In recent times, Australia has emerged as an opportune location for Bangladeshi nurses, as the Oceania nation is currently hiring professionals in the field from different countries due to a domestic shortage in workforce.

The Bangladesh High Commission in Canberra issued a letter to the Expatriates' Welfare Ministry in July, citing the workforce shortage and requesting the ministry to take effective measures to utilise this opportunity.

According to the letter, Australian health providers maintain a registration process to hire foreign nurses. In this process, several thousand nurses from different countries—including India and Nepal—migrate to Australia each year.

"By following this process, it is possible to send many nurses to Australia from Bangladesh," reads the letter, recommending government authorities to raise awareness about this opportunity among local nursing professionals.

Nursing is a dignified profession in Australia and an entry-level nurse can earn AUS $80,000 (Tk 57 lakh) per year, the letter adds.

At present, state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (Boesl) send nurses to Kuwait in line with a memorandum of understanding.

Under the arrangement, 670 nurses have gone to Kuwait so far. Their wages range from Tk 90,000 to Tk 1,00,000 per month, according to "Labour Migration Report 2021-2022" of the expatriates' welfare ministry, published in April this year.

A labour welfare official at the Bangladesh mission in Canberra said the letter was part of their regular activities to explore employment opportunities for Bangladeshis in Australia.

In order to migrate to Australia, a Bangladeshi nurse needs to be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), said the official.

Currently Ahpra accepts certificates of five Bangladeshi institutions, including the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council (BNMC) and Dhaka University. The registration comprises of several steps, including a six-month training and subsequent exam. The exam takes place in-person in the Australian city of Adelaide, noted the official.

Also, foreign nurses need to achieve an overall score of seven and a minimum of seven in each of the four components in the IELTS exam, he added.

According to the Bangladesh mission's letter, a Bangladeshi nurse need to show five years of professional job experience to apply for a position in Australia.

As per an Australia Bureau of Statistics media release, issued last year and available online, over 40 percent of registered nurses and caregivers were born overseas, with almost 40,000 arriving since 2016.

In July this year, there were 1.48 lakh registered nurses, midwives, and allied professionals in Bangladesh, according to BNMC.