NMBA Registration Standard: General Registration for IQRN
The IQRN pathway to Australia, without the OSCE.
Under AHPRA and NMBA’s new IQRN registration standard, internationally qualified registered nurses can reach general registration in Australia through two streamlined pathways — no NMBA examination, no qualification upgrade, if you meet the 1,800-hour practice requirement in an approved comparable jurisdiction. Here’s how the standard actually works.
IQRN Pathway 1 vs Pathway 2
Which IQRN registration pathway is yours?
Both pathways lead to the same outcome: NMBA general registration as a registered nurse in Australia, without sitting the OSCE. What differs is when you first qualified as a nurse.
IQRN PATHWAY 1
Qualified before 2017
- Nursing qualification obtained before 2017.
- Hold (or have held) general RN registration in the UK, Ireland, USA, Singapore, Spain, or Ontario / British Columbia (Canada).
- 1,800 hours of RN practice completed since 1 January 2017, within an approved jurisdiction.
hours of RN practice since 1 Jan 2017
1,800
IQRN PATHWAY 2
Qualified 2017 onward
- Nursing qualification obtained on or after 1 January 2017.
- Originally qualified outside the approved comparable jurisdictions.
- Subsequently gained general RN registration in an approved comparable jurisdiction.
- 1,800 hours of RN practice completed there since 1 January 2017.
hours of RN practice in the approved jurisdiction
1,800
NMBA-approved comparable jurisdictions
Where your RN registration needs to be from
Both IQRN pathways require general RN registration in one of these jurisdictions — this is the current approved-country list under the AHPRA/NMBA standard.
Not registered in one of these countries — for example a Philippines RN, India RN, or UAE RN qualification with no follow-on registration in an approved jurisdiction? The IQRN standard doesn’t apply to you yet; the existing IQNM / OSCE assessment pathway is still the route in.
IQRN vs IQNM — common questions
What people actually ask about this standard
The fine print that trips up most IQRN applicants when they compare it to the old AHPRA nursing registration process.
No. IQNM is the existing, broader assessment pathway for internationally qualified nurses and midwives. IQRN is a new, faster route sitting alongside it — if you don’t meet the IQRN standard’s requirements, you fall back to the standard IQNM process, OSCE included.
Not under IQRN. The standard removes the requirement for NMBA examinations or qualification upgrades for eligible applicants — that’s the entire point of the two pathways above. Ineligible applicants still go through IQNM, which can include the OSCE.
Eligible applicants can complete registration in roughly 1–6 months, down from the 9–12 months typical of the standard IQNM process — depending on how complete your documentation and employer statements are.
A statement from your employer(s) confirming the hours and dates of RN practice, alongside evidence of your general RN registration in the approved jurisdiction. Hours only count from 1 January 2017 onward.
Yes. Every IQRN applicant must also meet NMBA’s core registration standards, including the English language skills standard — IQRN only replaces the examination/qualification-upgrade step, not the full standards.
New Zealand isn’t on the IQRN approved list because RNs registered with the Nursing Council of New Zealand already have a separate, established route into Australian registration via trans-Tasman recognition.
Read the IQRN registration standard straight from the regulator
This page summarises the NMBA’s Registration standard: General registration for internationally qualified registered nurses — the approved jurisdictions list, the IQRN pathways diagram, and the official AHPRA/NMBA fact sheet.
