If you’ve spent the last few weeks googling “ANMAC” and ended up on migration agent websites trying to sell you a $5,000 AUD package before they explain what this is, you’re in the right place.
I’m a Registered Nurse in Western Australia. I went through the ANMAC process myself, and I now help international nurses navigate it without losing months to avoidable mistakes. This guide isn’t a marketing pitch dressed up as advice — it’s a working manual, written by a clinician, with the 2026 fees, the real processing times (not just the official ones), and the document specs that ANMAC actually rejects applications over.
If you read all the way through, you’ll know exactly which of the four pathways applies to your situation, what documents you need, and the five mistakes that cause most applications to stall for months.
My story, in a nutshell: I trained in Spain (Diploma in Nursing, 2008–2011), then spent three years working in NHS hospitals in the UK and four years in the health insurance sector in Ireland. I arrived in Perth in April 2022.
My ANMAC skills assessment took two attempts. The first application was rejected because I selected the wrong ANZSCO code. I tried to rely on my hospital experience in the UK, but ANMAC classified it as “unlisted” because it was more than five years old. On my second attempt, after documenting three months of Australian aged care experience, my application was approved.
If you read this article carefully, you could save yourself the AUD $395 that I paid unnecessarily simply because I didn’t know this.
What you’ll learn in this guide
- What ANMAC actually is and why it is not the same as AHPRA (the most common beginner mistake)
- The 4 types of Skills Assessment in 2026 and how to know which one applies to you
- 2026 real fees: $395 vs $545 vs $595 AUD and what you actually pay beyond the assessment fee
- The exact document specs ANMAC needs — and the formats they auto-reject
- Real processing times vs the official 6-8 weeks ANMAC quotes
- The 5 mistakes that delay most applications (and how to avoid every one)
- What to do once your Outcome Letter arrives
- The new application portal launched in late 2025 (most older guides still reference the old one)
Let’s get into it.
What is ANMAC, really? (And why it’s not AHPRA)
ANMAC stands for Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council. It is the government-designated authority that assesses qualifications and professional experience of nurses and midwives applying to migrate to Australia under the General Skilled Migration (GSM) program.
Here’s the confusion that trips up almost every new applicant:
ANMAC ≠ AHPRA. These are two completely separate processes.
- ANMAC evaluates whether your qualification is comparable to the Australian standard. It exists for migration purposes only (visa).
- AHPRA (through the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia) grants you the professional registration you need to legally work as a nurse in Australia.
They can run in parallel, but they are separate processes with different criteria, different fees, and different governing bodies. Plenty of people pay ANMAC thinking it gives them the right to work — it does not. You still need AHPRA registration to practise.
Do you actually need ANMAC to work as a nurse in Australia?
Not always. If an Australian employer directly sponsors you (subclass 482, 186, or 494) and you have AHPRA registration, you can sometimes skip ANMAC entirely. You need ANMAC mainly when applying for:
- Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent)
- Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated — state-sponsored)
- Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional)
- Subclass 482 (in some cases)
- Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme)
- Subclass 494 (Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional)
If your end goal is Permanent Residency (PR), you’ll almost certainly need ANMAC.
The 4 types of Skills Assessment in 2026
This is the part you need to get right before paying a cent. There are four active pathways in 2026, and picking the wrong one can cost you double in time and money — ANMAC does not refund if you apply for the wrong assessment type.
1. Modified Skills Assessment — $395 AUD
Who it’s for: Nurses and midwives already registered with AHPRA/NMBA (Australia) or the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ).
Key features:
- Cheapest and fastest pathway
- No English test required (your existing registration already implies you meet the bar)
- Official processing: 6-8 weeks (realistic: 8-12 weeks)
- Online application takes around 20 minutes once your documents are ready
If you already hold AHPRA registration, this is the obvious shortcut.
2. Modified PLUS Skills Assessment — $395 AUD
Who it’s for: Nurses who hold a “Notice of in-principle registration approval” from AHPRA (still waiting on identity verification), AND hold current registration in their home country.
This is the least-known pathway, and it’s a sleeper. If you’re stuck in the AHPRA limbo of “approved in principle, pending ID verification,” this pathway lets you push ANMAC forward in parallel rather than waiting. No English test is normally required either.
