Are you working in healthcare, aged care or patient support and dreaming of working in Australia?
One occupation worth knowing about is Nursing Support Worker — ANZSCO 423312.
Nursing Support Workers provide care to patients under the direction of nursing staff. The occupation is included in Australia’s Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement, which allows approved aged-care employers to sponsor eligible overseas workers.
Even more importantly, the current agreement includes a pathway to permanent residence for eligible workers.
But before you start sending your CV to recruiters, there are several requirements you need to understand.
What Is a Nursing Support Worker?
A Nursing Support Worker is not a Registered Nurse.
Instead, Nursing Support Workers provide limited patient care under the direction of nursing staff.
According to Jobs and Skills Australia, their duties can include:
– Helping patients with showering, dressing and eating
– Assisting with mobility and communication
– Following individual care and therapy plans
– Supporting patients with dementia or behavioural needs
– Observing and reporting changes in a patient’s condition
– Assisting with rehabilitation exercises
– Providing basic treatment and medication-related assistance within their role and workplace requirements
The job can be found across the health-care and social-assistance sector.
Can Foreigners Apply?
Yes.
Nursing Support Worker (ANZSCO 423312) is specifically listed in Australia’s Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement.
The agreement allows approved aged-care providers to sponsor eligible overseas workers through the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) and, where the employer and worker meet the relevant requirements, the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186).
This makes the occupation particularly interesting for overseas healthcare workers who want to build a longer-term career in Australia.
What Qualifications Do You Need?
Under the current aged-care labour agreement, an applicant generally needs:
A relevant Australian AQF Certificate III or an equivalent qualification.
Alternatively, one year of relevant work experience can substitute for the formal qualification under the agreement.
For an overseas qualification, a relevant skills assessment may be required.
The current agreement identifies Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) as the skills-assessing authority for Nursing Support Worker.
Possible relevant training can include qualifications in areas such as:
– Individual Support
– Aged Care
– Nursing Support
– Patient Care
– Disability or community care, where the qualification is relevant and accepted
Do not assume that every caregiver certificate from another country will automatically be accepted.
Before paying for a course, check whether the qualification is actually suitable for your intended Australian occupation and visa pathway.
Do You Need Work Experience?
The answer depends on the pathway and how you qualify.
For the aged-care labour agreement, relevant work experience must be at the required skill level and generally must have been undertaken within the previous five years.
For the temporary employer-sponsored pathway, the agreement allows the relevant qualification or qualifying work experience to satisfy the occupation requirement without an additional work-experience requirement beyond that used to substitute the qualification.
For the permanent-residence pathway, however, the worker must meet the specific Australian employment requirement explained below.
English Requirement
This is another area where overseas applicants need to pay attention.
The aged-care labour agreement provides an English-language concession for Nursing Support Workers.
For the Skills in Demand subclass 482, the standard concession listed in the agreement is:
IELTS overall 5.0
with:
– Speaking: 5.0
– Listening: 5.0
– Reading: 4.5
– Writing: 4.5
For the Employer Nomination Scheme subclass 186, the concession is:
IELTS overall 5.5, with no individual-band minimum under this concession.
Equivalent accepted English tests may also be used, subject to the applicable rules.
There is also a separate concession for certain CALD providers, so the exact requirement can depend on the employer and circumstances.
How Much Can a Nursing Support Worker Earn?
Pay varies according to the employer, state, location, experience, roster and employment agreement.
Jobs and Skills Australia’s current profile places Nursing Support Workers within the broader Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers group. That group has median full-time earnings of approximately AUD $1,612 per week, based on May 2025 earnings data.
This should be treated as a general guide rather than a guaranteed salary for an overseas worker.
Some current Australian job advertisements show Nursing Support Worker positions around AUD $33–45 per hour, depending on the position and employer.
Always check whether the advertised salary includes penalties, superannuation or other benefits.
The Big Question: Is There a PR Pathway?
Yes — and this is one of the most important parts of the Australian aged-care labour agreement.
The current agreement provides a permanent-residence pathway through the Employer Nomination Scheme subclass 186 for eligible overseas workers.
Nursing Support Worker ANZSCO 423312 is specifically included among the occupations eligible for the PR pathway.
