US RN New Graduate wants to move to CANADA

Silverdragon102, BSN · Oct 11, 2008

hi there moderators and nurses!
its my break week (thanks to yom kippur) and i don't go on allnurses that often but desperate times calls for desperate measures. i am not really sure that this would be a great place for my thread but since canada really is international and so am i.
i'm a malaysian citizen, studying in the us in a 4 year bachelor degree program and will be taking my nclex licensure very soon in the beginning of 2009. i'm at my senior year at binghamton university and i am very excited about working as a registered nurse. i have always wanted to stay in the us and work but the current retrogression is not working out for me. so i decided to head to canada.
this is the problem. i do not know where to start. i know most of my questions have been answered a million times but it will be easier to get a quick, simple, straightforward reply from the experts, instead of browsing through a pile of threads for hours, time which i should put to good use instead of countless hours searching for unsure answers. i have gone through a lot of threads relating to canada immigration policies and nursing related matters but i cant seem to find some of the answers i wanted. another reason why i want to have this thread is because i want to summarize all my questions and compile all my questions into one thread so that i don't go crazy linking and bookmarking which thread to look for for a particular question. i apologize that this drive you moderators crazy but i rather spend time working on this thread rather than going thru threads that im not even sure would answer my specific questions. i'm sorry for that. i am sure that people in my same situation would benefit from the questions i have.
back to my questions, so i decide to move to canada and immigrate there permanently. lets say i graduated, and i am planning to take the nclex, i want to work in british columbia or ontario. i have not found an employer yet. i am not sure where i can find employers in canada at the moment who would employ a us graduate - non citizen. where can i find hospitals or employment agencies that would help me in my job hunt?
1. if i took the nclex, will i need to take crne just to prove my nursing skills and practice again? is there such thing as a equivalent, and not have to take the crne? what about toefl, will i need to take it again even though i graduated from the united states? nclex is for the us and crne is for canada to work in canada you will at some stage have to take crne
2. in order to immigrate, do you need work experience as a nurse or other work in order to qualify? does anybody know whether hospital employs fresh grad students out of nursing school? all i see in the thread i'd read are people who have long term experiences but nobody i found that are fresh grads from college. so there are questions don't apply to me im afraid.
3. what is the first step i should take in my current situation am in now? should i find an employer from canada first, or should i take the crne first? what is the order of these priorities....(a)find empl0yer (b)take crne © getting permanent residency most employers prefer you to have already started the application process with the province nursing board and have eligibility to sit the crne before they will offer you a job. initially you will get a temp work permit as pr can take years to get
4. do you need to be a permanent resident to be able to work as an rn in canada? what are the requirements and what kind of paperwork does it entail? no
5. do you think i should get employed through a nursing recruitment agency? whats the pros and cons? are there any you could recommend? no need to use an agency can be done very easily on your own by contacting hospitals first once you have eligibility to sit exam
i will think of more questions to ask but for now, this might be just it.
i know you will be tealling me that these have been answered a lot of times but if you would to be a great help, you would post links to the threads that would answer my specific questions, and that i would owe you in much gratitude!
muchas gracias:bow:

threads to read are

https://allnurses.com/forums/f108/internationally-educated-nurses-very-important-read-first-323075.html

https://allnurses.com/forums/f75/filipino-migrate-canada-what-do-become-rn-220413.html

https://allnurses.com/forums/f75/how-become-rn-british-columbia-321784.html

https://allnurses.com/forums/f75/dont-know-where-start-need-advise-canada-320809.html

although some of these mention philippine nurses the process is the same. i would also suggest you use the search facility using keywords for other threads. you are correct as many questions have been asked. regardless on which province you are applying to you will have to meet their requirements for foreign trained nurse and at some stage sit crne (which is only held 3 times a year in canada) i would suggest you apply for opt if you haven't already as the process to move to canada will take several months and at least opt will allow you to stay in the us whilst going through the process

mrmac-cheeso · Oct 11, 2008

thanks silverdragon, that was really helpful indeed...I think its gonna be a long journey ahead for me. I've read through so much threads and im really inspired by people who just went through so much paper work, time, effort and patience just to be where they are...all this just to make life better for oneself and their loved ones.

