New Zealand Nurse Jobs for Foreign Nurse

Steps to enter New Zealand for nurse jobs for Foreign Nurse

New Zealand is a beautiful island Country located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. New Zealand is the favorite destination for health care professionals especially for foreign nurses as there is shortage of nurses for next 10 years of time. To enter New Zealand, foreign nurse need to follow steps to get entry for jobs and work permit.

STEPS TO BE FOLLOWED TO ENTER NEW ZEALAND FOR NURSE JOBS

• Basic Requirement for Registration
• Need To Obtain job offer in New Zealand
• Register with New Zealand Nursing Council
• Need to Obtain a police clearance and Medical Clearance
• Need to Obtain Practicing certificate from the New Zealand Nursing Council
• Obtain a working visa to work in New Zealand
• Start working and settle

REGISTERED NURSE SALARY IN NEW ZEALAND

Registered Nurse can get good pay and their role to assess, treat and support people in hospitals, clinics and nursing homes. Enrolled nurses care for patients while a registered nurse or nurse practitioner supervises them

SALARY

Graduate registered nurses – $60 K per year

Senior registered nurses – $85K – 136 K per year

BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR REGISTRATION (Step 1)

Foreign nurse need to qualify to get registered in Nursing Council of New Zealand. For example, Enrolled Nurse should have or completed a Diploma of Enrolled Nursing (Level 5).

For Registered Nurse, the nurse should complete Bachelor of Nursing or other Level 7 or 8 qualification approved by the Nursing Council of New Zealand. Nurse need to get registered with the Nursing Council of New Zealand.

Working Experience

Foreign nurse need to have 2 years of experience or 2500 hours of nursing working experience within the last 5 years.

English Examination

Foreign nurse need to pass English Examination either OET (Occupational English Test) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System.

For OET, the nurse need to have minimum score of 350 for each band, while for IELTS – the nurse need a score of 7 for each band as well. Foreign nurse need to take academic section in IETLS.

Exemption for Few Countries  

Foreign nurse can be exempt from the English Language proficiency test if nurse get nursing education and registered to practice in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and USA

NEED TO OBTAIN JOB OFFER IN NEW ZEALAND (Step 2)

Foreign nurse need to apply for job through online website or through consultant. Once they get job offer, nurse can proceed for registration process in Nursing Council of New Zealand.

REGISTER WITH NEW ZEALAND NURSING COUNCIL (Step 3)

To start registration, the nurse needs to apply to CGFNS International Inc to verify documents of nursing candidates. Foreign Nurse has to request CGFN to send report to New Zealand Nursing Council. Once documents are verified, nurse can apply for nursing council for registration.

1. Apply to CGFNS International INC. – The CGFNS is responsible for verifying documents.

Documents submitted

• Identify documents
• Employment history
• Education history
• License validation

2. Request CGFN to send report to the Nursing Council – within 3 working days after submitting your documents, nurse will get report. Nurse request CGFNS to send these documents to New Zealand’s Nursing Council

3.Apply to the Nursing Council – during registration, complete CAPs. Criminal History Check (ICHC is valid for six months)

4. After registration, the Nursing Council will ask to apply for an Annual Practicing Certificate. (certificate needed to practice the nursing profession in country)

REGISTRATION COSTS

• CGFNS – $ 300 (US Dollars)
• Nursing Council application and processing fee – $485 (New Zealand Dollars)
• For international Criminal History Check – $149 (Australian Dollars)
• Competency Assessment Programmes (CAPs) – 6000 to 11,000 NZD for CAPs

NEED TO OBTAIN A POLICE CLEARANCE AND MEDICAL CLEARANCE (Step 4)

Foreign nurse need to complete criminal history check and competent to practice who isn’t eligible to practice in New Zealand.

FITNESS TO PRACTICE

Nurse need to complete an ICHC (International Criminal History Check) – which can do through Fit 2 Work website

If nurse lived in New Zealand for at least 6 months, through partnership visa or working as healthcare assistant, nurse required to have Criminal History Check via the MOJ (Ministry of Justice)

COMPETENT TO PRACTICE

CAPs (Competence Assessment Programmes) – nurse need to take CAP to become competent to work in New Zealand.

CAPs take around 6 to 12 weeks to complete. Nurse need to find a school that offers CAPs. After complete CAPs, nurse can then apply for an annual practicing certificate.

List of Accredited Competency Assessment Programmes: (fee payment)

Ara Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand: from $6,750 NZD

Avatar Learning, New Plymouth, New Zealand: £10,000 NZD

Lonsdale Education Centre, Foxton, Palmerston North, New Zealand: $11,550 NZD

Manukau Institute of Technology College, Auckland, New Zealand:  $10,000 NZD

Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, New Zealand:  $9,840 NZD

Oceania Group, Auckland, New Zealand: $8,250 NZD

Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin, New Zealand: $9,035 NZD

Rannerdale Veterans’ Care, Christchurch, New Zealand: $10,500 NZD, $8,700 NZD

Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, Rotarua, New Zealand:  $8,900 NZD

UCOL Universal College of Learning, Palmerston North, New Zealand: $10,000 NZD

Unitec, Auckland, New Zealand: $9,180 NZD

Waikato Institute of Technology, Hamilton, New Zealand:  $11,380

Western Institute of Technology, Taranaki, New Zealand: $15,000 NZD

Need to obtain practicing certificate from the New Zealand Nursing Council (Step 5)

After registration, Nursing Council of New Zealand will ask nurse to apply for practicing certificate to work in New Zealand. After Nursing Council approves issuing practicing certificate, nurse is eligible to work in New Zealand.

Obtain a working visa to work in New Zealand (Step 6)

Foreign nurse can apply for working visa to start work in New Zealand. There are several visas is available, notably Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visas, Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa, Silver Fern Visas, Working Holiday Visa and Temporary Work Visa.

APPLYING FOR VISAS FOR NEW ZEALAND

Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visas – grant to people who are 55 or under in good health, of good character and proficient in the English language. A point-based system is used to determine who qualifies for such visas.

Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visas – these visas is to apply for residency after working for two years. It can be applied through post or online and processed within 25 days. Employer in New Zealand would also need to complete a form for you to get this visa

Silver Fern Visas – skilled workers between 18 and 35 years old.

Working Holiday Visa – people between 18 and 30 and it allows them to stay in New Zealand for up to 23 months. It is only available to people who are citizens of certain countries (UK, the USA and Canada)

Temporary Work Visa – available to people who have firm job offer in New Zealand, are looking for work experience, or are going to New Zealand to join a partner and would like to find work

NURSES REGISTERED IN AUSTRALIA

Nurses registered in Australia may apply to work in nursing jobs in New Zealand under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act (TTMR).

• Complete the TTMR application form. This can be found on New Zealand Nursing Council (NZNC) website
• When you submit your application, attach certified copies of your passport, registration certificate and current practicing certificate
• Pay the application fee
• Undergo an Australian Criminal History Check.
• After receiving registration, nurse need to apply for New Zealand Annual Practicing Certificate.

Before receiving full registration, nurse can begin to work in nursing job in New Zealand. When nurse submitted registration application and paid the fee, they given reference number. Use this number to work, while you are waiting for your application to be processed.