Moving to Australia as a UK speech and language therapist (2026)

If you’re a certified RCSLT member (Cert MRCSLT) who trained in the UK and has worked at least 1,000 hours as an SLT in the last five years, you can use the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with Speech Pathology Australia (SPA). It costs A$825 and SPA aims to give an outcome within seven weeks of a complete application. There’s no exam. If you’re still a newly qualified practitioner (NQP), you’ll need to finish your NQP framework first.

First: there’s no Ahpra registration for speech pathology

In Australia, speech pathologists (the Australian term for SLTs) aren’t registered with Ahpra. Speech Pathology Australia is both the professional body and the assessing authority for visas. SPA says you must be eligible for Certified Practising membership to work in most Australian organisations, so in practice your SPA assessment is your licence to work.

Do I qualify for the MRA?

You need all of these:

• Your qualifying SLT degree is from the UK (the MRA also covers Ireland, the USA and New Zealand; SPA isn’t currently accepting Canadian MRA applications)
• You’re a certified RCSLT member. The RCSLT says you need to have been registered with them for a year and completed your NQP competency framework
• A letter of good standing from the RCSLT
• At least 1,000 hours of speech pathology work in the past five years. This is SPA’s recency rule for any skills assessment

At full-time hours, 1,000 hours is roughly six to seven months of work. The NQP framework itself takes “nine months to two years”, according to the RCSLT.

Cost and timing

SPA strongly discourages travelling to Australia to work before your assessment is complete. I agree: wait for the outcome letter.

Visas

General information only; a registered migration agent should confirm your options.

• Working holiday (417): UK citizens aged 18 to 35. Health and disability work is exempt from the six-month limit with one employer. This applies under current rules, which Home Affairs says stand “until the Government makes further decisions”, and only if your role falls within those sectors. Confirm with your employer or a migration agent. You’ll still want your SPA outcome before you start work.
• Skills in Demand (482): employer-sponsored, needs a year’s experience and a salary of at least A$79,423. Speech pathologist is on the Core Skills list.
• Points-tested skilled visas: the 189 and 190 are permanent, the 491 is provisional and regional. Speech pathologists were invited to the 189 at 75 points in June 2026, and were on Queensland’s 2025-26 lists for 190 and 491.

Pay: NHS vs Queensland

Convert at today’s rate. Many paediatric speech roles are in private practice, which sets its own pay.

Where the work is

Demand is strong. Jobs and Skills Australia reports that job ads for speech pathologists and audiologists rose 78.8% in the five years to September 2025, and calls it a persistent nationwide shortage. About three-quarters of vacancies are in capital cities.

Several of my own team trained overseas, so I’ve done this move with them, not just for them. If you’re coming from the NHS into Australian private paediatrics, the funding model is the biggest change: much of the work is funded through families’ NDIS plans, with reports written for those plans. Ask any employer how they’ll support you through your first NDIS reports.

Common mistakes

1. Applying as an NQP. Finish your framework and get certified first.
2. Assuming student placement hours count toward the 1,000. SPA’s rule is about work as a speech pathologist, so check with SPA before you count anything else.
3. Moving on a working holiday and starting work before your SPA outcome.