3. Full Skills Assessment — $595 AUD
Who it’s for: Nurses NOT registered in Australia or New Zealand, with a Bachelor of Nursing from one of these countries:
- Canada
- Hong Kong
- Ireland
- Singapore
- Spain
- United Kingdom
- United States
Critical requirements:
- English test is mandatory (OET, IELTS Academic, PTE Academic, or TOEFL iBT)
- Minimum 1,800 hours of paid Registered Nurse experience since 1 January 2017 in one of the above countries
- Official processing: 6-8 weeks (realistic: 10-14 weeks)
If you trained in any of those countries, this is your pathway. If you didn’t, keep reading.
4. Direct Care Skills Assessment — $545 AUD
Who it’s for: Nursing Support Workers (ANZSCO 423312) and Personal Care Assistants (ANZSCO 423313), generally aged-care roles.
Requirements:
- Certificate III minimum
- 12 months full-time paid experience (or 120 hours of practical training)
- Supports the ACILA (Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement) and DAMA (Designated Area Migration Agreement) visa pathways
Important: If you trained in a country not on the Full Skills Assessment list (India, the Philippines, Nepal, Pakistan, Latin America, etc.) and you’re not registered with AHPRA yet, ANMAC does not have a direct pathway for you. You’ll first need to obtain a “Notice of in-principle registration” from AHPRA — usually via the OBA (Outcomes-Based Assessment) — and then you can apply via Modified PLUS.
Quick reference: which Skills Assessment is yours?
| Your situation | Pathway | Fee (AUD) | English required | Realistic timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Already AHPRA/NMBA registered | Modified | $395 | No | 8-12 weeks |
| AHPRA “in-principle” + home country registration | Modified PLUS | $395 | No | 8-12 weeks |
| BN from UK, IE, CA, US, SG, ES, HK (no AHPRA) | Full | $595 | Yes (OET B / IELTS 7) | 10-14 weeks |
| Aged care (Cert III + experience) | Direct Care | $545 | Varies | 6-8 weeks |
| Country outside listed group, no AHPRA | OBA first via AHPRA | — | — | — |
The 5 steps of the ANMAC process (with realistic timelines)
Here’s the operational walk-through. The official timelines look neat on paper. The real-world timelines are what you should plan around.
Step 1: Free eligibility self-check
Before paying anything, use the free self-check tool on the ANMAC portal. It confirms which pathway applies to you. Do not skip this step — ANMAC does not refund applications submitted for the wrong assessment type.
⏱️ Realistic time: 30 minutes.
Step 2: Request your “Verification of Registration” from your home country
This is the silent application-killer. ANMAC requires your home country’s regulatory authority (your country’s equivalent of AHPRA — the NMC in the UK, the NMBI in Ireland, the State Boards in the US, etc.) to send a “Verification of Registration” or “Certificate of Good Standing” directly to ANMAC.
Critical rules:
- The document must be sent directly from the regulatory authority to ANMAC. Not through you. Not through your agent.
- Email to:
verification@anmac.org.au - ANMAC will not accept documents sent from Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, or any other free email service. It must come from an official institutional email domain.
- If institutional email is not available, the regulator can post the document to:
ANMAC Skilled Migration Services GPO Box 400 Canberra City ACT 2601 Australia
Start this request before you start your ANMAC application, because depending on your home country, this verification can take 4-12 weeks to arrive.
⏱️ Realistic time: 4-12 weeks (start now!)
Step 3: Prepare your documents
This is where applications get sunk by avoidable mistakes. Here are the documents you’ll need, with the exact specs ANMAC requires:
Identity (everyone needs these):
- Passport bio-data page (in colour)
- Recent passport-style photograph
- Two additional official IDs (national ID card, birth certificate, driver’s licence)
2025-2026 update: As of September 2025, ANMAC tightened identity verification. They now require passport + photo + two additional IDs, not one. Most older blog posts still reference the old single-ID requirement — don’t get caught out.
Academic qualifications:
- Graduation certificate (Bachelor of Nursing or equivalent)
- Official academic transcripts showing:
- Course start and end dates
- Breakdown of theoretical and practical/clinical hours (required for Full Skills Assessment)
Professional registration:
- Registration certificate from your home country
- Good Standing Certificate (from Step 2)
Work experience (Full Skills Assessment):
- Professional reference letters demonstrating a minimum of 3 months (260 hours) of paid work experience within the last 5 years
- For Full: additional evidence of the 1,800 hours since 2017
English test (Full Skills Assessment only):
| Test | Minimum score |
|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 7.0 in each component |
| OET (Nursing) | B in each component |
| PTE Academic | 65 in each component |
| TOEFL iBT | 24L / 24R / 27W / 23S |
You can combine two sittings within 6 months if you meet certain minimum thresholds — but it’s cleaner to pass everything in one go and avoid the paperwork headache.