The basic idea is:
Foreign Nursing Support Worker
↓
Eligible Australian aged-care employer
↓
Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa
↓
At least 2 years of qualifying full-time employment in Australia
↓
Employer nomination
↓
Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme
↓
Permanent Residence
The current labour agreement requires at least two years of full-time employment in Australia in the nominated occupation, another specified occupation under the agreement, or a closely related eligible occupation before the ENS nomination. Equivalent part-time employment can also count.
The worker must also have complied with their visa conditions, and the employer must offer qualifying full-time employment for at least another two years under the agreement.
Important: PR Is Not Guaranteed
This is very important for anyone reading recruitment advertisements.
Having a Nursing Support Worker job does not automatically mean you will receive PR.
You still need to meet the requirements of the subclass 186 visa and the applicable labour agreement, and your employer must be able to nominate you.
The agreement also specifically says that there is no age concession for the ENS pathway.
So applicants should check their age and individual circumstances before spending significant money on recruitment or migration services.
A 2026 Update: Healthcare Has Higher Processing Priority
There is another development worth knowing.
Australia’s Ministerial Direction 119 came into effect on 25 July 2026 and replaced the previous skilled-visa processing priorities.
Healthcare occupations receive a higher processing priority than many other occupational groups. The direction applies to several skilled visas, including subclass 482 and subclass 186.
This does not mean that every Nursing Support Worker application will automatically be processed quickly.
It simply means healthcare is recognised as a higher-priority area within the current skilled-visa processing framework.
Where Can Foreign Applicants Look for Opportunities?
Be careful when searching online.
A Google or Facebook advertisement saying:
“Australia Nursing Support Worker — Visa Sponsorship — PR Guaranteed”
does not automatically mean the job is genuine or that sponsorship is actually available.
One established international healthcare recruitment organisation worth investigating is Groworx Global.
Groworx says it recruits international healthcare workers for Australia and specifically works with aged-care and disability-care providers. It also identifies the Philippines, India and Hong Kong among its international recruitment markets.
For Filipino care workers, Groworx describes recruitment, English testing, health and police checks, offshore training and migration support.
However, applicants should still verify the specific vacancy, employer, visa arrangement and costs before committing to anything.
You can also search Australian vacancies directly through established job platforms such as SEEK. Current listings show Nursing Support Worker and related aged-care/support positions in several parts of Australia, although not every listing offers visa sponsorship.
For Filipino Applicants: Check DMW
If you are applying from the Philippines, don’t rely only on an Australian recruiter.
You should also check whether the Philippine recruitment agency and overseas job order are properly authorised through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
Ask for:
– Australian employer name
– Exact occupation
– Job description
– Salary
– Location
– Contract
– Visa subclass
– Sponsorship information
– Recruitment fees
– DMW job-order information
Never assume that a Facebook page with thousands of followers is automatically legitimate.
Watch Out for “Guaranteed PR”
This is probably the biggest warning for overseas applicants.
No recruiter should tell you:
“Pay us and your Australian PR is guaranteed.”
The genuine pathway has conditions.
For Nursing Support Workers, the current aged-care agreement provides a real employer-sponsored route that can lead to subclass 186 permanent residence for eligible workers.
But the worker must satisfy the requirements and obtain the necessary employer nomination and visa approval.
Who May Be a Good Candidate?
You may be worth considering for Nursing Support Worker opportunities if you have:
Relevant healthcare or aged-care qualification
+
Genuine patient-care experience
+
Good English communication
+
Relevant and verifiable employment history
+
Required health and character clearances
+
An eligible Australian employer willing to sponsor you
The stronger your documentation and relevant experience, the easier it is for an employer to understand what you can actually do.
Final Takeaway
Nursing Support Worker ANZSCO 423312 is an occupation worth watching if you are an overseas healthcare or aged-care worker considering Australia.
Australia’s current Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement includes Nursing Support Workers and provides access to employer-sponsored visas, including subclass 482 and subclass 186.
Most importantly, the current agreement includes Nursing Support Worker among the occupations eligible for a permanent-residence pathway, subject to the applicable requirements.
The opportunity is real.
But so are the requirements.
Don’t pay for a promise. Check the occupation, qualification, employer, visa and PR conditions first.
For the latest immigration rules, always check Australia’s Department of Home Affairs before making a financial or migration decision.
