Why work with us

Overseas Nurses

Join our Team

Opal HealthCare is Australia’s largest private aged care provider with 133 Care Communities located in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. We employ over 17,000 team members and we are continuously looking for experienced overseas registered nurses to join our team. If you have a passion to support older Australians and bring joy to those we care for, then we welcome you to join us. 

With a growing population, Registered Nurses in aged care play an essential part in the delivery of quality care. Whether you are looking to have a working holiday or permanently make Australia your home, Opal HealthCare is able to support overseas nurses and make the dream of a new life a possibility.

Our Opal HealthCare Academy offers a range of entry-level programs focused on building confidence and capability, and increasing team member's scope of practice through guided mentorship in a supportive learning environment. 

The information below offers a guide on how to begin the process:

  • The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) is the national organisation responsible for implementing the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme across Australia. Before you consider applying for a position in Australia, you must go through and gain registration with AHPRA as a Registered Nurse.

    For more information about obtaining Registration and AHPRA please visit the below.

    https://www.ahpra.gov.au/

    https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/

    https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Accreditation/IQNM.aspx

  • Nursing in aged care has many different career paths and opportunities for future growth and development. The myth that aged care is a place you go for retirement or to slow down is completely false. Aged Care is a busy and fast paced environment which is perfect for development and fast tracking into senior leadership opportunities.

    Opal HealthCare considers Aged Care Registered Nurses pivotal in the delivery of quality care and mange relationships with residents, families, medical professionals and management. Registered Nurses have many clinical and leadership responsibilities similar to those who work in a Hospital or Community setting.

    • Wound Care
    • Palliative Care
    • Medication Management
    • Chronic disease management
    • Critical Thinking
    • Leadership of the Care Teams
    • Dementia Care
    • Reporting and documentation.
    • Relationship management.

    And much more:

    Because of the varied skills and responsibilities required to be a Registered Nurse in aged care, you are able to fast track your career and step into leadership opportunities quicker than most in other sectors in Healthcare. There are several career progression opportunities within a Care Community or you can branch out into the wider Regional Team.

    Career Pathways;

    • Registered Nurse In-Charge
    • Clinical Care Coordinator
    • Clinical Educator
    • Care Manager
    • General Manager
    • Regional Support Manager
    • Regional General Manager
    • Regional Quality Advisor

    Aged Care is constantly changing for the better, which means many new and exciting roles are created at Opal HealthCare, giving our team more opportunities to thrive and build upon skills and experience.

  • Opal Healthcare is able to offer sponsorship on a temporary visa which has a pathway to Permanent Residency. There are several visa options available but the main two visa pathways that Opal Healthcare offers are;

    • Temporary Skills Shortage Visa (subclass 482) Short-term & Long-term stream

    This visa enables Opal Healthcare to sponsor skilled workers in Australia on either a 2 (short-term) or 4 (medium-term) year visa. You are required to work full-time and only with the nominated employer.

    For more information about this visa click here 

    • Employer Nomination Scheme Visa (Subclass 186)

    This visa is a pathway to permanent residency allowing you to live and work in Australia permanently. There are two streams available, the Direct Entry Stream and Temporary Residence Transition Stream. Depending on your location, Opal Healthcare may be able to progress you to permanent residency after 6-12 months of working with us if you are in a regional area. For metro areas, it will be 2-3 years. 

    For more information about this visa click here

    Our migration agent will assist you in the visa process and support you along the way from gathering the correct documents, the nomination and approval process. 

  • If you have successfully obtained nursing registration in Australia or have a provisional approval letter from the Nursing and Midwifery Board, you are able to take the first steps of starting a new life in Australia and apply for a position with us.

    You can visit our careers page to apply online to any Registered Nurse role by clicking here.

    If we do not have a role available in a desired location of your choosing, you can click here to submit your expression of interest application.

Frequently asked questions for overseas nurses

  • If you have AHPRA registration and are ready to commence the visa process, it can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 4 months for the visa to be submitted and approved. Due to the current workforce shortages in Australia, visas are getting processed at a much fast rate and are typically taking 4 – 12 weeks to be granted.

  • When a visa gets approved, the visa will have a ‘Must not arrive after’ date. This date is usually 2 years from the grant date. Although we would not expect it to take you 2 years to relocate, this does allow plenty of time to plan a move and relocate.

  • Yes. You are able to add a spouse and dependents to your visa. For each additional person you add to your visa, you will be charged an additional fee.

  • Opal HealthCare may offer relocation assistance of up to $5,000 depending on the location and area on a case-by-case basis. Relocation assistance can be used for flights, accommodation and the relocation of possessions to Australia.

  • Visa costs will differ depending on the visa you apply for and how many individuals you add to your visa application. For the most up to date visa costs, visit the Australian Immigration website.

    https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/

    Opal HealthCare use a Migration agent who assists us with the application, nomination and submission of a visa, this service will come with an additional fee.

  • Opal HealthCare offers a pathway to permanent residency via the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186). This process can commence at 6 months from commencement date or 2 years from commencement, depending on the geographical location and other factors.

  • Yes. A requirement of the 482 visa is that you work 38 hours per week, 76 hours per fortnight.

  • No. In order for Opal HealthCare to sponsor an individual, Opal has to pay a nomination fee of over $8,000 to start the process to the Australian Government.

  • Yes. A Recruitment Team member at Opal will assess your application and make contact with you to discuss opportunities further. Once completed, they will schedule a virtual interview with a General Manager at one of our Care Communities.

  • Yes. Just like an applicant in Australia applying for a role, you will commence pre-employment checks if successful after interview. These checks will consist of references, an online medical and a police check.

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