Format rules — non-negotiable:
- ✅ Colour scans, minimum 600 DPI
- ❌ Do not use phone scanning apps (CamScanner, Microsoft Lens, Adobe Scan, Google Drive scanner) — ANMAC auto-rejects them
- ❌ No photographs of documents
- ❌ No compressed PDFs that degrade quality
- ✅ Documents not in English must be translated by a NAATI-certified translator (upload both the original and the certified translation)
⏱️ Realistic time: 2-4 weeks to gather everything, especially if you need NAATI translations.
Step 4: Submit and pay in the new application portal
Once your documents are ready:
- Create an account at the ANMAC application portal at anmac.org.au Important 2026 update: The old Skilled Migrant Application Portal closed in December 2025. Make sure you’re using the current portal linked from the ANMAC website, not screenshots from older guides.
- Complete the online application (~20 minutes excluding document uploads)
- Upload documents in the correct format
- Select the correct ANZSCO code:
| Code | Role |
|---|---|
| 254411 | Nurse Practitioner |
| 254412 | Registered Nurse (Aged Care) |
| 254413 | Registered Nurse (Community Health) |
| 254414 | Registered Nurse (Critical Care and Emergency) |
| 254415 | Registered Nurse (Developmental Disability) |
| 254416 | Registered Nurse (Disability and Rehabilitation) |
| 254417 | Registered Nurse (Medical) |
| 254418 | Registered Nurse (Medical Practice) |
| 254421 | Registered Nurse (Mental Health) |
| 254422 | Registered Nurse (Perioperative) |
| 254423 | Registered Nurse (Surgical) |
| 254424 | Registered Nurse (Child and Family Health) |
| 254425 | Registered Nurse (Community Health) |
| 254499 | Registered Nurse (NEC — Not Elsewhere Classified) |
Choose your ANZSCO code carefully. If you pick a code that doesn’t match your documented work experience, ANMAC will request more documentation and delay your assessment by weeks. Any work experience older than 5 years can only be assessed under 254499 (NEC).
- Pay with Visa or Mastercard. ANMAC does not accept American Express or Diners Club.
- Submit.
⏱️ Realistic time: 1 day (if documents are ready)
Step 5: Wait for the Outcome Letter
ANMAC officially says 6-8 weeks. In practice in 2026:
- Modified: 8-10 weeks
- Modified PLUS: 8-12 weeks
- Full: 10-14 weeks
- Direct Care: 6-8 weeks
During this time, ANMAC may request additional documents. Check your email (and spam folder) every 2-3 days. If you take too long to respond to a document request, your processing clock effectively restarts.
When the Outcome Letter arrives, there are three possible results:
- Suitable ✅ — Congratulations. Valid for 2 years.
- Not Suitable ❌ — They’ll explain which criteria you didn’t meet. You can appeal (additional fees apply).
- Pending more information ⏳ — Send what they ask for and wait again.
⏱️ Realistic time for Step 5 alone: 8-14 weeks depending on pathway.
The 5 mistakes that delay most ANMAC applications
I see these over and over. Avoid them and you’ll save months.
Mistake 1: Requesting the Good Standing certificate last instead of first
This is the #1 bottleneck. While you’re preparing everything else, the Good Standing letter can take 2-3 months to arrive from some countries. Request it on day one.
Mistake 2: Submitting phone-scanned documents
CamScanner, Microsoft Lens, Adobe Scan, your phone’s built-in scanner — they all produce files ANMAC will reject. You need a proper flatbed scanner at 600 DPI in colour. If you don’t have one, a local print shop will scan for a few dollars.
Mistake 3: Picking the wrong ANZSCO code
Many applicants choose codes based on where they want to work in Australia, rather than where they have actually worked. ANMAC will reject the code if your reference letters don’t substantiate it. Your code must match your documented past experience.
Mistake 4: Using non-NAATI translations
If your documents are in any language other than English (Spanish, Tagalog, Hindi, Portuguese, Arabic, etc.), you need translations from a NAATI-certified translator. Notarised translations from your home country will not be accepted.
Mistake 5: Confusing ANMAC with AHPRA and paying the wrong one first
Some applicants pay ANMAC first thinking it lets them work. ANMAC is only for the visa. AHPRA is for working. If your priority is to start working with an employer sponsor, AHPRA goes first. If you’re going for skilled-independent PR (189/190/491), they usually run in parallel.
