Hi there. Australia offers visas to skilled migrants. Applicants for these visas must nominate an occupation from a specified list of skilled occupations. The list is called the Skilled Occupation List and is available from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection website (www.border.gov.au).

Skilled migrant visas ordinarily involve a ‘points test’ to determine whether the applicant is eligible to receive an invitation to apply for a visa. Points are awarded for various factors such as age, English language proficiency, qualifications, etc. The test also asks about the applicant’s Australian and foreign work experience in their nominated skilled occupation or a closely related skilled occupation.

‘Closely related’ means a job in the same industry where the occupant exercises substantially the same skills and requires the same level qualifications as their nominated occupation. Importantly, the closely related skilled occupation must itself be a ‘skilled occupation’ and therefore appear on the Skilled Occupation List.

In your situation, while your nominated occupation of ‘nurse practitioner’ appears on the Skilled Occupation List, your closely related occupation of ‘nursing assistant’ does not. This suggests that you cannot use your nursing assistant experience as part of the points test.

Suggested way forward

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