Many nurses believe the only way to work abroad is through a recruitment agency. Agencies can help, but they are not the only route, and some charge illegal fees or make promises they cannot keep. In many countries you can apply directly to hospitals and health services, just as local nurses do.
This guide explains how direct applications work, where to find the jobs and how to protect yourself.
Why apply directly?
- No middleman fees. Ethical employers do not charge nurses for recruitment, and under the World Health Organization’s Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel, health workers should not pay recruitment fees.
- More choice. You pick the hospital, city and specialty instead of being offered whatever an agency has contracts for.
- Direct communication with the employer about your contract, start date and relocation support.
The trade-off is that you do more of the paperwork yourself.
Step 1: Start your registration early
No overseas employer can hire you as a nurse until you are registered, or at least well on the way. Registration often takes months, so start before you apply for jobs:
- UK: NMC registration (CBT and OSCE)
- Canada: NNAS and provincial colleges
- Australia: NMBA and Ahpra
- Ireland: NMBI
- UAE and Saudi Arabia
Most routes also need an English test such as IELTS or OET, unless you are exempt.
Step 2: Find employers that sponsor visas
The key question is whether the employer can sponsor your work visa. Here is where to look in the main destinations:
- United Kingdom: NHS vacancies are advertised on the official NHS Jobs website, and the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish health services have their own portals. Look for adverts that say the employer offers Certificate of Sponsorship (visa sponsorship). Many NHS trusts run their own international recruitment teams.
- Canada: Each province’s health authorities advertise jobs on their own websites. Some provinces run free, government-funded services to help internationally educated nurses find work and register.
- Australia and New Zealand: State and territory health departments post jobs on official government careers sites, and many large hospitals list roles that offer sponsorship.
- Ireland: The Health Service Executive (HSE) and individual hospitals advertise roles, and many offer relocation support.
- Gulf countries: Government hospital groups and large private hospitals often recruit directly, sometimes through official recruitment drives. Check details on the employer’s own website.
- United States: Direct hiring from abroad is less common because most foreign nurses need an employment-based green card, which takes time. Some hospital systems sponsor nurses themselves. Many others work with staffing firms, so compare carefully.
A note on ethical recruitment: some countries, including the UK, follow codes that restrict actively recruiting nurses from countries on the WHO’s health workforce support and safeguards list. Nurses from those countries can usually still apply for jobs directly on their own initiative.
Step 3: Prepare a strong international CV
Overseas employers want to see clearly what you have done. Use the format expected in that country, list your specialties, bed numbers, equipment and procedures, and add your registration status. See our nursing CV template for jobs abroad and, for the UK, how to write an NHS supporting statement.
Step 4: Apply and prepare for video interviews
Most international interviews happen online. Expect clinical scenarios, questions about patient safety and questions on why you chose that country and employer. Practise with our guides to NHS interview questions and Gulf nursing interview questions.
Step 5: Check the offer carefully
Before you accept, make sure you have in writing:
- Job title, pay band or salary, and hours
- Who pays for the visa, flights, temporary housing and registration costs
- Any repayment clause if you leave early, and how much it is
- Support for the OSCE or adaptation period, if needed
- Whether your family can join you on a dependant visa
Once you accept, the employer issues the sponsorship documents you need to apply for your visa. Apply for the visa yourself through the official government website, never through a third party who asks you to pay them.
Red flags
- Anyone asking you to pay for a job offer or “placement”
- Offers made without any interview
- Communication only from personal email addresses or messaging apps
- Pressure to hand over your passport or certificates
- Promises that registration exams can be “skipped”
Our full guide on fake nursing recruitment agencies explains how to check whether an offer is real.
Budget for the move
Even with direct hire, you will usually pay some costs up front, such as exams, English tests and document verification. Plan for them with our money plan for nurses moving abroad.
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