USA RN with BSN and 5 years experience wants to move to Canada

[lokipr]

Hi,

Im an RN and have been working for 5 years and also have a 4 year degree. I been looking into moving and working in Canada. I have a friend in Canada who's mother works as an RN and she offered me a job with her agency to later find out that they cannot hire me because I need to have Ontario nursing License first. Well I am Applying for the Ontario license exam and there is a section where they ask if you have legal status in Canada.

As of now I dont have one and it takes forever to get a permanent visa. I was thinking of applying for a temporary work permit but I cannot get one without a job offer. Can I still apply for the nursing license and get the work permit later?

Also, a friend of mine who is a nurse in Ottawa and graduated in Ottawa said that after I apply for the nurse exam I have a year to take it and they give me a temporary permit that last for a year or until I take the exam. Is that true?

Id like to move as soon as possible and not loose this work opportunity but it seems so hard.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

Because your post is about immigration and IEN licensure, it has been moved to the International Forum.

I'm always a little surprised when people expect to be able to move from one country to another in a matter of weeks, without taking into account all the legalities, professional credentialing, immigration requirements and financial considerations. (Even moving from one province to another takes at least a couple of months and involves many of the same issues.) Another thing that baffles me is that these same people seek concrete and factual information from strangers who may or may not have accurate answers rather than from the agencies or ministries that will be involved in their transition.

You'd need a Wyoming registration to work in Wyoming so why would it not be obvious that of course you would need Ontario nursing registration to work in Ontario? The College of Nurses of Ontario is the only place where you're going to get accurate, up-to-date information about how to proceed. They've dealt with a lot of similar stories in recent years and should be able to tell you if what you're hoping to do is even feasible. Call them on Monday.

If you aren't a US citizen you may have immigration and employment issues. The North America Free Trade Agreement has clauses specific to mobility of registered nurses and may help to streamline the process for you if you're a US citizen. However your potential employer may have to obtain a Labour Market Opinion that they cannot fill the job they're offering you with a Canadian worker; with the way nursing employment is going in Ontario and some other parts of the country, that's unlikely to be the case. Your friend's mother is being nice, but really, her agency can't ignore the regulations in place.