WESolutions
If you are an occupational therapist in the UK and Australia has been sitting somewhere on your career wish list, there is good reason to look into it properly.
Australia has a growing occupational therapy workforce, with opportunities across hospitals, rehabilitation, disability services, community health, aged care, paediatrics and private practice. Jobs and Skills Australia currently reports around 35,600 occupational therapists in the workforce, with annual employment growth of approximately 3,000.
The process of becoming a UK occupational therapist in Australia, however, involves more than finding a vacancy and booking your flight. Occupational therapy is a regulated profession, so you need to make sure your qualifications, professional registration and visa are all sorted.
Here is what you need to know before making the move.
Can UK Occupational Therapists Work in Australia?
Yes. For many UK-trained occupational therapists, the registration position is actually quite favourable.
The Occupational Therapy Board of Australia recognises the UK’s Health and Care Professions Council, or HCPC, as a comparable regulator. If you completed an HCPC-approved occupational therapy qualification between 2010 and 2030, the Board considers that qualification substantially equivalent, or based on similar competencies, to an Australian-approved qualification.
That distinction matters.
If your qualification falls within the recognised criteria, you may have a more direct route towards general registration. If it does not, it does not necessarily mean you cannot become an occupational therapist in Australia. Instead, your qualification portfolio may need to undergo an individual assessment.
So, before doing anything else, check whether the exact qualification you completed is recognised.
Step 1: Check Your Qualification and Registration Route
For anyone wondering how to move to Australia as an occupational therapist, professional recognition should be one of the first things on the list.
The regulatory body for occupational therapy profession in Australis is Australia Occupational Therapy Board, while AHPRA does the practitioner registration.
UK applicants should first establish whether their qualification falls under the comparable regulator arrangements. The current recognition applies to qualifications approved by HCPC and completed between 2010 and 2030.
If yours does, you can proceed through the applicable registration process.
If your qualification is not recognised, the Board may need to assess your occupational therapy qualification portfolio before deciding whether you are qualified for general registration.
This is why two occupational therapists moving from the UK can end up with slightly different application journeys.
Step 2: Apply for AHPRA Registration
Finding occupational therapist jobs in Australia is one part of the move. Being legally able to practise is another.
Occupational therapists must hold registration with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia. Applications are administered through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, commonly called AHPRA.
Your application may involve evidence relating to your:
- Identity
- Occupational therapy qualification
- Professional registration history
- English language skills
- Suitability to practise
- Other registration standards applicable to your circumstances
One detail worth checking early is English language evidence.
Every applicant for registration must satisfy their National Board’s English language skills standard, including internationally qualified practitioners. Ahpra changed the minimum scores for accepted English language tests from 23 April 2026.
However, an English test is not the only way to demonstrate your English proficiency. Your education and professional background can affect how you meet the standard, so UK-trained applicants should check the current AHPRA requirements before assuming they need IELTS or OET.
Step 3: Understand the Skills Assessment
This is an area where applicants can easily get confused because professional registration and migration are not the same thing.
The Occupational Therapy Council of Australia, or OTC, is Australia’s assessing authority for Occupational Therapists under ANZSCO code 252411 for relevant skilled migration purposes.
If your chosen occupational therapist visa of Australia requires a positive skills assessment, you may therefore need an assessment through the OTC in addition to meeting professional registration requirements.
The current OTC migration assessment is a desktop assessment.The cost for the Assessment for migration is AUD $800, with the outcome valid for three years.
Do not assume that completing one process automatically completes the other. Check what your particular visa requires before paying for assessments.
Step 4: Find the Right Australian Visa
Once you understand the professional side of the process, you can turn your attention to immigration.
There is no single occupational therapist visa Australia pathway that suits everybody. The right option depends on factors such as your age, experience, points score, employer, location and whether you want temporary or permanent migration.
Occupational Therapist is ANZSCO 252411, and current migration instruments provide access to a number of skilled and employer-sponsored pathways. These can include the Skilled Independent subclass 189, Skilled Nominated subclass 190, Skilled Work Regional subclass 491, Skills in Demand subclass 482, Employer Nomination Scheme subclass 186 and Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional subclass 494, subject to the individual requirements of each visa.
An employer-sponsored route can be particularly relevant if you secure a position before moving. For example, the Skills in Demand subclass 482 allows an approved employer to sponsor a suitably skilled overseas worker where it cannot source an appropriately skilled Australian worker.
Visa lists and eligibility rules can change, so this is one part of the process where current advice matters.
Are Occupational Therapists in Demand in Australia?
There is certainly a substantial market.
Jobs and Skills Australia’s latest occupational profile records approximately 35,600 occupational therapists, with employment growing by around 3,000 annually. Around 63% of occupational therapists work full time.
For a UK occupational therapist in Australia, the range of settings may also be attractive.
Opportunities can be found in areas including:
- Public and private hospitals
- Rehabilitation
- Community health
- Disability services
- Paediatrics
- Mental health
- Aged care
- Private practices
- Schools and educational settings
- Regional and rural healthcare
The job listings posted recently also show employers offering occupational therapist jobs in Australia with visa sponsorship, including roles across major cities and regional areas.
Your NHS or UK private-sector experience can be relevant, but take some time to understand how Australian services operate, particularly if you plan to move into disability and community-based practice.
How Much Do Occupational Therapists Earn in Australia?
Salary is naturally going to be part of the decision.
Jobs and Skills Australia currently reports median full-time earnings of AUD $1,913 per week before tax for occupational therapists, alongside median hourly earnings of AUD $50.
Treat those figures as a benchmark rather than a salary promise.
What you actually earn as an occupational therapist in Australia will depend on your experience, employer, clinical area, location and responsibilities. Public healthcare salaries may also differ between states and territories, while private practices can use different remuneration structures.
Regional positions are worth considering too. Focusing only on Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane could mean overlooking interesting roles elsewhere in the country.
What Should You Do Before Leaving the UK?
Relocation becomes far easier when you deal with things in the right order rather than trying to solve registration, visas and employment at once.
A sensible starting point is to check whether your UK occupational therapy qualification is recognised by the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia. From there, establish your AHPRA registration requirements and whether your immigration pathway requires an OTC migration skills assessment.
Then you can start narrowing down visa options and occupational therapist jobs in Australia.
It is also worth getting your professional paperwork together early. Qualification certificates, registration records, employment history and identification documents are much easier to organise while you are still in the UK.
Most importantly, do not resign from your current job based solely on an attractive Australian vacancy. Make sure the registration, visa and employment pieces can actually come together first.
How WESolutions Can Help You Move to Australia as an Occupational Therapist
There is a lot to look forward to when you move to Australia as an occupational therapist, but getting there involves several separate processes.
You may be dealing with AHPRA registration, qualification recognition, migration assessment, visa requirements and job applications, all while continuing to work in the UK.
WESolutions works with healthcare professionals considering international career moves and can help make that journey easier to navigate.
If you are a UK occupational therapist looking at Australia, we can help you explore suitable opportunities, understand the recruitment journey and work through the practical steps involved in moving your career overseas.
Australia might feel a long way away when you first start researching it. Once you know which boxes need ticking, the route there becomes much clearer.
