Acupuncturist – ANZSCO 252211

Acupuncturists Treats disorders and illnesses by stimulating the body’s defence mechanisms through inserting fine needles into the skin.
Registration or licensing may be required.
Skill Level
1
Skills Assessment Requirement

Unless you are exempt in very limited circumstances, you are required to have a positive Skills Assessment to apply for the visas listed above.

Skills Assessment authority for Acupuncturist is Chinese Medicine Board AHPRA. The Department of Home Affairs will accept the following evidence from the Board as evidence of a suitable skills assessment: Certificate of general registration as an acupuncturist.

To be registered with the Chinese Medicine Board as an acupuncturist, you must meet the following criteria:

  • The academic level of your qualification in acupuncture and/or Chinese herbal medicine is comparable to, at a minimum, an Australian Bachelor Degree qualification.
  • If you are applying for a single division of registration, your qualification required three years or more of full-time study, or equivalent, in that division – either acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine
  • If you are applying for two divisions of registration, your qualification required a total of four years or more of full-time study, or equivalent, in those divisions.
  • Your qualification addresses the following core areas/topics of study:
    • Your qualification addresses the following core areas/topics of study:
        • Acupuncture needling techniques
        • Anatomy
        • Cell biology
        • Chemistry and biochemistry
        • Classical literature in Chinese medicine
        • Clinical acupuncture studies
        • Diagnostics of Chinese medicine
        • History of Chinese medicine
        • Infection control
        • Introduction to human biosciences
        • Meridians and acupuncture points
        • Microbiology
        • Moxibustion and cupping/other stimulation methods
        • Neurophysiology of acupuncture
        • Pathology
        • Physiology
        • Principles of Chinese medicine
        • Professionalism and evidence-based practice
        • Research methods
        • Safe needling on critical points
  • Your qualification was recognised by a statutory registration/licensing body for practice as an acupuncturist in the country where you completed the program of study leading to qualification
  • At the time you were awarded your qualification the qualification/program was
    • subject to quality assurance by a body external to the education institution AND
    • recognised or accredited by the external body,AND
    • the quality assurance was based on the following:
      • published accreditation standards for Chinese medicine education
      • published processes for reviewing programs/providers against the accreditation standards
      • an assessment conducted by an individual or team with appropriate expertise in education and in Chinese medicine practice
      • regular review of the program of study, such as annual reporting or cyclic re-accreditation
  • At the time you were awarded your qualification the education institution was registered or authorised to deliver higher education.
  • As part of your studies you successfully completed a clinical assessment (or “demonstrated competence in the clinical setting”) in the following areas of acupuncture practice:
    1. professional practice in a legal and ethical framework
    2. professional communication and collaboration
    3. risk management
    4. mastering the use of the Pin Yin system of Romanisation
    5. knowledge of the biomedical and behavioural sciences enabling the practice of Chinese medicine within an inter-professional health care context
ANZSCOOccupationSkills Assessment189190485 (Graduate Work)491 (State)491 (Family)186 (Direct)407 (Training)494 (regional Sponsored)482 (TSS Medium Term)
252211AcupuncturistCMBAxx

Group: 2522 Complementary Health Therapists

Description
treat patients with physical, mental, spiritual and emotional needs by considering the whole person rather than focusing on specific symptoms and by using various therapies, techniques and practices.
Tasks
  • assessing patients to determine the nature of the disorder, illness, problem or need by questioning, examining and observing
  • developing and implementing treatment plans using applications such as acupuncture, homoeopathic and herbal medicine, and dance, drama, hypnotic and music therapies
  • evaluating and documenting patients’ progress through treatment plans
  • providing dietary and lifestyle advice and guidelines
  • prescribing natural medicines, such as herbal, mineral and animal extracts, to stimulate the body’s capacity for self-healing
Skill Level
Occupations in this unit group have a level of skill commensurate with a bachelor degree or higher qualification (ANZSCO Skill Level 1).

Registration or licensing may be required.

Occupations in this Group
  • 252211 Acupuncturist
  • 252212 Homoeopath
  • 252213 Naturopath
  • 252214 Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner
  • 252215 Traditional Maori Health Practitioner
  • 252299 Complementary Health Therapists nec
How to calculate your points (skilled visas)

To apply for a skilled visa, you need to know how many points you can score. The minimum score to be eligible for application is 65 points. However, depending on your occupation, the competitiveness, and the states you are applying to, you might need to score more points to get an invite.

Points will be given to you based on the following:

Click here to calculate your points.

Subclass 190 visa– Skilled Nominated Visa & Subclass 491 visa – Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa

To apply for visa subclass 190 and visa subclass 491, you need to have a nomination from the state/territory government where you want to live and work. Each State and Territory have individual requirements that must be met in order to receive nomination. (See below)

While the 190 visa is a permanent visa, subclass 491 visa gives you right to live and work in regional Australia for 5 years with a pathway to permanent residency through the subclass 191 visa.

