money and flush it down the toilet as I will get rejected, based on the fact my qualification will be considered 'insufficient'. Apparently it doesn't matter that on paper, I satisfy ALL of the criteria. One of the main prompts in my career change into nursing (I previously did marketing and PR) was the fact that this qualification could take me anywhere in the world (as I was told by my University). So I have completely changed my career, gone back to University for two years, done all 4,600 hours of work and now found out I won't be able to move with it. My only option is to return to University in the UK, do a degree top-up, which is about as stupid as it sounds because my current qualification is already higher than what I'd be topping up to. So just a word of warning for anyone doing the 2 year PGDip Adult Nursing course...you won't be able to register with this qualification and as of the past few months, ANMAC will now refuse to process your skills assessment until you provide evidence of AHPRA registration.

A postgraduate diploma is an AQF level 8 qualification, so higher than a bachelors degree which is a level 7. An ordinary nursing diploma is only considered a level 5. So if the minimum requirement is a bachelors degree, a postgraduate diploma should also be accepted. It still satisfies the EU directive and includes the minimum 2,300 hours of theory and practice.

You're on! :wink: I've been tracking my documents, they arrived in Sydney two days ago so hopefully not long until I get an email from ANMAC saying they've received everything they require to start processing my application, fingers crossed! I really hope the paperwork sent by my Uni and my IELTS paperwork has been received ok. I'm aiming to get out there by Christmas, so could do without any delays!

I'll be able to let you know in about 12 weeks! I have a postgraduate diploma in adult nursing and I'm currently waiting for ANMAC to process my skills assessment.

That's great, thanks for the advice! It all went through ok x

Hi there! Does anyone know if it's possible to pay the $900 ANMAC fee using a visa debit card as opposed to a credit card?

Hi everyone, I recently sat the academic IELTS exam so I thought I'd share how things went on the day just in case it is useful to anyone else due to sit the test! I sat the test on Saturday 21st March on Tottenham Court Road. I already knew the location of the test centre when I booked the test, but I would advise anyone who is unsure of the location to do a trial run if possible, so you know exactly where you're going on the day. A couple of candidates arrived just by the skin of their teeth and were clearly flustered because they got lost on the way. Don't do it to yourself!!! Such a preventable drama. There were about 50 other candidates taking the test with me. We were taken down in two separate groups to hand our belongings in where we were given a corresponding raffle ticket for our coats and bags for when we collected them at the end of the day. They're quite strict about what you take into the test room. I even heard staff saying to one woman that she was allowed to wear her scarf, but by no means was she allowed to remove it during the test!! After this we had to queue at one of three separate desks to register, depending on where the first letter of our surname fell in the alphabet. Had to have my finger print scanned and everything, very high tech! It was at this point that we were allocated our time slot for the speaking test later that day. Despite being strongly and repeatedly advised to go to the bathroom before registering, prior to the start of the test, half the seated candidates had to raise their hands to go to the loo. This is quite time consuming, as you need to be escorted by a member of staff, plus they take your passport off you when you go and log your passport number each time, as well as the time you left the room and the time you return. After starting late because of toilet breaks, we began the listening test. Fire alarm went off a couple of times, so they had to re-wind the tape. I was worried before the day about whether I would be able to hear the tape well enough. However, be rest assured they have loud speakers on every wall in the room and they play a sample recording to check everyone can hear. After the listening, we went straight into the reading and then the writing. I was most concerned about the reading, as my practice results had always given me a borderline score (I needed band 7 in all areas). However, I found the information in the passages easier to identify in the test than I ever had in the practices. Whilst you can't take a watch into the room with you, they have a large projected clock on a whiteboard that everyone can see, plus they give you markers (e.g. tell you when you're 20 mins in, 40 mins in, and when you have 10 mins left). After sitting all three tests, we collected our belongings and I made my way over to a different venue (about a 10 min walk away) for the speaking test. This went smoothly (I'm a native English speaker). The lady conducting the test even apologised to me afterwards, saying she always finds it awkward doing the speaking test with people who speak English as a first language! So now I'm just nervously waiting for my results. I've been told I should be able to access them online 2 weeks after the test date...so this Saturday! A lot of the advice I could give to others taking the test is mostly just common sense. Like I said before, make sure you know where your test centre is. Make sure you can get there with time to spare so you're not in a rush. Don't drink too much before the test and go to the loo beforehand. You can be escorted out to the bathroom during the test, but we all know how valuable that time is! Have a good breakfast in the morning so you don't get distracted by a rumbling tummy half way through. Do all the practice papers you can get your hands on online and force yourself to practice to time. And most of all, good luck!! :wink:

Sorry, I should re-phrase the above post! Does the syllabus the University provides need to specifically mention the 2,300 hours of theory and practice? Of course this wouldn't include a breakdown of the hours as I suppose this is unique to each programme, hence why it ought to be contained in the transcript instead!

Hi everyone, So whilst my University is able to provide a transcript with a breakdown of my clinical hours, they don't seem to be able to account for the 2,300 theory hours I completed. However, they did say they can send a copy of the syllabus. BUT...I was wondering if this would be acceptable to ANMAC if it didn't include the breakdown of hours? I'm not sure if I'm reading into this too much, but on ANMAC's website, the breakdown of hours is only mentioned in relation to the provision of a transcript, not a syllabus. If anyone could shed any light on this, you would make me one very happy lady! Feel like I'm going in circles here. Thanks in advance! x

Hey jac2011, Sounds like our applications will be following the same timings! I'm qualifying in September this year as an adult nurse and aiming to apply for 189 visa asap I was wondering, if we apply for ANMAC once we receive our NMC pins and send all the evidence apart from the employer letter confirming 3 months post-reg exp, will they start assessing our application at this stage, or do you know if they'll want to hold off starting the assessment process until they've received all of the evidence together? I'm thinking if the former is the case, we could potentially get LoD much sooner!

As a nurse, you just need at least 3 months post reg experience in order to be eligible for the skills assessment, which you need in order to apply for the 189 visa. From what I've seen on here, most nurses receive an invite about 1-2 weeks after submitting their EOI. I believe the IELTS certificate is valid for 2 years. Hope this helps!! Lizzie

No it won't be possible. When I tried to do my farm work, I was held hostage by a perverted farmer with a gun. Couldn't bring myself to go back on a rural farm after that. But you know, even that's not an 'exception' in the eyes of DIAC, even considering the police had to get involved. They're very black and white about the 3 month rule. Hence why I'm retraining as a nurse now so I can return by applying for PR.

There are a lot of people on this forum who are working so incredibly hard to make the move to Oz and they're doing everything by the book and going through the right channels. You've essentially asked if we know of any ways you can commit immigration fraud to get back quickly, so it's bound to ruffle a few feathers. If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you do the farm work when you were out there?

DIAC is really cracking down on the employer sponsorship visas. It was shown that a large number of employers were starting to sponsor overseas candidates for jobs where there were sufficient applications from Australian citizens/permanent residents. To be sponsored for a job in Australia anyway, you need a skill that is in demand. You can't just be sponsored by an employer and then not work for that employer. You'll be found out and put on a plane straight back home. You can't get a bridging visa to do the regional farm work. You have to complete the 3 months farm work within the 12 months of your original visa. This is a legal requirement. You can't just get a new passport and apply for the working holiday visa again. DIAC will do you over for immigration fraud and then it'll be a loooong time before you're allowed back in Oz! If you're that keen to return, maybe you should look at all your options and consider some more legitimate ways of returning to Oz?

Hi help82, I was in exactly the same position as you when I returned from Oz in November 2011. I'm currently re-training as a nurse, then applying for the 189 visa once I have 3 months post-reg experience. My course is 2 years long and you don't have to pay tuition fees. Even though I hated the idea of spending an extra 2-3 years in the UK, I know it will be worth it once I get permanent residency. My previous degree was in Public Relations, which isn't on the SOL, so re-skilling was the best option for me. I did look into studying in Oz, but it's so expensive. All your tuition fees need to be paid upfront and with the cost of living/limited hours you can work on a student visa, it just wasn't a financially viable option. Lizzie