OFW deployment zips and drips.
The year 2024 was zippy.
Once an approved job order is listed on the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) website https://dmw.gov.ph/inquiry/approved-job-orders) licensed recruitment agencies can immediately recruit and deploy qualified applicants in months.
In 2024, the DMW reported that 1,612,884 overseas Filipino workers left for work abroad. Of the OFW total deployed, 979,924 were contract workers in just four Middle Eastern countries: Saudi Arabia — 398,768; United Arab Emirates — 346,823; Qatar —150,822; and Kuwait — 83,511.
Australia admitted 22,070 OFWs, including registered nurses. Job orders by licensed recruitment agencies for Australian employers can be accessed through the DMW’s “Approved Job Orders” — https://dmw.gov.ph/inquiry/approved-job-orders.
Filipino (and RNs from other countries) are usually sponsored by Australian employers under the Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand, either through the core, specialist stream or labor agreement route), where the occupation — registered nurse — is listed as one of the occupations eligible for sponsorship under this subclass — https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L01620/latest/text
Ninety percent of SC 482 applications submitted to Australia’s Department of Home Affairs this month would be completed by October this year; 50 percent should be processed by May 2026 — https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-processing-times/global-visa-processing-times
Dripping stages before sponsorship
To qualify for sponsorship as a temporary worker in any of the five DestiNations, a Filipino nurse (FN) must meet the requirements to work and practice the nursing profession.
The essential criteria are: first, must have passed the Philippine Nursing Licensure Examination (PNLE) administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC.)
Next, the FN must comply with the registration or licensing regulations of the authorized government agency for foreign nurses — identified as an “Internationally Qualified Nurse — IQN” in Australia and New Zealand; “Internationally Educated Nurses — IEN” in Canada and the UK. In the US overseas, nurses are called “Foreign Educated Nurse — FEN” or simply an international nurse.
In each of these five DestiNations, the Filipino nurse needs to pass the English proficiency exam as part of the registration/licensure process prior to taking the licensure exam or registration process.
Australia
The Internationally Qualified Nurse (IQN) must a) meet skills assessment conducted by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (Anmac); and b) register with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (Anmac) is an independent organization authorized by the Minister for Immigration to perform skills assessment of an IQN intending to work or migrate.
FNs who passed the PNLE applying for registration must take the Self-Check process to determine the stream outcome. The name of the institution where and when the Bachelor of Science in Nursing was obtained will be asked — https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Accreditation/IQNM/Self-check-and-Portfolio/Completing-the-Self-check.aspx
There are three streams to choose from:
– Stream A — IQNs who hold a qualification considered to be substantially equivalent, or based on similar competencies, to an approved qualification.
– Stream B — IQNs who hold a qualification that is relevant to the profession, but is not substantially equivalent, nor based on similar competencies to an approved qualification.
– Stream C — IQNs who hold a qualification that is not substantially equivalent or relevant to an approved qualification.
Stream B applicants would be instructed to complete a bridging course as part of and finalize registration. The following institutions in Australia offering the Initial Registration for Overseas Nurses (IRON) “include the Institute of Health & Management (IHM), Institute of Health and Nursing Australia (IHNA), and RACC Australia, which typically feature a combination of 4 weeks of theory and 8 weeks of clinical placement.”
After completing Anmac assessment and ANMBA registration, the applicant applies for the visa in the specific subclass (e.g., Subclass 482) through the sponsoring Australian employer or the licensed recruitment agency authorized by the employer to submit the job order with the DMW.
Sponsorships appear as approved job orders
The Department of Health and Aged Care announced in July 2024 that Australia is facing a shortage of more than 70,000 nurses by 2035.
At the time of writing, there were 6,602 approved job orders (AJOs) under the DMW, dominated by a thousand-plus manpower requests for skilled workers in construction, mostly metal fabricators, mechanical fitters, welders; 235 pharmacists; 178 occupational therapists; and 101 physical therapists — https://dmw.gov.ph/inquiry/approved-job-orders
Job orders for RNs were virtually nonexistent. Why?
Sponsorship requires applicants to be fully qualified to work, essentially sidelining first-time AHPRA registrants who must take the bridging course to complete registration and be qualified for sponsorship.
Since RN applicants completing the AHPRA registration would already be in Australia, employers do not have to list a job order with DMW.
From the 413,162 temporary visas issued by the DHA in the 2023-2024 program year, 18,397 visas were issued to Philippine applicants, including those in the Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand visa category).
Undergraduate nursing students may pursue studies in Australia and — upon completion of studies — also apply for the appropriate temporary working visa.
Eligible FNs/IQNs may also be sponsored in the other visa categories for temporary work, such as temporary graduate visa (Subclass 485)
– Skills in demand visa (subclass 482) — Sponsorship needed.
– Temporary graduate visa (subclass 485)
– Skilled work regional (subclass 491) 5-year temporary visa
– Skilled employer-sponsored regional (provisional) visa subclass 494
– Skilled-recognized graduate visa (subclass 476)
– Skilled regional (provisional) visa (subclass 489)
– Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188) — sponsorship needed.
Subclass 485 streams for those who completed studies in Australia post-vocational education work stream: This 18-month visa is for international students who have recently graduated with an associate degree, diploma, or trade qualification relevant to an occupation Australia needs.
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/temporary-graduate-485/post-vocational-education-work#About
Post-higher education work stream
This visa is for international students who have recently graduated with a degree from an Australian institution. The length of stay in Australia will depend on the level of your Australian study qualification: bachelor’s degree (including honors) — 2 years; masters (coursework and extended) — 2 years; masters (research) — 3 years; and doctoral degree — 3 years.
This visa allows a sponsored applicant to live, work and study in Australia temporarily as well as a permanent residency pathway — https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/temporary-graduate-485/post-higher-education-work#About
Filipino RNs who may qualify under Stream A may apply under Subclass 494 under the employer-sponsored stream and apply for residency after being in 494 status in a designated regional area — https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/regional-migration/eligible-regional-areas
Permanent residency for Filipino RNs (IQNs)
IQNs from the Philippines — 2,544 total — top the list of occupation groups admitted as permanent residents under the Skills Migration Stream https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-stats/files/report-migration-program-2024-25.pdf
The other health care professionals with approved job orders are pharmacists — 235; occupational therapists — 178; physical therapists — 101.
The magic word for FNs/IQNs seeking temporary or permanent visas to Australia? “AHPRA-cadabra.”
Next week: How to work, migrate as RN in Canada