Key Points
- Ella Jade Blanca comes from a family of nurses in Bundaberg, Queensland.
- She completed her nursing degree in the Philippines before studying Bachelor of Nursing in Australia.
- According to the Home Affairs website, Registered Nurse is one of the top jobs that underwent skilled migration from the Philippines to Australia from 2019 to 2022.
Ella Jade Blanca is proud she came from a family of nurses in Queensland.
She admitted that her mother, aunt and cousin, registered nurses in Australia, significantly influenced her choice of profession.
"My mother is almost 30 years as Registered Nurse in Australia, and most of my family are nurses. I have no regrets about following their footsteps."
Ella Jaed Blanca with her mother and aunt.
Before coming to Australia, she completed her nursing degree in the Philippines.
She worked in a rural health centre and various companies in the Philippines before leaving at 26.
I wanted to practice nursing in the Philippines before migrating to Australia. It's like giving back to my home country.
According to the Department of Health in the Philippines, the country has a shortage of 350,000 nurses, but some Filipino nurses still seek opportunities in other countries such as Australia.
In November 2021, Ms Blanca completed her nursing studies in Australia after two years.
She applied for a Temporary Activity visa subclass 408 visa in the COVID-19 Pandemic event stream, which provided time for her to submit an Expression of Interest for a Skilled Visa.
In December 2022, she was invited to apply from her EOI and applied in January 2023 for a Skilled Independent Subclass 189 visa that would give her permanent residency.
"I'm still waiting for the decision, and there are moments of anxiousness and agony of waiting."
Having a family in Australia who are nurses and have gone through the process themselves was a significant help to Ms Blanca in understanding the application process.
"This is their way to learn more and obtain a license or registration from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency before practising as a Registered Nurse in Australia," he added.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only. For specific visa advice, people are urged to check with the Department of Home Affairs
or contact a trustworthy solicitor or registered migration agent in Australia.