Another difference between the 190 and 491 visa is that you can only apply for visa subclass 491 if you are living and working in regional areas in Australia, while it is not a requirement if you are applying for the 190 visa.

In summary, to be eligible for 190 visa, you need to meet the following criteria:

Immigration Points

Must score at least 65 points, or higher points if the state or territory requires.

English

Must have at least Competent English, i.e., IELTS 6.0 or equivalent, or higher if the state or territory requires.

Age

Must be under 45 years of age.

be invited

Must lodge an EOI and be invited by the state or territory and then apply for the visa.

Skills assessment

Must have positive skills assessment. Each occupation has a specific assessing authority.

HEALTH AND CHARACTER

Must meet health and character requirements.


To check if the state/ territory government requirements for your occupation, refer to the following links

State/ Territory
Links to requirements
New South Wales
Victoria
South Australia
Western Australia
Northern Territory
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
Tasmania
Queensland

Subclass 186 visa – Employer Nomination Scheme

If you have an employer who is willing to sponsor you, you may be eligible for a Subclass 186 visa. This visa is permanent and will allow you to live, work and study in Australia indefinitely. To be eligible for this visa, you need to have at least 3 years of working experience in your nominated occupation and a positive skills assessment. Alternatively, if you are a holder of a Subclass 457 or TSS visa, you can apply for Subclass 186 after working for your employer for at least 3 years under the Temporary Residence Transition stream.

Experience

At least 3-year fulltime work experience in the nominated occupation.

English

Must have at least Competent English, i.e., IELTS 6.0 or equivalent.

Age

Must be under 45 years of age, unless exempt.

Be Sponsored

Must be sponsored by an Australian employer.

Skills assessment

Must have a positive skills assessment. Exemptions apply for the 186TRT.

HEALTH AND CHARACTER

Must meet health and character requirements.

Subclass 494 visa – Skilled Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa

You can apply for subclass 494 if you have a regional employer who is willing to sponsor you. To be eligible for this visa, you must have at least 3 years of working experience in your nominated occupation and have a relevant skills assessment. With this visa, there is a requirement that you must work for the employer who is sponsoring you.

This visa provides pathway to permanent residency through the 191 visa.

Experience

At least 3 years full-time work experience in the nominated occupation.

English

Must have at least Competent English, i.e., IELTS 6.0 or equivalent.

Age

Must be under 45 years of age, unless exempt.

Be Sponsored

Must be sponsored by an Australian regional employer.

Subclass 482 visa – Temporary Skill Shortage (Medium Term) visa

The Subclass 482 visa is a Temporary Skill Shortage visa that requires a sponsorship from an Australian employer. This visa allows to your live and work in Australia for up to 4 years. You may apply for as many 482 visas as you want, as long as the employer is willing to sponsor you.

English Level

Must have IELTS overall of atleast 5.0 with no band less than 5.0.

Age

There is no age requirement for this visa.

Health and Character

Must meet health and character requirements.

407  Training Visa

The 407 visa a short stay visa for individuals to participate in occupational training or professional development in Australia. This visa is generally valid to stay in Australia for 2 years. Please note this visa is subject to condition 8102 which forbids work apart from the training that is specified in the visa application. You are also required to maintain health insurance whilst in Australia.

To be eligible for visa 407, you need to meet the following criteria:

GTE

You must prove that you genuinely stay in Australia for training and will depart when you complete the training.

English Level

Must have Functional English, i.e. IELTS overall 4.5 with no band less than 4, or equivalent.

Age

Must be over 18 years old.

Be Sponsored

You must be sponsored by an approved temporary activities sponsor – Can be an employer or a commonwealth agency

Health and Character

Must meet health and character requirements.

Job Outlook

  • N/A

    Weekly Earnings

  • 44%

    Work full time hours

  • Very strong growth

    Growth expected in the next 5 years

  • %53 female

    Gender share

  • 43 hours

    Average full-time

  • Very high skill

    Skill level rating

Study Pathways for Acupuncturist

A Bachelor of Health Science (Acupuncture Therapies) combines the principles and philosophy of Chinese medicine theory with Chinese manual therapy practices including acupuncture, moxibustion, medical Qi Gong, and Chinese remedial massage (Tui Na).

Students will develop a thorough understanding of human biology functions, Chinese dietary therapy, Chinese medicine channel systems, musculoskeletal anatomy, and clinical diagnosis and consultation.

Duration: 3 years

Cost: Approx $20,000 per year

  • Year 12 or equivalent (OP/ATAR score not required)
  • Mature age students without year 12 equivalent may be admitted based on demonstrated ability to undertake study at higher education level through relevant work and/or life experience, and/or attempted or completed formal, informal or non-formal study.

English Language Requirements

  • IELTS 7.0 (overall score; no sub-score less than 7.0)
  • Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE 185-190)
  • Pearson (PTE) Academic Score of 66 (overall score)
  • Paper based (PBT) TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 587
  • Internet based (iBT) TOEFL score of 95.
  • Diploma of Health Science (Chinese Remedial Massage)
  • Bachelor of Applied Science (Chinese Medicine)