OT portfolio assessment (PNAQ-96) for overseas occupational therapists: criteria, outcomes and what happens next

If your OT qualification isn’t covered by the comparable regulator window or the recognised program list, the OT Board assesses it individually through a portfolio assessment (form PNAQ-96), which costs A$688 and is non-refundable (OT Board fees from 1 October 2026). It ends in one of three outcomes, and the middle one, “relevant”, means limited registration and 6 months of supervised practice in Australia before general registration.

That makes the outcome, not the fee, the thing to plan around. Here’s what the Board looks at and what each result means for your move.

Who goes through the portfolio route?

Anyone qualified outside New Zealand whose qualification isn’t on one of the two lists:

• UK graduates whose HCPC-approved qualification was completed before 2010, and Irish graduates whose CORU-approved qualification was completed before 2015.
• Canadian, South African and US graduates whose institution, degree title or award year doesn’t match the Board’s recognised list exactly.
• OTs trained anywhere else.

The OT registration guide has the full decision flow if you’re not sure which side of the line you’re on.

The three criteria groups

The Board’s portfolio assessment checks your qualification against three groups of criteria:

WFOT approval matters twice: the Occupational Therapy Council also requires your qualification to have been WFOT-approved at the time you completed it, if your visa needs a skills assessment. It’s worth checking on the WFOT website before you pay either body.

The three outcomes

What a “relevant” outcome means in practice

This is the outcome to think through before you apply, because it changes the shape of the whole move.

• You need a job before you’re fully registered. Supervised practice happens under limited registration, so in our reading you’ll need an Australian role where that supervision can actually be provided. Confirm the supervision arrangements with the Board and the employer.
• The fees stack. A$688 for the portfolio, then A$250 application plus A$138 registration (A$130 in NSW) for limited registration. We haven’t found a published fee for the competence assessment, so ask the Occupational Therapy Council before you budget. General registration comes after.
• Your visa has to fit. Six months of supervised practice is a working period in Australia, so the visa you choose needs to allow it. A registered migration agent should confirm that; this is general information only.
• The timeline is longer. The Board aims to reply within 21 days of receiving a qualification assessment application, but says it can take longer when it needs more information, a full international portfolio may take more time, and assessments can’t be sped up. After that come limited registration, the 6 months of supervised practice and then general registration, and the Board publishes no processing time for registration applications.

Orientation after a “substantially equivalent” outcome

If your outcome is substantially equivalent, the Board expects a one-on-one orientation with an OT who holds current unrestricted general registration and has held general registration for at least 3 consecutive years, plus IAHA cultural responsiveness training. Otherwise conditions may be imposed. The Board lists this under that outcome only, so if yours is “relevant”, check with the Board how it applies after the competence assessment.

What to prepare

The Board’s PNAQ-96 form sets out what it needs, and that’s the list to work from, not a summary on someone else’s site. The three criteria groups above tell you what your evidence has to show: recognition where you trained, accreditation and WFOT approval, and the academic level of the program.

From the hiring side

I run a multi-site paediatric allied health practice in South East Queensland, and several of our clinicians came to us from overseas. If you’re likely to land on “relevant”, raise supervision in your very first conversation with an employer. It’s a fair question, and the answer tells you a lot about whether they can support you.

Your next step

Check first whether you’re really on the portfolio route: compare your institution, exact degree title and award year against the Board’s recognised list and the UK and Irish date windows. If you are, check your program’s WFOT approval for the year you finished. The pathway check walks through those questions and tells you whether an info session or a call is the right next step.