New US RN moving to B.C., Canada?

guest464345 · Aug 25, 2021

You need to go through two different processes: 1) getting licensed and getting a job, and 2) getting immigration status to be able to work and live in Canada, if you're not already a citizen or permanent resident.

Getting your license in BC, if you're licensed and/or educated in the US, will likely take at least a year. You can't start the process until you finish your education (and then since it's going to take a long time, it would be smart to start working in the US meanwhile)

There's a bunch of threads on here about how to do it, but basically you pay a bunch of money, gather and submit a bunch of documents from your school, any nursing jobs, personal info etc. It's evaluated by a service called NNAS. They decide if it's comparable to a Canadian nursing education, or if you need to take more training or tests first. They make a report, which is sent to BCCNM (the BC licensing board for nurses) - and then they look at the report and decide whether you can get the license, or whether you need more training or tests. When they say you're ready, you pay their fees and sign up.

Getting immigration permission will depend on your situation. If family members are in Canada, you may be able to get a visa that way. I'm not an expert but I believe that many routes to immigration are competitive - it can be expensive, take years, or be completely impossible for some. It depends on your situation and your connections to Canada. You can read about options on the CIC website.

Good luck!

Dotc · Sep 10, 2021

I know you want to be with family but I suggest you look into expected salaries and the extremely high cost of living in BC before moving forward. Canada loses a lot of nurses to America for a good reason.