Nursing in Canada

Let me share some insights with you on How to become a nurse in Canada.. :)


I could say that it's a two fold process:


1. Credentialing and Licensure.
2. Employment and Deployment.


READ on..:)

You need to satisfy these 2 processes to become an RN in Canada . You can have first, the employment and deployment, then have the credentialing and licensure afterwards, or you can have the other way around. It doesn’t matter as long as you satisfy these two-fold process, both were fine. You can have it simultaneously as well, which I personally recommend, to expedite the process and waste no time.

CANADIAN NURSING ASSOCIATION Members
Provincial and Territorial Members
BRITISH COLUMBIA
College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia
2855 Arbutus Street
Vancouver BC V6J 3Y8
Tel: (604) 736-7331
Fax: (604) 738-2272
E-mail: info@crnbc.ca

ALBERTA
College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta
11620 - 168 Street
Edmonton AB T5M 4A6
Tel: (780) 451-0043
Fax:  (780) 452-3276
E-mail: carna@nurses.ab.ca

SASKATCHEWAN Saskatchewan Registered Nurses’ Association
2066 Retallack Street
Regina SK S4T 7X5
Tel: 1-800-667-9945 / (306) 359-4200
Fax: (306) 525-0849
E-mail: info@srna.org
MANITOBA
College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba
890 Pembina Hwy
Winnipeg MB R3M 2M8
Tel: (204) 774-3477
Fax: (204) 775-6052
E-mail: info@crnm.mb.ca

ONTARIO
Registered  Nurses Association of Ontario
158 Pearl Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5H 1L3
Tel: 1-800-268-7199 / (416) 599-1925
Fax: (416) 599-1926
E-mail: info@rnao.org

NEW BRUNSWICK Nurses Association of New Brunswick
165 Regent Street
Fredericton NB E3B 7B4
Tel: (506) 458-8731
Fax: (506) 459-2838
E-mail: nanb@nanb.nb.ca
NOVA SCOTIA
College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia
Suite 600, Barrington Tower
1894 Barrington St.
Halifax NS B3J 2A8
Tel: (902) 491-9744
Fax: (902) 491-9510
E-mail: info@crnns.ca

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Association of Registered Nurses of  Prince Edward Island (ARNPEI)
53 Grafton Street
Charlottetown PE C1A 1K8
Tel: (902) 368-3764
Fax: (902) 628-1430
E-mail: anpei@pei.aibn.com

NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador
55 Military Rd
St. John’s NL A1C 2C5
Tel: (709) 753-6040
Fax: (709) 753-4940
E-mail: info@arnnl.nf.ca

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Registered Nurses Association of the  Northwest Territories and Nunavut
Box 2757
Yellowknife NT X1A 2R1
Tel: (867) 873-2745
Fax: (867) 873-2336
E-mail: admin@rnantnu.ca

YUKON
Yukon Registered Nurses Association
204 - 4133 - 4th  Avenue
Whitehorse YT Y1A 1H8
Tel: (867) 667-4062
Fax: (867) 668-5123
E-mail: admin@yrna.ca

They are responsible in regulating the practice of Nursing in their jurisdiction. Hence, you need a “go” signal from them or meet their requirements to practice Nursing in their respective location.


First, choose your target destination or Canadian province of your choice. Then access their Board of Nursing, and know their requirements for Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs). Upon completion of the requirements, forward your documents/credentials at the same time you may start searching for potential employers. So that while you’re waiting for your “go” signal, you are being productive of your waiting time.


By the way, each province mandates its own requirements; each province varies on their requirements so you better be careful with the details.  For example:


·         Alberta – Before you become eligible to their province, they require you to take a Substantially Equivalent Competency (SEC) Assessment. It’s their way of evaluating potential applicants if he/she meets the requirements of their Nursing Board. Hence, many colleagues opted to choose LPN as entry route then later on convert their status to RN. Because, their LPN requirement is a minimum of 1 year nursing studies, in our case we got it in 4 years, then BSN pa. So, it’s easy to become LPN first before becoming an RN. I’ve heard it would be an advantage for NCLEX-RN passers to apply as LPN for Alberta , because their LPN Regulatory Board is honoring their NCLEX passing certificate so that they won’t have to take the LPN qualifying Exam. They are instant LPN when they get there, compare to applicants who doesn’t have one. They still have to apply for the exam and pass the LPN exam to work as one.






·         British Columbia – as of December 2008, the BC Nursing Board also adopts the SEC Assessment. So, majority of IEN applicants for CRNBC registration were required to go to BC to take the SEC. The thing is, you need to go there to take the SEC Assessment, its only offered in Mainland Canada , now, what kind of visa should you applying for one? Noting that majority of Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or Tourist Visa weren’t granted for SEC purposes. Chances are, you’ll receive a refusal letter. Hence, making it very difficult now to become an RN directly to BC, that’s why some of our colleagues opted to try LPN route as well.






·         Quebec – While the entire province requires IELTS as English Communication Fluency Assessment, the province of Quebec requires French as their mode of Communication. So, if you’re planning to go to Quebec , start enrolling now on a French Class.






·         Ontario – College of Nurses in Ontario (CNO) requires a bridging program. So you need to study before they give you eligibility to practice. It would be a disadvantage for fresh graduates, but for 2nd coursers and withPost Graduate Studies, I think they are honoring those credits hence facilitating easy entry to become an RN.


