Immigration routes for nurses
Nurses feature on shortage-occupation and priority-migration lists in most major destination countries. Beyond immigration approval, migrating nurses almost always need to clear a separate regulatory step: NMC registration in the UK, NMBI in Ireland, NCLEX-RN in the US and Canada, AHPRA in Australia, or recognition of foreign qualifications in Germany.
Also searched as: registered nurse, RN, staff nurse, adult nurse.
What decides which route fits
Healthcare roles are regulated almost everywhere, so a visa is only half the story: in most countries you also need to clear a separate registration or licensing step — a nursing or medical board exam, or formal recognition of your qualification — before you can practise. Each destination guide below names the body involved.
By destination
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Italian Republic routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Swiss Confederation routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Korea routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Hellenic Republic routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Federative Republic of Brazil routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Argentine Republic routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Chile routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Oriental Republic of Uruguay routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Mauritius routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Kenya routes.
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Taiwan (Republic of China) routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Malaysia routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of India routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all State of Qatar routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all State of Israel routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Türkiye routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Indonesia routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of the Philippines routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Socialist Republic of Vietnam routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Colombia routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Costa Rica routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Panama routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Federal Republic of Nigeria routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Arab Republic of Egypt routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Ghana routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Kingdom of Bahrain routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Sultanate of Oman routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Serbia routes.
Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Antigua and Barbuda routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Commonwealth of Dominica routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Grenada routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Saint Lucia routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Barbados routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Commonwealth of The Bahamas routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Dominican Republic routes.
Cayman Islands (British Overseas Territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Cayman Islands (British Overseas Territory) routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Ecuador routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Paraguay routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Kingdom of Morocco routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Rwanda routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Botswana routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Peru routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of El Salvador routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Fiji routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Jamaica routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all United Republic of Tanzania routes.
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Trinidad and Tobago routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Belize routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Guatemala routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Namibia routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Vanuatu routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all State of Kuwait routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Principality of Liechtenstein routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Seychelles routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Principality of Andorra routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Principality of Monaco routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Islamic Republic of Pakistan routes.
People's Republic of Bangladesh
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all People's Republic of Bangladesh routes.
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Uganda routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Maldives routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of San Marino routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Bosnia and Herzegovina routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of North Macedonia routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Lebanon routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Cabo Verde routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Zambia routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Zimbabwe routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Ukraine routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Mozambique routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Kosovo routes.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Saint Vincent and the Grenadines routes.
Co-operative Republic of Guyana
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Co-operative Republic of Guyana routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Tunisia routes.
Plurinational State of Bolivia
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Plurinational State of Bolivia routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Suriname routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Iraq routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Cote d'Ivoire routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Senegal routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Cameroon routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Djibouti routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of The Gambia routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Cuba routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Belarus routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Madagascar routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Malawi routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Togolese Republic routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Sierra Leone routes.
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Burundi routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Kingdom of Eswatini routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Kingdom of Bhutan routes.
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Solomon Islands routes.
Lao People's Democratic Republic
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Lao People's Democratic Republic routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Tajikistan routes.
Bermuda (British Overseas Territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Bermuda (British Overseas Territory) routes.
Aruba (country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Aruba (country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands) routes.
Virgin Islands (British Overseas Territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Virgin Islands (British Overseas Territory) routes.
Gibraltar (British Overseas Territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Gibraltar (British Overseas Territory) routes.
Jersey (British Crown Dependency)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Jersey (British Crown Dependency) routes.
Bailiwick of Guernsey (British Crown Dependency)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Bailiwick of Guernsey (British Crown Dependency) routes.
Curacao (country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Curacao (country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands) routes.
Faroe Islands (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Faroe Islands (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark) routes.
Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark) routes.
Cook Islands (self-governing country in free association with New Zealand)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Cook Islands (self-governing country in free association with New Zealand) routes.
American Samoa (United States territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all American Samoa (United States territory) routes.
Puerto Rico (United States territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Puerto Rico (United States territory) routes.
United States Virgin Islands (United States territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all United States Virgin Islands (United States territory) routes.
Guam (United States territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Guam (United States territory) routes.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (United States territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (United States territory) routes.
Svalbard (Norwegian archipelago)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Svalbard (Norwegian archipelago) routes.
Montserrat (British Overseas Territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Montserrat (British Overseas Territory) routes.
Saint Helena (British Overseas Territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Saint Helena (British Overseas Territory) routes.
Anguilla (British Overseas Territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Anguilla (British Overseas Territory) routes.
Independent State of Papua New Guinea
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Independent State of Papua New Guinea routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Independent State of Samoa routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Kiribati routes.
Frequently asked questions
Do nurses need a job offer to work abroad?+
It depends on the route. Many countries offer skilled-migration or self-employment routes that do not require a job offer up front, while employer-sponsored work visas do. The country guides below flag which of each destination's routes need a sponsor.
Which countries have visa routes for nurses?+
We map nurse routes across all 178 full-coverage destinations we cover, and 58 currently have at least one route that fits nurses directly. Open any country below for its specific routes and official sources.
Do nurses need to requalify to work in another country?+
Usually, yes. Nurses must typically pass a destination-specific registration or licensing step — a board exam or formal qualification recognition — in addition to the visa. The exact body and process vary by country, and each destination guide below names them.