Prakriti, from Lalitpur to Adelaide

The gap wasn't a weakness. It was 3 years of nursing. We asked the hospital for a detailed experience letter (wards, shifts, duties) and backed it with salary slips and tax records. Hiding the gap would have been the real risk.

We laid out both routes in writing. Registering with Australia's nursing regulator as an overseas-qualified nurse means assessments, not a degree. A master's that leads to registration costs more, but comes with a student visa, part-time work and the 485 visa afterwards. She chose the master's, knowing the full cost.

For registration, the nursing regulator asks for a higher English score than the visa: 7.0 in every band. We told her to sit IELTS once she could hit 7.0 in writing, not before.

Prakriti finished her master's and graduated in July 2026. She's now on a 485 visa in Adelaide, working in aged care while her registration as a nurse is processed.

She worked 20 to 22 hours a fortnight in her first semester, not the full 48, and says that's the reason she passed her clinical placements first time.