What a registered nurse earns: UK vs Australia
UK average
£46.9k
5,283 live listings
Australia average
A$103.1k
≈ £53.5k · +14% vs UK
≈ £49.9k in UK buying power
What does life cost after the move? Rent, fuel, bills & take-home →
Mean advertised salaries, live listings both countries · GBP equivalent at the current ECB rate · “buying power” uses World Bank purchasing-power parity (2025) — what the salary actually buys, after Australia's higher prices · Australian salaries are usually advertised excluding the compulsory 12% employer superannuation (pension), so the real package typically runs above the figure shown · cost of living differs (rent is the big one, both directions).
Registration & recognition
AHPRA registration (Nursing & Midwifery Board) to practise, with an ANMAC skills assessment for the visa. UK-trained nurses are a well-trodden path — this is the busiest sponsored route into Australia.
The honest bit
Registration takes months, not weeks, and costs real money before you earn a dollar. Metro hospital jobs are competitive — the sponsorship counts skew regional, where the housing is cheaper anyway.
UK registered nurse → Australian registered nurse: the checklist
- 1Gather your evidence: nursing degree/diploma, transcripts, registration history, employment references, ID.
- 2Sit an accepted English test (OET or IELTS Academic) unless you qualify for an exemption — book early, slots fill.
- 3ANMAC skills assessment (the visa side): apply online with your documents.
- 4AHPRA registration (the practise side): apply to the Nursing & Midwifery Board — this can run in parallel with job hunting.
- 5Hunt where the sponsors are: regional hospitals and aged-care groups sponsor hardest — browse the live sponsorship ads here.
- 6Your employer nominates you (Skills in Demand visa or subclass 186); a MARA agent earns their fee at this step.
- 7Land, complete AHPRA formalities, start — and check your first payslip against the award.
Print it, fridge it, tick it off. Costs and timelines vary — verify each step against current official guidance before spending money.
Stop reading about sponsorship.
Browse the actual ads.
Live Australian registered nurse listings whose text mentions visa sponsorship — pay shown, straight to the employer.
See the sponsorship adsLive Australian registered nurse jobs — pay on every ad.
See the live jobsThis page is information, not migration advice. Visa rules change and your circumstances matter. For advice you can rely on, use a MARA-registered migration agent (or an IAA-regulated adviser in the UK — the Immigration Advice Authority, formerly OISC). JobsBrio publishes live pay and market data — the ad counts here are live listings whose text mentions visa sponsorship, which is not a guarantee any employer will sponsor you.