about the temporary work visa...I wasn't aiming for temporarily working there as a nurse. I want to migrate there. I was looking at a bunch of threads as to whether one can apply to Canada as PR through skilled work visa, and I'm not sure right now. In the US, I know that the hospital/employer sponsors the employee to become PR. Does this apply to hospitals/employers in Canada as well? Do they have the ability to sponsor me as a PR? How many years are we looking at to obtain PR status in Canada?

mrmac-cheeso · Oct 11, 2008

thanks silverdragon, that was really helpful indeed...I think its gonna be a long journey ahead for me. I've read through so much threads and im really inspired by people who just went through so much paper work, time, effort and patience just to be where they are...all this just to make life better for oneself and their loved ones.
about the temporary work visa...I wasn't aiming for temporarily working there as a nurse. I want to migrate there. I was looking at a bunch of threads as to whether one can apply to Canada as PR through skilled work visa, and I'm not sure right now. In the US, I know that the hospital/employer sponsors the employee to become PR. Does this apply to hospitals/employers in Canada as well? Do they have the ability to sponsor me as a PR? How many years are we looking at to obtain PR status in Canada?

\

CNO 's website about Permanent resident proof?

http://www.cno.org/international_en/reqs/req6_citizen/index.htm

I was looking through CNO's website and their requirements to sit for the CRNE and obtain Registration to become RN and I got confused when they say they need proof of PR status. Does that mean in Ontario, you have to be a Canadian PR to work as an RN in the healthcare facility?

just a thought.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Oct 11, 2008

Temp work permit is visa that will allow you to work in Canada and then you can apply for PR this route is quicker than apply for PR straight away as that can take a few years unless PNP route but I don't know a lot about that type of route. TWP is easy to apply for and convert to PR once in Canada

Silverdragon102, BSN · Oct 11, 2008

\
CNO 's website about Permanent resident proof?
http://www.cno.org/international_en/reqs/req6_citizen/index.htm
I was looking through CNO's website and their requirements to sit for the CRNE and obtain Registration to become RN and I got confused when they say they need proof of PR status. Does that mean in Ontario, you have to be a Canadian PR to work as an RN in the healthcare facility?
just a thought.

This sentence a work permit that provides authorization to practise nursing in Ontario you would use TWP

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Oct 12, 2008

A couple of things jump out at me. First you seem to have a belief that Canada and the US do things in much the same way, and that couldn't be further from the truth. Canada is very much its own country.

Employers in Canada do hire new grads from other countries sometimes. But it's not necessarily a given that you'll be given a job as a new grad if there are other applicants for the same position that have experience. Canadian employers do not petition for permanent residency or any other immigration matter. We don't do things that way here. If you want PR you have to live here for the equivalent of two full years out of a five year period before you apply. So to work here in the interim, you need a temporary work permit.

http://www.canadavisa.com/canadian-immigration-faq-introduction.html

http://www.justlanded.com/english/Canada/Tools/Just-Landed-Guide/Visas-Permits/Permanent-Residency

As for licensure, you have to be registered in the country where you were educated before you will be given permission to write the CRNE. That means you have to write the NCLEX and pass it, then take out registration in the US before the College of Registered Nurses in the province you're hoping to live in will assess your credentials. When you've been given eligibility then you have to pass the CRNE.

CNO's requirements state,"provide proof of Canadian Citizenship, permanent resident status, or authorization under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) to practise nursing".

As Silverdragon102 has said, all of your questions have already been anwwered on this board somewhere at least once. If the people who have already answered were able to find the information easily using Google, it's a puzzle as to why they're doing it and not the person looking for the information.

suzanne4, RN · Oct 12, 2008

You have a few other issues that are going to need to be dealt with and I do not see them mentioned.

Canada requires a local license before you can even apply there, for you that would be the NCLEX-RN as a start. Issue is that with the student visa that I assume that you are under, it only gives you 60 days after you finish your last class to remain in the US.

