Filipino Nurses Abroad: NCLEX, NMC, Saudi, AHPRA Routes

Filipino Nurses Abroad: The Main Licensing Routes

The Philippines is one of the world's biggest sources of internationally trained nurses. Every destination has its own licensing steps, and almost all of them start with the same thing: a Philippine nursing license, which means passing the Nurse Licensure Exam (NLE).

Fees, English-test scores and visa rules change often, so check each regulator's website before you pay for anything. Salaries abroad vary by country, state, employer and experience; compare real job offers, not averages you see online.

United States

• Route: NLE → credentials review (commonly through CGFNS) → NCLEX-RN → state board license → immigrant visa (usually EB-3) or another work visa, plus a VisaScreen certificate
• Watch out for: immigrant visa waiting times (check the US State Department's monthly Visa Bulletin), and state-by-state licensing rules
• Where to check: NCSBN (NCLEX), your target state's board of nursing, CGFNS

The US is usually the longest route because of visa waits, but it's the one many nurses aim for long term.

United Kingdom

• Route: NLE → English test (IELTS or OET at the NMC's required scores) → NMC's two-part test of competence: a computer-based test (CBT) and a practical exam (OSCE) → NMC registration → Health and Care Worker visa
• Employers: NHS trusts and private care providers, many of which recruit internationally and help with costs
• Where to check: the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

Saudi Arabia and the UAE

• Route: NLE → primary source verification (commonly through DataFlow) → licensing exam (the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties exam, or the licensing exam of DOH Abu Dhabi, DHA in Dubai or MOHAP) → employment visa
• Packages often include housing or a housing allowance, transport and annual airfare; check your contract
• Contracts are commonly fixed-term and renewable
• Where to check: the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, DOH Abu Dhabi, DHA, MOHAP, and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) for licensed recruitment agencies

This is usually the fastest route to a first overseas job, which is why many nurses start here.

Singapore

• Route: NLE → Singapore Nursing Board (SNB) registration through an employer → work pass
• Employers: the public healthcare clusters and private hospitals
• Where to check: the Singapore Nursing Board

Australia

• Route: NLE → English test → assessment by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia through Ahpra (internationally qualified nurses from the Philippines generally go through the outcomes-based assessment) → registration → employer-sponsored or skilled migration visa
• Where to check: Ahpra / the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, and the Department of Home Affairs for visas

Canada

• Route: NLE → NNAS (National Nursing Assessment Service) application → assessment by the provincial regulator you choose → registration (RN, or LPN/RPN depending on your assessment) → work permit or permanent residence
• Where to check: NNAS, the provincial nursing regulator, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

New Zealand

• Route: NLE → registration with the Nursing Council of New Zealand under its current pathway for internationally qualified nurses → work visa
• Where to check: the Nursing Council of New Zealand

Japan

• Route: through the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA): Japanese language training, work as a nurse candidate in a Japanese hospital, then pass Japan's national nursing exam in Japanese
• The main hurdle: the language. The national exam is in Japanese

A common career path

1. A few years of hospital experience in the Philippines (many employers abroad require it)
2. A first overseas contract, often in the Middle East
3. A longer-term move to the US, UK, Canada or Australia
4. Permanent residence or citizenship abroad

Many nurses also stay: a government Nurse I in the Philippines is Salary Grade 15 (set by RA 9173), which is ₱42,178 a month at Step 1 in 2026, rising to ₱44,148 on 1 January 2027. See the NLE career value guide.

The NLE comes first

Every route above starts with a Philippine nursing license. The NLE is a two-day, paper-based PRC exam of five Nursing Practice tests (NP I–V). You pass with a general average of at least 75% and no part below 60%. PRC held the 2026 NLE in February and in August (with weather make-up days on September 11–12); the August results came out on September 18, 2026 with a 76.69% passing rate. The next NLE is expected in 2027, but PRC hasn't published its 2027 schedule yet.

See the NLE pillar guide for the full format and a review plan.

Where Super Tutor fits

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