Moving to Toronto from California as a new grad?

[alexrw12]

I'm in my last year of nursing school (yay!) and i'll have my BSN in the spring. I'm from California. My boyfriend lives in Ontario and I want to move there when I graduate, but I really need some advice on the best path to move there and get a job as a nurse there. I've tried to research it on my own but i'm getting a bit overwhelmed by how complicated/difficult the process seems.

If I moved in with him for a few months could I apply to nursing jobs without being a citizen and then try to get a visa? Or would no one hire me if i'm not a Canadian citizen? I would also be limited as I will be a New grad with no prior experience as an RN.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

To be honest I would suggest getting registration sorted first once you graduate as the process is not quick or cheap. To qualify for TN or work visa you need full time position and that could be difficult

[dishes, BSN, RN]

The job market in Toronto is saturated, there are hundreds of local, qualified nurses,(experienced and new grads) applying for every vacant position. Employers will not hire an employee who requires a work permit as it would violate labour laws and union contracts and is unjustified in the current surplus market. Toronto employers have not had a shortage of nurses for many years and considering the number of Toronto area schools that churn out nurses every six months and the number of IENs who move to Toronto every month, I doubt there will be a shortage market that requires employers to recruit outside of Canada anytime in the near future.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

IENs are not coming to Ontario on temporary work permits, they are immigrating to Ontario as skilled workers. If you want to immigrate to Canada as a skilled worker you will need to gain work experience in the US first. After you have at least a year of RN experience you can apply to immigrate and you should apply to national nursing assessment services (NNAS) to have your education assessed for equivalency to a Canadian entry to practice education before you move to Canada (do most of steps of the licensing process before moving). If you use the search tool in the top right hand corner and search for a thread entitled 'NNAS experience' you will find some posters with American nursing education discussing their results from their NNAS assessment.

[alexrw12]

Thanks for the info this was really helpful! We've already been long distance for almost four years its really hard to think about doing another year...oh well

[CanadianAbroad]

If you are thinking long term, I suggest getting married and immigrate as spouse; otherwise the chance of you getting a visa for an oversaturated job market. If you come in as a spouse, you will more than likely not be passed over for jobs either. Good luck!

[dishes, BSN, RN]

If you search media reports and speak to Canadians who have applied to Canadian immigration to sponsor their non-Canadian spouses, you will find their are thousands who have experienced long delays.

[RN_Pro]

Thanks for the info this was really helpful! We've already been long distance for almost four years its really hard to think about doing another year...oh well

Search "NNAS experience" on this forum.