ANMAC Skills Assessment for Nursing and Midwifery
ANMAC (Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council) is the sole skills assessing authority for nursing and midwifery in Australia — applying to most of the ANZSCO codes in this occupational group.
If you are a nurse or midwife who wants to work in Australia, ANMAC is the authority you need to lodge a skills assessment with — and its requirements are among the strictest of the migration skills assessing authorities.
ANMAC’s assessment types
ANMAC has several different assessment types depending on the situation:
Full Skills Assessment (FSA): This is the most common and most comprehensive type. It is for nurses/midwives who have graduated and have clinical work experience. ANMAC assesses everything: qualifications, the content of the study program, practical experience, and English.
GradReady Assessment: For recent graduates (within about the last five years) who do not yet have much clinical experience. The process focuses more on qualifications and the study program.
Direct Care Assessment: For certain special cases — check directly with ANMAC whether it applies.
Bridging Assessment Program (BAP): For those who do not fully meet the Full Skills Assessment criteria but still have potential — ANMAC may suggest joining this program to “bridge” up to the standard.
English — a mandatory and the highest requirement
ANMAC has a mandatory English requirement — you cannot lodge without a valid English certificate.
The tests accepted and the minimum scores:
| Test | ANMAC minimum |
|---|---|
| OET (Occupational English Test) | Minimum B in all four components: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking |
| IELTS Academic | 7.0 overall AND 7.0 in each individual band |
| PTE Academic | 65 overall AND 65 in each communicative skill |
| TOEFL iBT | 24 in each section |
An important point to remember about IELTS: 7.0 in each individual band — not an average. If you achieve 7.5 overall but have one band at 6.5, you still do not meet the requirement. This is the point most people get caught on.
OET for nurses: OET is designed specifically for the healthcare sector — the reading, listening, writing and speaking sections all relate to real clinical situations. Many nurses and midwives choose OET because the content is more familiar.
Documents needed
Qualifications and study program:
- Nursing/midwifery degree (official, with a certified translation into English)
- Full transcript (with subject descriptions)
- A breakdown of theory hours and clinical practice hours
Registration to practise:
- A current registration certificate in the country where you work
- Registration history (all places where you have been registered)
Clinical experience:
- A reference letter from the hospital/health facility about the period and nature of the work
- Records of clinical hours worked (if available)
English: A test result that is still valid (usually two years from the test date)
Cost and timing
Fees vary by assessment type and over time — each assessment type has a different fee. See the official fee schedule on the ANMAC site for the current amounts.
Processing time also varies by assessment type and file volume — check the current milestones on ANMAC’s official site. Note that this is the waiting time for ANMAC to begin assessing — not the time until a result is reached.
After ANMAC — the AHPRA step remains
An ANMAC assessment is a condition for a migration visa — but to actually work as a nurse/midwife in Australia, you also need to register to practise with AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency). This is a separate process that does not happen automatically after ANMAC.
ANMAC and AHPRA are two independent processes — so prepare for both.