Statements of service for nurses moving to Australia: how far back do you go?
Updated: 21 hours ago
We get asked this a lot. There is no single answer, because it depends on what the statement is for. Here is how it breaks down.
1. AHPRA registration
Your route depends on where you trained and where you are registered.
NZ-registered nurses apply through the Trans-Tasman mutual recognition arrangement, which is separate from the international pathway.
Nurses from approved comparable jurisdictions can use a streamlined pathway. These are the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Canada (British Columbia and Ontario), Singapore and Spain. You need at least 1,800 hours of practice in those jurisdictions since 1 January 2017. Ahpra
Everyone else starts with AHPRA's Self-check, which places you in a stream based on your qualification. Stream A can apply for registration without further assessment, Stream B goes through the outcomes-based assessment (OBA), and Stream C needs to upgrade their qualification first.
On top of your pathway, the recency of practice standard applies. It requires at least 450 hours of practice in the last five years, and the hours do not need to be continuous. Hours count if you held registration in Australia or overseas and used nursing skills in the role.
For ongoing registration you mainly declare your hours. Evidence is only requested if you are audited, and you should keep it for at least five years. If you are applying through a pathway that requires proof of practice hours, AHPRA sets the accepted evidence. Ask your employers for statements early. Ahpra
2. Your visa and skills assessment
Visas depend on your passport, so get migration advice before you start.
NZ citizens do not need a visa before travelling. They can apply for a Special Category visa on entry. There is no skills assessment step for most NZ citizens. Immigration and Citizenship
Other nurses on a skilled migration route may need an ANMAC skills assessment. This is separate from AHPRA registration. The Nursing Central
ANMAC does not accept standard service statements as work evidence. It wants a professional reference letter for each period of employment, signed by your direct manager and detailing your clinical skills. Service and HR statements, payslips and job descriptions are not accepted. To claim experience against a specific occupation code, you need at least 3 months and 260 hours of paid work within the last 5 years. Older experience can only be assessed under the general code. For overseas experience, the regulator in that country must send ANMAC a verification of registration or certificate of good standing directly.
3. Your pay level
This is where a full history matters. Your employer decides how much prior experience counts, under its own agreement. There is no national rule.
Public systems have their own process. Queensland Health, for example, accepts its own statement of service form stamped by your former employer, or a statement on the former employer's letterhead. That policy covers recognition of service for leave entitlements, so ask separately how your pay point will be set. Whether overseas service counts towards pay can depend on your recognised qualifications, and the NSW nurses' association advises keeping your original statements safe. Queensland Health, NSWNMA
The safe approach is to collect a statement for every nursing role since you registered. Ask your prospective employer what it will recognise before you accept an offer.
What good statements of service show
Requirements differ by employer. As a minimum, ask for:
Official letterhead
Your full name and position
Start and finish dates
Classification or grade
Work pattern (full time, part time or casual) and hours per week for each period
Department or specialty
The signature, title and contact details of your manager or HR
A reference letter for ANMAC must also detail your clinical skills. Generic wording or a position description is not enough.
Our advice
Request statements from every employer now, starting with overseas ones.
Ask for hours worked, not just dates.
Keep originals and a scanned copy.
Ask your prospective employer what it needs before you apply.
Moving to Australia as a nurse? Talk to the Carejobz team.
About the author
Paul Wheeler is Recruitment Director at Carejobz, a specialist perioperative and theatre nursing recruitment agency placing nurses in permanent and fixed-term roles across Australia and New Zealand. He has close to two decades of experience in healthcare recruitment. Originally from London, he relocated to Australia via New Zealand.
