Nursing Recruitment for Australian Employers
CrossNation recruits registered and enrolled nurses for employers across Australia. We look first at nurses who already live here and hold Ahpra registration, because they can start soonest, and we also source overseas-qualified nurses when a role suits them. Our fee is 12% of the nurse's annual salary, with a 90-day placement guarantee.
Who this page is for
For hospitals, aged care providers, community health services and clinics that need registered nurses (RNs) or enrolled nurses (ENs).
Structured steps from brief to onboarding support.
Compliance and fit checks before employer time is spent.
Roles CrossNation recruits
Hiring process
Brief: you tell us the setting, shift pattern, location, start date and whether you want onshore, overseas or either.
Search: we look at candidates already in Australia with current registration first, then overseas-qualified nurses if needed.
Screen: we talk through each candidate's experience against your brief and record their registration status, which you can verify on the public Ahpra register.
Interview: you meet the shortlist and choose who to offer.
Offer and start: we coordinate the offer; overseas candidates need their registration and any visa steps completed before they start.
Readiness and compliance checks
Ahpra registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (public register).
Award or enterprise agreement coverage, usually the Nurses Award [MA000034] where no agreement applies.
Work rights for onshore candidates, shown by the candidate's VEVO result.
For overseas nurses: NMBA registration pathway and, where relevant, sponsorship handled by a registered migration agent.
Onshore or overseas nurses?
A nurse who already lives in Australia and holds current registration can usually start as soon as your own onboarding checks are done. An overseas-qualified nurse must first be registered by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, and may also need a visa, so the lead time is longer and depends on the individual. Many employers ask us for both: onshore candidates for immediate gaps and overseas candidates for roles they can plan ahead for.
Key facts from official sources
- Health care and social assistance: job vacancies
- 54.3 thousand in August 2026, against 55.3 thousand in August 2025. Over the six quarters from May 2025 to August 2026 the low was 54.3 thousand (Aug 2026) and the high was 59.6 thousand (Nov 2025). Nursing sits inside this ABS industry group. Source: ABS: Job Vacancies, Australia, August 2026 (job vacancies by industry, original series) (retrieved 4 October 2026)
- Award minimum: registered nurse level 1
- Registered nurse level 1, pay point 1: $1,219.50 a week ($32.09 an hour) (Nurses Award 2020, clause 15.1(c)(i), pay period commencing 1 July 2026). This is the award minimum, not an average or a going rate. Source: Fair Work Ombudsman: Nurses Award 2020 [MA000034] (retrieved 4 October 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What does nursing recruitment through CrossNation cost?
Our fee is 12% of the nurse's annual salary, with a 90-day placement guarantee.
Do your nurses hold Ahpra registration?
For RN and EN roles we record each candidate's registration status, and anyone can verify a registration on the public Ahpra register. Overseas-qualified nurses must be registered by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia before they can practise, and we tell you where each candidate is in that process.
Can you recruit nurses for regional areas?
Yes. CrossNation recruits for employers across Australia, in metro and regional areas, in every state and territory.
Can you sponsor overseas nurses for us?
Sponsorship is the employer's decision and the visa work needs a registered migration agent. CrossNation is a recruitment agency, not a registered migration agent. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
Serving employers in these cities
Related CrossNation resources
Send us the role, location and start date.
A recruiter replies by email. Our fee is 12% of the candidate's annual salary, with a 90-day placement guarantee.