Registered Nurse in Queensland: State Nomination, Registration and Which Visas Reach It

What Queensland's own lists say about Registered Nurse

Migration Queensland runs the Queensland Skilled Occupation Lists (QSOL) for offshore applicants and a separate Queensland Onshore Skilled Occupation List, both published for the 2025–26 programme year. Both state on their face: "If your nominated occupation is not on the list below, you are not eligible for Queensland nomination in 2025–26."

On BOTH lists, every specific Registered Nurse code — 254412 (Aged Care), 254413 (Child and Family Health), 254414 (Community Health), 254415 (Critical Care and Emergency), 254416 (Developmental Disability), 254417 (Disability and Rehabilitation), 254418 (Medical), 254421 (Medical Practice), 254422 (Mental Health), 254423 (Perioperative), 254424 (Surgical) and 254425 (Paediatrics) — is marked "Yes" for both the subclass 491 and the subclass 190, with the "Additional information" column left blank. Queensland is not attaching any occupation-specific condition to these codes beyond its general nomination process.

The general code, 254499 Registered Nurses nec, tells a different story. It appears on the ONSHORE list (Yes/Yes for 491 and 190) but does not appear on the OFFSHORE QSOL list at all. Enrolled Nurse (411411) shows the same asymmetry: present on the onshore list (Yes for 491, blank for 190) and absent from the offshore list. Practically, this means an offshore applicant nominating under the general "nec" code or as an Enrolled Nurse cannot currently be nominated by Queensland from outside Australia — only someone already living and working in Queensland can use those two codes for Queensland nomination. Someone whose actual specialty maps to one of the 12 named codes above doesn't face this restriction either way.

What Queensland's general nomination process still requires

Being on the list is the occupation gate. Queensland's Registration of Interest process layers its own conditions on top, and these apply the same way to nursing as to every other nominated occupation: at least 65 points on the Department of Home Affairs points test, at least Competent English, and — depending on the pathway — either 9 months already working in the nominated occupation in Queensland (onshore subclass 190) or 6 months working in regional Queensland (onshore subclass 491). A subclass 190 nomination carries a 2-year commitment to remain in Queensland after grant; a 491 nomination carries a 3-year commitment to regional Queensland. For subclass 491 purposes, regional Queensland is everywhere outside Greater Brisbane, with the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast carrying a lesser Category 2 regional status but still counting as regional.

These process requirements are the same regardless of which occupation is nominated — they are not a nursing-specific fact — but they are the frame the list-membership facts above sit inside.

Registration: the part that doesn't change by state

Nominating on a state list and being able to practise are two different gates. To work as a Registered Nurse anywhere in Australia, including Queensland, you need registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) — a single national scheme, not a Queensland-specific process. Internationally qualified nurses and midwives (the Board's own term, IQNM) start with the NMBA's Self-check, which routes each applicant through the qualification-assessment stages the Board's registration standards require before an application for registration can even be lodged. Migratio's own guide covers this process in detail — see our ANMAC and NMBA assessment guide and the general nurse migration pathway article, both linked below — rather than repeating it here.

One consequence worth stating plainly: registration doesn't move with a state nomination. Being nominated by Queensland says nothing about whether NMBA registration has been granted, and the reverse is also true — a nurse fully registered in Australia still has to separately meet whichever state's nomination list and process they're targeting for a 190 or 491.

Which visas actually reach this occupation

Beyond the state-nominated 190 and 491, the specific Registered Nurse codes sit on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), which reaches the points-tested subclass 189 (no state nomination needed), the Skills in Demand subclass 482 and its permanent-residence follow-on the subclass 186, the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional subclass 494, the Temporary Graduate subclass 485, and the subclass 407 Training visa. Migratio's occupation database carries the full detail per code — see /occupations/254499-registered-nurses-nec for the general code and the full reverse index of nursing codes, and /occupations/visa/190 or /occupations/visa/491 for every occupation each visa currently reaches.