That is going to be a major issue for you as you will not be permitted to remain in the US and go thru the processing if you will not be able to get the OPT that will permit you to remain and work here for a year after you are done.

mrmac-cheeso · Oct 14, 2008

You have a few other issues that are going to need to be dealt with and I do not see them mentioned.
Canada requires a local license before you can even apply there, for you that would be the NCLEX-RN as a start. Issue is that with the student visa that I assume that you are under, it only gives you 60 days after you finish your last class to remain in the US.
That is going to be a major issue for you as you will not be permitted to remain in the US and go thru the processing if you will not be able to get the OPT that will permit you to remain and work here for a year after you are done.

Dear Suzanne,

thanks for the follow up, so you mean that I should actually find a job here in the US first for OPT while I wait for the registration for CRNE. Let say I have passed my NCLEX in July of 2008 AND secured an OPT job at a hospital for one year. Would it allow time for me to wait for the approval for CRNE?

And another thing, only after I get an approval to write for CRNE will hospitals in Canada employ me right?

And if they employ me they would help me obtain the temporary work permit...if thats the case then I think its reasonable. But please feel free to let me know what are the other obstacles or problems I might encounter>? Is this plan workable and possible or is it too hard to work in Canada?

Thnaks

mrmac-cheeso · Oct 14, 2008

A couple of things jump out at me. First you seem to have a belief that Canada and the US do things in much the same way, and that couldn't be further from the truth. Canada is very much its own country.
Employers in Canada do hire new grads from other countries sometimes. But it's not necessarily a given that you'll be given a job as a new grad if there are other applicants for the same position that have experience. Canadian employers do not petition for permanent residency or any other immigration matter. We don't do things that way here. If you want PR you have to live here for the equivalent of two full years out of a five year period before you apply. So to work here in the interim, you need a temporary work permit.
http://www.canadavisa.com/canadian-immigration-faq-introduction.html
http://www.justlanded.com/english/Canada/Tools/Just-Landed-Guide/Visas-Permits/Permanent-Residency
As for licensure, you have to be registered in the country where you were educated before you will be given permission to write the CRNE. That means you have to write the NCLEX and pass it, then take out registration in the US before the College of Registered Nurses in the province you're hoping to live in will assess your credentials. When you've been given eligibility then you have to pass the CRNE.
CNO's requirements state,"provide proof of Canadian Citizenship, permanent resident status, or authorization under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) to practise nursing".
As Silverdragon102 has said, all of your questions have already been anwwered on this board somewhere at least once. If the people who have already answered were able to find the information easily using Google, it's a puzzle as to why they're doing it and not the person looking for the information.

Are you saying that is not possible for me to work in Canada under a temporary work permit? If the hospitals don't hire new grads, then how new grads will get jobs? The problem I see with nursing is that I know they're always in shortage but the problem is the fact that they always give priority to the experienced, not the novices. I know that I will pass my NCLEXand maybe settle down in the US for 1 year OPT, is the one year ever going to help me in employment decisions by the hospitals in Toronto?

mrmac-cheeso · Oct 14, 2008

I know that in order for me to write CRNE I will need to pass NCLEX and show proof I am locally registered/certified as a nurse. But I have some questions that bother me about CNO's evaluation. Does anybody know how CNO's evaluation will be like!? I know that the degree and learning credentials from what country doesn't matter but I think its important and graduating from the US in a really good school with good grades would give me a positive opportunity to get approval from CNO. I am not sure about this. All I know is CNO has a high level of expectations for the credentials but I just want to have some reassurance that they will approve my credentials?

I also heard that after temporary work permit, one can apply for PNP. I am not sure how that works?

Thanks moderators and nurses for the answers so far!

mrmac-cheeso · Oct 14, 2008

Temp work permit is visa that will allow you to work in Canada and then you can apply for PR this route is quicker than apply for PR straight away as that can take a few years unless PNP route but I don't know a lot about that type of route. TWP is easy to apply for and convert to PR once in Canada

Can one apply both TWP and PNP at the same time once I get approval from CNO to write CRNE and have a job offer at hand?