Josh from the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre tells The Lamp of new pathways for nurses on temporary visas to achieve permanent residency.

Nurses on temporary visas may now have pathways to permanent residency due to recent changes to immigration law and policy.

Nursing occupations have been included on an Australia-wide priority skilled occupation list and NSW occupation list for skilled visas.  These skilled visas include subclass 186 and 482 visas, which are employer sponsored visas, and subclass 190 and 491 visas, which require an invitation from a State government.  The subclass 190 and 186 visas are permanent visas, and the subclass 482 and 491 visas can offer pathways to permanent residency.

To be invited by the NSW government to apply for a subclass 190 or 491 visa, an expression of interest must be lodged through SkillSelect on the Department of Home Affairs’ website.  To lodge an expression of interest certain criteria must be met, including:

• Living in NSW (regional NSW for the subclass 491 visa); and
• Scoring at least 65 points based on criteria set out by the Department of Home Affairs (see: Department of Home Affairs’ points calculator).

If a person is being sponsored as a nurse by an employer on a subclass 186 or 482 visa, their visa application will be prioritised.  If a nurse has been working in their profession for at least 3 years, they may be eligible for permanent residency and should discuss this with their employer.

The above is not intended to be relied on as legal advice.  Before lodging an expression of interest or talking to an employer you should contact the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association for a referral to Visa Assist, the free and confidential immigration advice service for union members.