Pharmacist Visa Pathway: OPRA, Ahpra & Why the 189 Is Closed

Why the subclass 189 is not open to overseas-trained pharmacists, and the pathway that is: the APC eligibility check, the OPRA or CAOP exam, the Skills Assessment Outcome, and Pharmacy Board registration through supervised practice. Figures as at September 2026.

Read the full guide, with official sources →

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Chapters

  1. 0:00 Overseas pharmacist?
  2. 0:14 On the Short-term list,
  3. 0:30 189: closed.
  4. 0:44 The sequence:
  5. 0:55 Eligibility check:
  6. 1:07 OPRA: 120 questions, 2.5 hours, $2,245.
  7. 1:26 2026 sittings:
  8. 1:39 Skills Assessment Outcome:
  9. 1:51 1,575 hours supervised practice,
  10. 2:05 Two separate tracks
  11. 2:17 What the eligibility check needs
  12. 2:28 Trained in Canada, Ireland,
  13. 2:41 Where to read more

Transcript

If you're an overseas-trained pharmacist, the subclass 189 is not open to you — pharmacist occupations sit on a different list to the one a 189 needs.

Hospital Pharmacist, 251511, Industrial Pharmacist, 251512, and Retail Pharmacist, 251513, all sit on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List, not the list the 189 draws from.

So a subclass 189 invitation is closed to those codes. A subclass 190 or a subclass 491, with state or territory nomination, draws on the Short-term list too — and those stay open.

Getting there runs through the Australian Pharmacy Council: an eligibility check first, then an exam, then a Skills Assessment Outcome, then registration and supervised practice.

The eligibility check costs 810 dollars, non-refundable. APC aims to respond within 5 working days, but asks you to allow up to 4 weeks.

Most overseas pharmacists sit the OPRA — 120 multiple-choice questions over 2.5 hours, costing 2,245 dollars. Trained and registered in Canada, Ireland, the UK or the USA? You sit the CAOP instead, for 2,100.

APC's published 2026 sittings: 13 to 15 July, results on 11 August. And 23 to 25 November, results on 22 December.

Pass, and you request the Skills Assessment Outcome for 300 dollars. That Outcome is what supports the visa — your separate exam Results Certificate is what registration needs.

Then Pharmacy Board registration: 1,575 hours of approved supervised practice, sitting the written and oral registration exams once you've done 75 per cent of those hours, both passed within 18 months of each other.

The Outcome and registration are separate tracks. You can hold a positive Outcome before your supervised practice is finished — but you can't practise as a pharmacist until the Board has registered you.

For the eligibility check you'll need your passport, a photo ID, your birth certificate, your pharmacy qualification certificate and your full academic transcript.

The common mixup: assuming the exam is the same for everyone. Trained and registered in Canada, Ireland, the UK or the USA, and you sit the CAOP instead of the OPRA.

The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.

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