Foreign nationals with sufficient policing experience are eligible to apply to the Queensland Police Service (QPS) under a new labour agreement between the State and Federal Governments. The QPS has approval for 500 new international recruits to join the service each year, for five years (from 2023). The agreement allows the QPS to recruit international police officers without prior requirement to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident. Applicants can only commence at the academy once they are granted permanent residency and are successful in meeting all other application requirements.

To be eligible, applicants need to have relevant policing knowledge, skills and experience. This experience must equate to a minimum of 3 years full-time policing experience, or the equivalent, if part-time/volunteer). At least 24 months of operational policing skills and experience is required as part of the 3 years of full-time policing experience. This includes demonstrated abilities to undertake operational patrols, respond to situations to enforce laws and/or maintain public order, exercise police powers, investigate incidents or offences, and prepare and present evidence in a judicial or quasi-judicial setting). Other operational experiences such as transport and military police may be considered. Academy training will be recognised, however is limited to a maximum of 12 months. This will be assessed by various documents including: ‘comparable policing’ form, resume, and supporting documents from the policing jurisdiction. Being a security officer does not fit within this scope.

Overseas recruit applicants who are serving or recently serving police officers may be eligible to receive a pay which is greater than standard recruits. This could be over $4,000 per fortnight as a recruit, and approximately $130k per annum as a First Year Constable.

Pay point determination is dependent upon the recency, duration, and nature of your policing experience. Applicants may be eligible to receive a salary up to Senior Constable 2.10 paypoint (as outlined in the QPS Certified Agreement).

For example and subject to these factors, a current police officer in another jurisdiction with 6 years policing experience may be eligible for Senior Constable pay level 2.2 while completing the recruit training.

If your policing experience does not demonstrate recent frontline skills, transferrable to a General Duties role with the Queensland Police Service, you may be considered for lower pay point, irrespective of your length of service.

Depending on your policing experience you may be eligible to undertake the Police Abridged Competency Education (PACE) Program which is approximately 19 weeks in duration rather than the mainstream course which is approximately 8 months. Please note that just because you may receive a salary higher than the standard recruit wage, you may be required to undertake the mainstream course. Consideration will be given to your ability to develop the required skills to perform frontline general duties in the QPS in an abridged training program.

If you undertake the PACE program, you can apply to exit the First Year Constable (FYC) Program after 3 months, but your appointment will not be confirmed until you have successfully completed the first 12 months of operational duties.

Your policing experience will be considered in terms of your merit for specialist roles and promotion.

Depending on the level and recency of their experience, successful recruits will be trained through either the existing Police Abridged Competency Education (PACE) program or the mainstream recruit training program, ensuring they meet the standards of the QPS.

At the completion of their training, the newest recruits will be stationed across Queensland to commence their First Year Constable program, with the opportunity to expedite this program and enter the service up to the rank of Senior Constable.

Overseas or interstate applicants can apply to the QPS with their current driver licence to operate a car (manual or automatic). Applicants should check that they will be eligible to obtain a Queensland driver licence that meets the police service's recruiting requirements. Once an applicant resides in Queensland, a Queensland driver licence must be obtained. You must hold either an open driver licence or a provisional P2 (green) driver licence before graduating.

For information on obtaining a driver licence, please contact the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

Interstate or overseas recruit applicants who are serving or recently serving* police officers** may be eligible to receive a $20,000 incentive payment. Payments will be made to eligible applicants in two $10,000 instalments – the first on graduation from recruit training and the second when the officer has successfully completed both the First Year Constable Programme and the probationary period (at least 12 months). The financial incentive is subject to tax.

Applications are submitted immediately prior to graduation in accordance with the ‘Police Recruit Incentive Policy’ (2023/06). Recruit Training staff will assist with explaining this process. The application cannot be supported until graduation. In general, this application will be processed within one week, and be included in the next available pay cycle.

The QPS will reimburse the VISA application cost. This does not include any other associated fees, including medical and credit card. It does not include the VISA application costs for family members. This reimbursement is only available to applicants who have completed recruit training and are still members of the QPS. The financial incentive is not subject to tax.

*‘recently serving’ is within the last five years from date of application
**‘police officers’ to be in accordance with jurisdictional policy or legislation

The QPS is sponsoring and paying for 'Application for Employer Nomination for a Permanent Appointment' for the successful police recruit applicant.

All costs for additional member/s are to be met by the police recruit applicant.

Your family member/s must be one of the following:

• Your partner
• Your dependent child or stepchild
• Your partner’s child or dependent stepchild
• The dependent child or stepchild of your partner’s dependent child or stepchild

You can also include someone who holds a subclass 457 visa or subclass 482 visa if Immigration granted them that visa on the basis they are a member of your family. Family members who apply for the visa with you must meet Immigration health and character requirements. Family members who do not apply for the visa with you might also have to meet the requirements.

