Moving to Australia from the USA: a guide for occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists

If you’re a US speech-language pathologist with the ASHA CCC-SLP, you can use Speech Pathology Australia’s Mutual Recognition Agreement (A$825; SPA says assessments take up to seven weeks). US occupational therapists have a narrower door: only 8 US programs are on the OT Board of Australia’s recognised list, and only 6 of those are still open to future graduates. Everyone else goes through a portfolio assessment. Before you plan the rest, know two things: you’ll keep filing US tax returns from Australia, and on a temporary visa you generally won’t be eligible for Medicare.

Registration: SLPs and OTs take different routes

Speech-language pathologists: the SPA MRA

Speech pathologists aren’t registered through Ahpra; Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) assesses you. In short, the MRA needs current full ASHA membership with the CCC-SLP, a speech pathology qualification completed in an MRA country (the USA, Canada, Ireland, NZ or the UK), at least 1,000 hours of practice in the past five years, and an ASHA letter of good standing when you apply. Some applicants are also asked for extra evidence of dysphagia competency, depending on when and where they qualified. SPA strongly discourages travelling to work before your assessment is complete.

The eligibility detail, documents and SLP pay comparison are in the US SLP guide.

Occupational therapists: is your program on the list?

The OT Board of Australia recognises 8 named US programs, and your degree must match the institution, qualification title and year of award exactly to apply straight for general registration. Anyone else goes through an A$688 portfolio assessment, and a “relevant” outcome adds six months of supervised practice on limited registration. The program list, the portfolio criteria, English pathways, fees and the OTC skills assessment are all in the US OT guide.

Visas

General information only. A registered migration agent should confirm your options, and the official rules are on Home Affairs.

• Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462): for US citizens up to age 30, with secondary school qualifications. From 1 July 2026 your age is assessed when you lodge. Working holiday makers normally can’t work more than six months for one employer, but Home Affairs says work in health, disability and aged care is exempt anywhere in Australia, for any working holiday visa, “until the Government makes further decisions”. Check your role falls within those sectors.
• Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482): employer-sponsored. You need at least one year of relevant experience, and the salary must be at least A$79,423 (from 1 July 2026). Occupational therapist and speech pathologist are both on the Core Skills Occupation List. US passport holders are exempt from the 482 English test.

US tax: you keep filing from Australia

General information only. Talk to a tax adviser who handles both US and Australian returns.

• The US taxes its citizens wherever they live. If you’re a US citizen or resident alien living abroad, your worldwide income is subject to US income tax, and you must file a return even if the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion brings your US tax down. If your tax home and your abode are both outside the US you get an automatic two-month extension to file (to mid-June), but any tax is still due in April.
• Foreign Earned Income Exclusion: up to US$132,900 per person for tax year 2026, if you meet the IRS tests for living abroad (see the IRS page). Many people don’t qualify in their first year, so check before you count on it.
• FBAR: if your foreign accounts added together were worth more than US$10,000 at any point in the calendar year, you must file FinCEN Form 114. It goes to FinCEN electronically, separately from your tax return. It’s due 15 April with an automatic extension to 15 October.
• There’s a tax treaty. Australia and the United States have had a double taxation convention in force since 31 October 1983.

You’ll also file in Australia. See the OT salary guide for a worked take-home pay example.

Health cover: no Medicare, so budget for private insurance

The USA isn’t one of Australia’s 11 reciprocal health care agreement countries, so on a temporary visa you generally won’t be eligible for Medicare. Some visas carry condition 8501, which means you must keep adequate health insurance while you’re here. Home Affairs strongly recommends private health insurance for anyone who isn’t eligible for Medicare, whether or not it’s a condition. Check your visa conditions in VEVO and price cover before you commit.

Driving: a US licence transfers in Queensland with no tests

The USA is on Queensland’s recognised list. If you hold a US car or motorcycle licence, or have held one in the last five years, you can transfer to a Queensland car (class C) or motorcycle licence without a road rules test or a practical driving test. Heavy vehicle classes still need both tests.

On a temporary visa, you can drive on your valid US licence, and the Queensland Government page sets no time limit. If you get a permanent (resident) visa, you need a Queensland licence after three months of living in Queensland.

Pets: for cats, start at least 180 days out

Mainland USA (not Guam or Hawaii) is a Group 3 country for cats and dogs. For cats, that means:

• a rabies neutralising antibody titre test (RNATT), and then at least 180 days after the sample reaches the lab before your pet can be exported to Australia. There are no exceptions.
• at least 10 days in post-entry quarantine at Mickleham in Victoria, or 30 days unless an official government vet verified your pet’s identity before the RNATT sample was taken.

If you’re moving within six months, your cat will probably come later than you do. Dogs have their own step-by-step guide on the Department of Agriculture site. Read it before you book anything.

Pay: be clear-eyed

Converted at the RBA rate of US$0.7021 to A$1 on 27 October 2026:

On headline salary, the US OT median is roughly level with the very top of HP4, and above everything below it. The US SLP median sits inside the HP4 (senior) range and above all of HP3, so compare it with the grade you’d realistically start on. On top of salary, Australian employers pay 12% superannuation (retirement savings), and full-time employees get at least four weeks of paid annual leave. Weigh the whole package, the health cover you’ll be buying and the cost of living where you’d live, not just the salary.

Who this move suits

I’m a physio. I run a multi-site paediatric allied health practice in South East Queensland, and several of our clinicians came to us from overseas. I’ve walked overseas clinicians through working holiday and Skills in Demand visas alongside registered migration agents. If your reason for moving is family, lifestyle, a partner’s job or a few years abroad, Australia can be a good move. If money is the main reason, I’d rather tell you honestly that the numbers may not work.

The pathway check below will tell you which route applies to you and what to do next.