Alexis Travero Alvarez, 50, appeared in Moorabbin Magistrates Court on Thursday morning when magistrate Stephen Lee found him guilty of four charges.

"I think your personal circumstances do mitigate your offending somewhat and I accept that there has been punishment for you already imposed by the loss of your job and your inability to work ever since," Mr Lee said.

He also recognised Alvarez as "a competent and experienced nurse with an impressive CV" who ultimately made "a very bad decision".

The court heard how severe financial hardship "forced" Alvarez, a married father-of-one, to accept shifts as a nurse on four separate occasions after having surrendered his registration in October 2019 due to misconduct.

He was placed on a three-year good behaviour bond and ordered to pay the court $1000, a fraction of the $240,000 maximum fine he was facing.

In June 2019, Alvarez pleaded guilty and was convicted of three counts of asking for or receiving a fee or other reward for giving immigration assistance.

He duped several overseas-trained colleagues out of more than $40,000 between 2013 and 2014 by claiming to be a member of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and a migration agent.

He also allegedly purported to be a member of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council.

At least three Filipino nurses were conned into paying Alvarez to expedite their AHPRA registrations and permanent visa approvals, which he never did.

In October 2019, he surrendered his nursing registration after being informed that AHPRA planned to suspend it due to his convictions.

He was banned from nursing for two years.

Australian Associated Press