One nurse who moved to Ireland from Australia has said she has been waiting 14 months to get registered here.
Toni Mayola Su said she has had difficulty registering with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).
She told Newstalk Breakfast: "We moved her last year, in June, got on straight to the registration - since I want to continue my nursing career.
"Fourteen months later I'm still not registered, it's just one after another.
"Every time they need something from me, like a piece of document, it will take them maybe three to four months again.
"So each cycle is three to four months, it's just taking too long - 14 months of waiting".
Toni said every time they need something new, it's another 90-day wait.
"I do get through, but the reply is an automated message: they always say 'Wait, we will get in touch if we need something from you'.
"Or if you e-mail them, they would say 'Wait for 90 days' - and every wait is 90 days, so it just adds up."
She said she is now working other jobs to support herself.
"So basically I'm doing office jobs just to make ends meet... the wages are obviously lower than what I'm used to getting.
"But we have to look for positives in every situation, I guess".
NMBI statement
In a statement, the NMBI said: "It is essential that all applications to join the register are appropriately assessed.
"Due to the high level of scrutiny required, only fully complete applications can be assessed and NMBI engages with applicants to help complete and progress applications.
"NMBI is very conscious of the need for more nurses and midwives in the Irish healthcare system and more resources have been added in recent months to reduce processing times.
"We are continuing to receive a high number of applications and our teams are working hard to progress these as quickly as possible while ensuring they meet the required standards."
It added that over the past year, timelines for processing applications have "significantly reduced."
"So far in 2022, NMBI has issued 4,523 decision letters in comparison to 2,430 issued overall in 2021.
"A decision letter is the final stage in recognising the applicant’s qualifications in order for them to progress to join the register.
"We welcome all applications and wish to apologise for delays experienced by some applicants", the NMBI added.
While an INMO spokesperson said they are "aware that there have been delays with NMBI registration for many nurses and midwives.
"The Irish health system has a high dependency on nurses and midwives coming from non-EU countries, we will continue to advocate for these nurses and midwives.
"We are constantly asking for the NMBI to speed up the registration process and will continue to do so."
