Canadian Immigration & Nursing

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Hi all -

Can any one help?

I am wanting to begin my application into Canada, but unsure of the process or what I need to do in order to do this.

I know I need to apply to NNAS? is this correct?

Also, how do I go about findingg jobs? Do I need to do this before or after nurse licensing?

Thanks ;)

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Your thread has been moved to our Advice on Immigration forum to elicit some responses from nurses who are knowledgeable about the process. Good luck to you.

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So it begins. The every four year, post US presidential election 'I'm moving to Canada' straw of postings

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I hear you, Fiona. Although, this may be jumping to a conclusion. It may be prudent to simply ask first.

Hi o.poole, Why are you interested in working in Canada?

I also found a hilariously true article written by a Canadian about Americans wanting to move to Canada because of election results. I feel Canada speaks for all the other Anglo-centric counties, as well.

What Canada Thinks Of You Threatening To Move There

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So it begins. The every four year, post US presidential election 'I'm moving to Canada' straw of postings

Well, for certain groups, it may not be a bad idea to consider getting out. Muslims, who may be forced to register like sex offenders. Gays and lesbians, who will definitely have their marriage licenses voided. Any public figure who has openly opposed Trump, I have the feeling he's going to make political prisoners out of them.

We're in for some interesting times. And perhaps Canada will be too. Want to know what it's like to have a huge illegal immigration problem? I think you'll find out soon.

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Who has a "huge illegal immigration problem"? Please, elaborate.

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Look over this: http://my.nnas.ca/nnasweb/resources/mounts/reports/ien_resources/nnas_applicant_handbook_english

You might get more helpful advice from other international nurses who have gone through the process, but I would not apply for jobs until you are registered (or well on your way) in Canada as active registration is required for every job when you apply. Canadians can apply to other provinces as transferring registration is a reasonably quick process, but because we have strong unions they can't hold a job for you until you are available to work. Jobs need to be posted, closed, and filled as per contract in each province.

I would suggest deciding where in Canada (province or territory) you want to work and see what jobs are there. Some provinces have many jobs, others have almost none. Wages vary by province by a few dollars. BC and Saskatchewan have the best unions, in SK our starting wage is $35.46/hour, all overtime isdouble. Other provinces start around $31/hour. It may be difficult to get a position in a large city without any seniority, but again, this depends on hiring trends. We had a hiring freeze here a few month ago but not any longer. Because unions are provincial you can typically work in smaller centres in health regions outside of major cities to gain seniority. Your hirability will also depend on your skills. Those areas requiring specialised training will be easier to get into because they may have to look outside the union members.

You could contact potential employers to express interest and find out what openings they may have around when you expect to be able to start, but you do not need a job offer to start the application for residency. Individual health authorities may be able to tell you at what stage in the process to apply.

As for where to find jobs, you will get many results by looking at each Health Region's website. You can find out what the health regions names are and what area they cover by googling. Some provinces have many, others few, mostly depending on geographic area and how the provincial government decided to set things up. All postings open to external applicants will be posted there with instructions on how to apply, but all will have as a requirement that you be registered within that province (or be "eligible for registration").

I would check the market before beginning the process to see if the kind of job you want is out there before beginning your application. There are many jobs in Canada, but they may not be what you're looking for, and it is an involved and expensive process.

In addition to getting your registration, you also will need a visa and this is also a lengthy process (from my experience of moving to the UK years ago).

Also look at the Government of Canada website.

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Specializes in Cardiac Cath Lab.

Hi there -

I just relocated to Canada from the US (not b/c of Trump, my husband is from Vancouver and is going to school here). Anyway, it is a LONG process to get your license here. I started the NNAS review in January, and I still do not have my nursing license. Hopefully it will just be another six weeks, fingers crossed, I'm itching to get back to work! My understanding (from CRNBC) is that I'd need to have an active license before applying for jobs.

If you go to the licensure agency for the province where you want to work, they will have information for International Nurses. The NNAS review is quite slow, they require a copy of the syllabus for every nursing class you took while in school. If you're like me, you don't have any of those papers, and getting them took quite some time. After the NNAS completes your review, then you can apply to the provincial licensure organization (CRNBC for me). It is also a quite expensive process, I think I'm around 1,500 USD out just from applying for my RN license. I'm not trying to be discouraging, I'd just advise that it can take a long time and it isn't a cheap endeavor - might be different based on the province, but that's been my experience so far.

Also, immigrating to Canada is not that easy. I came under Family Sponsorship, not sure what program you would think of immigrating under. Again, a lot of papers, a lot of money and a lot of time. I'd recommend doing a lot of research before starting on this process, both for immigration (check out CIC's website) and for licensure.

Good luck.

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@smr21 what were the results of your NNAS advisory report? There are a few NNAS results threads, in which some US educated nurses received comparable, some received somewhat comparable and some received not comparable to a Canadian entry to practice education.

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Specializes in Cardiac Cath Lab.

My report was "somewhat comparable" I did an ABSN option in the US.

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@smr21 Does/did CRNBC require you to undergo further competency testing such as SEC or NCAS?

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Specializes in Cardiac Cath Lab.

No request for further testing so far

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