US RN Travel nurse in Canada?

dayandnight · Mar 25, 2017

Unless you have a Canadian license and a visa to work it is difficult to immigrate as a foreign educated nurse. The only other issue is that it is even more difficult than the US, and almost impossible for health care professionals to get a sponsor for a work visa in Canada (due to locals even having trouble getting jobs and because Canadian healthcare is funded by the government and health care facilities are not interested in any means). A lot of foreign educated nurses because of the license and moreover immigration issues, are now resorted to redoing the lpn program or studying something nonrelated to get work visas that come with studying as an international student in Canada.

one recommendation I have is to apply for immigration first as Express Entry invitation scores have been steadily dropping as of late. You do need both the status and the license to work as a nurse in Canada

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Mar 25, 2017

Canada doesn't have "travel nurses" in the sense that I think the OP is meaning. Short-term contracts are not a thing here because most facilities (hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centres, LTACHs etc) are unionized. So you wouldn't be able to work for 13 weeks in Toronto, then 13 weeks in Ottawa, then 13 weeks in Kingston, for example. Plus, the average cost of nursing registration is heading for $500 a YEAR; we renew annually and our registration is only good in the province it was obtained from. Most nurses don't hold more than one registration here. (We don't refer to our credentials as licenses.) What IS possible it to work short-ish stints in the far north. But that likely wouldn't appeal by virtue of the fact these communities are extremely isolated, winter is about 8 months long and there's a dearth of entertainment there.