Why Minnesota NCLEX-RN?

All states give reciprocity. Why travel far away? That is it in a nut shell.

No, you don't write the Minnesota NCLEX. The NCLEX is the same no matter what state you go to. You just go through Minnesota to get permission to test because it is SOOOOOOO much faster and easier than other states. You can write the exam anywhere in the US and then just transfer your Minnesota lisence to whatever state you move to, I went through them to register for the exam, but wrote the exam in Washington, cause I was from BC.

No problem. I don't think you don't need to write the Canadian exam first or at all. Just go to the Minnesota board of nursing website and you can download the forms you need to request for "lisensure by examination". You need to send them sealed school transcripts and a notarized form. Then they say you can write the test, which you have to arrange with the testing service (not the Minnesota BON). You do not need a job offer to write it. In fact, I would suggest you write it as a new grad whether you plan on going there immediately or not, since it's good forever once you write. Some states require fingerprints and other stuff that can be a pain in the butt and take forever, that's why Minnesota is so popular.