Hiring New Zealand OTs, physios and speech therapists: no sponsorship, but check registration

Written by Callum Trevorrow. Last checked 28 October 2026 against official sources.

Hiring an OT, speech pathologist or physio?Talk to us about a role

A New Zealand citizen doesn’t need you to sponsor them: they’re granted a Special Category visa (subclass 444) on arrival, which lets them live and work in Australia (Home Affairs). That makes a New Zealand hire the simplest overseas hire there is. What still takes time is registration or certification, and it works differently for OTs, speech pathologists and physios.

I was the inaugural director of a satellite hospital, and today I run a multi-site paediatric practice in South East Queensland that employs clinicians who trained overseas, so this is the checklist I’d use before making an offer to a New Zealand applicant. For the full route by profession, see hiring an overseas occupational therapist, speech pathologist or physiotherapist. General information only; for anything visa-related, a registered migration agent should advise.

First question: are they a New Zealand citizen?

The 444 is for New Zealand citizens with a valid NZ passport, and it lasts as long as they remain a citizen. If an applicant lives in New Zealand but isn’t a citizen, ask what visa they’ll be on; the 444 isn’t it, and they may need sponsorship like any other overseas hire.

No sponsorship also means no Skilling Australians Fund levy, no nomination and no labour market testing.

Registration by profession

Speech pathology detail. The MRA costs the candidate A$825 and takes up to seven weeks from a complete application. They need a qualification completed in an MRA member country, 1,000 hours of practice in the last five years and a letter of good standing at application. Full NZSTA members who graduated before 1993 can’t use the MRA. SPA says speech pathologists need to be eligible for Certified Practising membership to work in most Australian organisations, so build the MRA into the start date.

Physio detail. We haven’t been able to confirm the Trans-Tasman route for physios on an official Physiotherapy Board or Ahpra page, so we’re not publishing the steps. Ask the candidate to check with the Board, and don’t lock in a start date until they have an answer.

Pay

A New Zealand candidate will compare your offer with the Queensland Health scale, which runs from A$83,824 to A$120,740 at HP3 from 1 September 2026, so be ready to explain how your package compares. Our moving from New Zealand guide sets Health NZ and Queensland Health pay side by side, with the caveats on which Health NZ figures include recent pay rises.

Things to mention at offer stage

• Medicare: New Zealand citizens living in Australia can enrol in Medicare if they’ll live here for six months or more (Services Australia).
• Medicare provider number: your new starter will need one per practice location once registered or certified. See onboarding overseas clinicians.
• Their move: our moving from New Zealand guide covers what they’ll be sorting at their end.

Next step

If you’ve got a New Zealand applicant, or want to find one, tell us about the role. We’ll tell you which route their registration or certification is likely to take and what to confirm before you set a start date.