Pay: what this page does and doesn't claim

This page does not repeat a Queensland-specific pay figure because none could be verified from a primary source — Queensland Health's own remuneration pages (health.qld.gov.au, careers.health.qld.gov.au) are not publicly reachable, and third-party sites quoting an EB12 agreement figure are not independently confirmed against the primary Queensland Industrial Relations Commission or Queensland Health source, so nothing from them is repeated here. What IS independently verified, state by state, is in Migratio's Registered Nurse: Sydney vs Melbourne pay article — NSW's Public Health System Nurses' and Midwives' (State) Award 2025 pays a first-year RN $1,521.10 a week from 1 July 2025, and Victoria's 2024–2028 public-sector nurses agreement pays a first-year RN about $1,526 a week from 1 July 2024. Those two figures give a real, sourced sense of the public-sector pay band even though Queensland's own number isn't confirmed here — check it directly with Queensland Health.

Demand: what this page deliberately leaves out

Jobs and Skills Australia runs the Internet Vacancy Index and the Occupation Shortage List — the government's own vacancy and shortage data by occupation and state. jobsandskills.gov.au is unreachable from this research environment (blocked at the network level on every path, including static assets), so no vacancy count, shortage rating or "in demand" claim appears on this page. That is a gap in this page, not a finding — it is not evidence either way about how many Registered Nurse roles are open in Queensland.

What a state list and a national award can't tell you is which of the migration agents working in this space actually handle nursing cases in Queensland specifically, or what a real case in front of them looks like. Migratio's directory of agents who specialise in skilled visas covers Queensland at /agents/skilled-visa/qld, and the full Queensland directory is at /agents/in/qld.

Does Queensland nominate Registered Nurses for the 190 or 491 visa?

Yes for the 12 specific Registered Nurse codes (Aged Care, Critical Care and Emergency, Mental Health, Surgical and so on) — both the offshore and onshore Queensland skilled occupation lists mark them eligible for both the subclass 190 and 491, 2025–26 programme year, with no extra condition listed. The general "Registered Nurses nec" code and Enrolled Nurse are onshore-list only.

Can I apply for Queensland nomination as a Registered Nurse from overseas?

If your specialty matches one of the 12 named Registered Nurse codes, yes — those appear on Queensland's offshore list. If your code is the general "Registered Nurses nec" (254499) or Enrolled Nurse (411411), no — Queensland's offshore list does not currently carry either code; only its onshore list does, meaning you'd need to already be living and working in Queensland.

What does Queensland require beyond the occupation being on the list?

At least 65 points on the Department of Home Affairs points test, at least Competent English, and — for the onshore pathways — a period already working in the occupation in Queensland (9 months for the 190) or in regional Queensland (6 months for the 491), plus a post-grant commitment to remain (2 years for the 190, 3 years for the 491 in regional Queensland).

Do I need separate nursing registration to work in Queensland?

Yes. State nomination and professional registration are separate systems. To practise as a Registered Nurse anywhere in Australia you need registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia through AHPRA — a single national process that doesn't vary by which state nominated you.

What counts as "regional Queensland" for the subclass 491?

Everywhere in Queensland outside Greater Brisbane. The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast carry Category 2 regional status but still count as regional for 491 purposes.

How much does a Registered Nurse get paid in Queensland?

This page could not verify a current Queensland-specific figure — Queensland Health's own remuneration pages aren't publicly reachable. NSW's 2025 award pays a first-year RN $1,521.10/week; Victoria's 2024 agreement pays about $1,526/week. Neither is a Queensland figure and both are stated with their own effective date in Migratio's Sydney vs Melbourne pay comparison.

Is Registered Nurse in high demand in Queensland?

This page doesn't make that claim. Check Jobs and Skills Australia's vacancy and shortage data directly — no demand or shortage figure is asserted here for Queensland specifically.

Does Migratio place nurses in jobs in Queensland?

No. Migratio has no employer relationships and does not place anyone in a job. Matching connects an applicant with a MARA-registered migration agent to work through the visa and nomination process.