After the Outcome Letter: what now?
Once you receive a positive Outcome Letter (“suitable for skilled migration”):
- It’s valid for 2 years. This cannot be extended.
- You use it to lodge your Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect (this is not the visa itself, it’s the step before).
- If you qualify for bonus points (regional location, state sponsorship, age, English proficiency), pursue state nomination — for example, Western Australia has its WASMOL list and prioritises healthcare workers.
- If your EOI is invited, you have 60 days to lodge the actual visa application (189/190/491).
- In parallel, sort out AHPRA registration if you don’t already have it. Without AHPRA, you cannot work upon arrival (and depending on subclass, you may not even be granted entry).
Frequently asked questions
How much does the ANMAC process cost in total in 2026?
The ANMAC fee itself is $395 to $595 AUD depending on pathway. But the real total — including documents, NAATI translations, English test (if required), and international postage — usually lands between $800 and $2,500 AUD depending on your home country.
Can I do ANMAC without a migration agent?
Yes, absolutely. ANMAC is a documentary process, not a legal one. You do not need a MARA-registered migration agent for ANMAC. You may need one for the visa application itself afterwards. Doing ANMAC yourself saves you $1,500-3,000 AUD that some agents charge for this single step.
What happens if my ANMAC is refused?
You can appeal by paying an additional fee, or reapply after addressing what was missing. Outright refusals are rare — more often ANMAC requests additional documentation, so respond promptly.
OET vs IELTS for ANMAC — which should I take?
Both are accepted with the scores listed above. OET tends to be friendlier for nurses because the content is clinical (you’re listening to doctor-patient conversations, writing referral letters). IELTS is more academic and general. My recommendation: if your English is clinically rooted, OET. If it’s academically rooted, IELTS.
In my case, I chose OET because the speaking topics are healthcare-related, which makes them easier to discuss and elaborate on. With IELTS, you may be asked to speak about a completely random topic that you know little or nothing about.
That said, OET does not assess your medical knowledge. The examiners are evaluating your English communication skills, particularly your ability to speak clearly, effectively, and appropriately in a healthcare context.
Can I work as a nurse while waiting for ANMAC?
ANMAC does not grant you the right to work. You need a visa with work rights + AHPRA registration. If you’re already onshore on a student or working visa, you can work (with AHPRA). Offshore, no.
How long does the whole journey take from zero to PR visa?
Realistically, 12-24 months depending on country of origin and pathway. Nurses from the UK, Ireland, Canada, US, Singapore, or Spain who qualify for the IQRN streamlined registration can compress it to 6-9 months. Nurses from countries outside that list (India, Philippines, Latin America) typically run 18-24 months.
Does an Outcome Letter guarantee a visa?
No. ANMAC only assesses your skills. The visa decision is made by the Department of Home Affairs based on your overall EOI score, occupation ceiling, and other criteria. A positive ANMAC is necessary but not sufficient.
Want to know which pathway applies to you?
I built a free calculator that, in 2 minutes, tells you exactly which Skills Assessment you need, the estimated cost, and the realistic timeline for your specific situation:
👉 Take the free eligibility check
About the author
Alvaro is a Registered Nurse based in Western Australia, originally from Spain. He went through the ANMAC and AHPRA processes in 2023 and now helps international nurses navigate the same path without losing months to avoidable mistakes.
Legal disclaimer
This guide provides general educational information about the ANMAC Skills Assessment process. It does not constitute migration advice. For advice on visa applications, consult a registered migration agent (MARA) or migration lawyer. Information is current as of May 2026 and is subject to change; always verify the latest details on the official websites: anmac.org.au and ahpra.gov.au.
Official sources consulted
- ANMAC – Skilled Migration Services: https://anmac.org.au/skilled-migration-services
- ANMAC – Fees: https://anmac.org.au/skilled-migrants/fees
- ANMAC – Modified Skills Assessment: https://anmac.org.au/skilled-migrants/modified-skills-assessment
- ANMAC – Full Skills Assessment: https://anmac.org.au/skilled-migrants/full-skills-assessment
- ANMAC – Assessment Process: https://anmac.org.au/skilled-migrants/assessment-process
- AHPRA / Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au
- Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs (skilled visa subclasses)
Free ANMAC checklist (PDF)
Download the printable ANMAC Skills Assessment Checklist 2026 — the document version of everything you need before you apply. Link coming soon.