Moving to Australia as a Canadian speech-language pathologist: the paused MRA and the OSQCA

Canadian speech-language pathologists can’t currently use the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with Speech Pathology Australia (SPA): in an update dated 2 April 2025, SPA said it isn’t accepting MRA applications from Speech-Language & Audiology Canada (SAC) members, and that was still the case on 28 October 2026. Instead you go through SPA’s Overseas Qualification Competency Assessment (OSQCA): four stages, A$2,000 in total, with no written exam. It’s more work than the MRA, but it’s a clear route.

Why the MRA is paused, from both sides

SPA says the pause is “due to recent changes in licensing requirements in Canada”, and points Canadian applicants to the OSQCA.

SAC’s own page explains the Canadian side. It says the MRA “no longer plays a role in credential recognition in Canada”: to practise in a regulated province (all provinces are; the territories aren’t), you register with the provincial regulator first, and SAC membership follows from that. SAC Certification is optional and “does not grant the right to practice”.

What that means for you:

• SAC membership or certification doesn’t open the MRA, even if you hold both.
• There’s no announced restart date. Check SPA’s MRA page for any change, but don’t plan around one.
• Your provincial registration doesn’t transfer either. Australia has no provincial-style licence for speech pathology. SPA’s assessment is the step that matters.

Your route: the OSQCA, with the Canadian details

The OSQCA has four stages (documents, learning tasks, a case-study portfolio and a recorded interview), costs A$2,000 in total and has SPA processing times of up to 20 weeks across the stages. The fees, time limits and documents are in the OSQCA guide.

Three things specific to Canadians:

1. English. SPA exempts you from an English test if your entry-level speech pathology qualification was taught in English at a university in Canada. If your program was taught in French, that wording wouldn’t cover it, so expect to need OET or IELTS results, and confirm with SPA before you book a test.
2. Recency. SPA needs 1,000 hours of speech pathology practice in the past five years for any skills assessment. Keep your logs from your Canadian employers.
3. Dysphagia. SPA may ask some applicants for extra dysphagia evidence (see the OSQCA guide). If your Canadian caseload hasn’t included swallowing, ask SPA early.

SPA says you must be eligible for Certified Practising membership to work in most Australian organisations, and it strongly discourages travelling to Australia to work before your assessment is complete. So start the OSQCA before you plan anything else.

Visas

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

• Working holiday (417): Canadians can apply at 18 to 35, because Canada agreed to the age increase. From 1 July 2026 your age is assessed at lodgement, so lodge by 11:59 pm AEST the day before your 36th birthday. Under current rules, health, aged care and disability work is exempt from the usual six-month limit with one employer (Home Affairs says this applies “until the Government makes further decisions”). You’ll still need your SPA outcome before most employers can take you on.
• Skills in Demand (482): employer-sponsored, at a salary of at least A$79,423 (from 1 July 2026) and the market rate; the other sponsor rules are in the visa sponsorship guide. Canadian passport holders are exempt from the 482 English test, which is a separate rule from SPA’s English requirement.
• Your SPA outcome doubles as the visa skills assessment, because SPA is the assessing authority for speech pathologists.

No Medicare on a temporary visa

Canada has no reciprocal health care agreement with Australia. On a temporary visa, budget for private health insurance from day one. On some visas, holding adequate health insurance is a visa condition (8501), so check yours. The Canada move guide covers health cover, CRA departure tax, CPP and your licence.

Pay: compare hourly with hourly

Job Bank reports Canadian pay by the hour: a national median of C$46.15 (low C$33.33, high C$59.52; Quebec median C$41.00), about A$46.90 at the RBA rate of C$0.9841 on 27 October 2026. The figure includes audiologists.

In Australia, speech pathologists are paid by the qualification they hold, and Canadian S-LPs usually hold a professional master’s (Ontario’s regulator, CASLPO, requires one). Under the award, from 1 October 2026:

• AQF 9 (master’s), year 1: at least A$1,444.90 a week full-time.
• AQF 7 (bachelor), year 1: at least A$1,308.80 a week (A$34.44 an hour).

The award doesn’t say how an overseas degree maps across, so ask your employer which AQF level they’ll pay you at, and get it in writing. The award is a legal minimum, not a typical rate. In the public system, the Canadian median sits inside Queensland Health’s HP3 range for speech pathologists (A$83,824–120,740 a year from 1 September 2026), so where you land in that range matters more than the headline. Weigh the whole package, including the 12% super your employer pays on top and the health insurance you’ll be buying. Full tables are in the speech pathologist salary guide.

Who this move suits

I’m a physio, and I run a multi-site paediatric allied health practice in South East Queensland where several of our clinicians came from overseas. I’ve also walked overseas clinicians through working holiday and Skills in Demand visas alongside registered migration agents. For Canadian S-LPs, the OSQCA is what sets your timeline. If you’re moving for a partner, family or a few years abroad, it’s worth doing properly. If you’re moving for the money, check the figures above against your own pay first.

Your next step

Check three things: whether your speech pathology degree was taught in English, whether you have 1,000 hours of practice in the past five years, and whether your caseload has included dysphagia. The pathway check asks those questions and tells you what to do next, including whether an info session is your best first step.