The QPS will reimburse the VISA application cost. This does not include any other associated fees, including medical and credit card. It does not include the VISA application costs for family member. This reimbursement is only available to applicants who have completed recruit training and are still members of the QPS.

Any other related costs associated with your visa and your family’s visa will need to be covered by the applicant.

For further information on the labour agreement please visit the associated Home Affairs website.

Please note: If you, or your family members, have significant healthcare and/or community service costs, the visa may not be granted. For further information, please refer to the Home Affairs website in terms of Health and Protecting health care and community services.

Australia uses a Superannuation scheme which is a compulsory system of placing a minimum percentage of your income into a fund to support your financial needs in retirement. For further information regarding transferring of pension funds, please refer to the QSuper PDF.

The panel interview, psychological written assessment and face-to-face psychological interview (if required) are completed online. The fitness and medical assessments are completed in your area. There is no consolidated process for these assessment items.

Under the current Labour Agreement with Department of Home Affairs and Queensland Police Service, applicants must be under the age of 55 at the time of applying for the visa.

Under the current Labour Agreement, you need to prove you have the appropriate level of English proficiency to be a QPS police officer, especially in terms of stressful operational situations. The proof is either:

• You achieve the required score for Proficient English or
• You are a citizen of and hold a valid passport issued by the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, or the Republic of Ireland with your application. British National (Overseas) passports are not acceptable as evidence. Note: In terms of using the visa as proof, if during the selection process concerns are raised in relation to your English proficiency, you may be required to undertake and achieve the score for Proficient English through one of the approved tests.

Please note: For the purpose of progressing through the process you can use the remote assessment option. However, to obtain the visa you are required to pass the test at an approved venue. The QPS does not pay or reimburse for these tests.

Location allocation is dependent on the operational requirements of the QPS at the time of offer. All applicants are given the opportunity to provide reasons as to why they require a specific district. You will find out your allocated district upon offer before commencement at the academy, as part of your ‘Letter of Offer’.

Note: Sunshine Coast District is not available for posting.
 

This is achieved in accordance with section 13(2) of the Queensland Police Service Certified Agreement 2022. 

To be eligible to progress from Constable to Senior Constable, the Officer must meet the following requirements:

• Completion of 12 months service on pay point 1.5;
• Completion of satisfactory performance reports (DAP); and
• Completion of compulsory training requirements for the preceding financial year.

To progress to Sergeant, you must:

• Complete the Leadership Capability Program (LCP) – level one;
• Once successfully promoted;
• attend the Sergeant Next Level Workshop with the probationary period (6 months) to complete the program;
• Once the level one workshop is completed, enrol in the LCP – level two.

When you are appointed into a substantive plain clothes position in the QPS, you need to apply to the Detective Training section for an RPL from the program. You can then apply to the Detective Application Board to be appointed a Detective in the QPS.

As part of the recruitment process we require a certified copy of certain documents, including your driver’s licence. There are a number of people who are qualified witnesses. When these documents are witnessed, there is a specific format and wording that needs to be used, which is outlined in the Queensland Government’s ‘Certifying copies of documents’. For applicants in other states or countries, you need to certify documents in a manner which is consistent with the Queensland requirements and/or complies with the certification requirements from that state or country.

The associated information is in the QPS ‘Code of Dress and Appearance’.

Tattoos: The nature, location and prominence of any tattoos is not to detract from the professional image of the Service. Tattoos are not permitted in any location on the body above the uniform collar unless they relate to approved medical, religious or cultural beliefs and practices.

Intentional body alterations: Body alterations for unnatural appearance purposes are not permitted unless approved for medical or religious purposes.

Personal jewellery: A female officer with pierced ears may wear only one pair of small matching studs. Male officers are not authorised to wear earrings on duty.

Hair and facial hair: Unless there is a religious exemption, hair (including facial hair) is to be maintained in a clean, neat, tidy, and conservative condition. Hair is not to be tinted, streaked or bleached in heavily contrasting colours.

See below table outlining start dates for the standard Recruit Training Pathway (RTP) academy start dates as well as the Police Abridged Competency Education (PACE) program dates.

For applicants applying under the International pathway – the latest date for nomination into the Immigration system is outlined above.  This is to allow sufficient time for applicants to receive their visa and organise relocating to Queensland.  If your details are not input into the Immigration system by this date, you will be considered for the next available intake.

If you do not receive your visa in time to commence the intake, you will be considered for the next available intake.  A Recruiting member will review your file to ensure all your assessments are current for the intake.

If there are any expiring assessments, we will be in contact and provide further advice.