Those are some of different requirements mandated by some provinces. Some of the provinces who are lenient on their requirements are: Manitoba , Saskatchewan , Nova Scotia , etc. Note also the timeline, so if you’re in a hurry, I would suggest to choose a province that you think there are less applicants and lenient requirements.


But the common denominators to become an RN among all the Provinces are:


1.      BSN degree – hence they are requesting for BSN diploma and Official Transcript. Hence, there would be a form to be submitted to your School of Nursing , and the School would send it back directly to them.






2.      RN license – so, you need to become RN in your place of origin. Hence, there would be a form to be submitted to PRC, then PRC would send them directly a verification that indeed you are a nurse here in thePhilippines .






3.      English/French Fluency – IELTS, TOEFL, CELBAN or French Assessment etc.. I would suggest taking these fluency assessments first before proceeding to the application, because they won’t process your application if it’s incomplete. There would be no “to follow” documents. Chances are, they would be returning your application and advise you to comply first with the requirements before submitting your application.




Upon submission of requirements, you would receive a feedback from assessment of your Board of Nursing. But, timeline varies in each province, so there’s no exact waiting time. It may be:


a)            Yes, you’ve met all their requirements (the “go” signal)


b)        Not yet, you need to comply with other requirements to commence your application (i.e SEC assessment, Bridging Program, etc.)


c)           No, you did not meet their requirements.


In my case, I received an eligibility to take the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination (CRNE) and an application for Interim Permit. Because, CRNE is only offered three times a year, you can work as a Nurse while waiting for your exam schedule, which would be an orientation to Canadian Healthcare System and good as review as well. Then once you passed the Canadian RN Exam, your Interim Permit would be automatically converted to Full RN Permit. The Interim Permit is good for a maximum of 9 months and renewable for a maximum of three times, because you can only take the CRNE to a maximum of 3 attempts.


That’s it for Credentialing and Licensure!














Now, let’s talk about employment and deployment.


For employment part, generally most of the employers can be searched online, if you want a direct hire process.


Generally, your WORK experience really matters. It will be your ticket to a job offer may it be direct hired or thru recruitment agencies. For direct hiring, usually there are health authorities governing each province. They are the ones active in international recruitment and also I think they have specific program for internationally educated nurses. Such as:






            Alberta – Alberta Health Services


Saskatchewan - Saskatchewan Regional Health Authority




            Manitoba - Winnipeg Regional Health Authority


Assiniboine Regional Health Authority


            British Columbia –www.healthmatchbc.org


                                       www.nursevancouver.com






I’m sorry; I’m not familiar with the other provinces. I suggest you may want to search the health authorities on your target destination and have the diligence to research on the hiring process for Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs).






But, there are some agencies there to approach if you want to avail their service.


To name a few:


MERCAN (Ortigas) – for Alberta , Saskatchewan and Manitoba


HRPC (Ortigas) – Alberta


Caves Treasures ( Makati )  – Nova Scotia


Greenfields International (Malate) – I’m not familiar which province they caters


Staffbuilders (Malate)– Manitoba


Active Works (Malate) – British Columbia


www.healthstaffing.org – British Columbia






To ensure that you’re dealing with POEA accredited recruitment agencies, I suggest you check their license to operate. If you want to validate their POEA license, you can check it on POEA website.






For deployment,






Basically, it answers the questions on how to get there? 


So, I would share the options.


There are two main paths to Canada:


One way is to obtain a permanent residence visa. 


The other way is to come to Canada on a temporary work permit.


Let’s discuss first the Temporary Route . There are 2 visas under the classification of temporary nature:


a)     Temporary Resident Visa (TRV)


b)     Temporary Work Permit (TWP)




Now, TRV or Tourist Visa is not really an option so to speak. I’ve known 10 colleagues who tried this route but unfortunately were refused. Some even presented their eligibility to take the CRNE and CRNE exam schedule. Some even presented an invitation letter from their relatives. It just says that the Visa Officer was not convinced that they would return after their legal stay in Canada .


In accordance with section 11(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), any person wishing to become a temporary resident of Canada must satisfy a visa officer that he or she is not inadmissible to Canada and meets the requirements of the Act. This includes the requirement to establish to the satisfaction of the visa officer that the applicant will respect their conditions of entry and will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for his or her stay. In reaching a decision, an officer considers several factors. These may include the applicant’s travel and identity documents, reason for travel to Canada, contacts in Canada, financial means for the trip, ties to the country of residence (including immigration status, employment and family ties) and whether the applicant would be likely to leave Canada at the end of his/her authorized stay.


And also tourists cannot work, res ipsa loquitur (the thing speaks for itself), tourist hence tour. So if you’re planning to work there TRV or Tourist Visa is not the right visa for you.


On the other hand, Temporary Work Permit or Working Visa is also temporary in nature because you need to go back to your country of origin upon completion of your work; though, there could be an extension or upgrading of status. Although this is temporary in nature, essentially you can commence to work legally.


For you to obtain a working permit, of course you need to have a job offer. A job offer and Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) confirmation or Labor Market Opinion (LMO) are the basic requirements for obtaining a Work Permit.


An HRSDC confirmation is the opinion provided by Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) to the visa officer which enables them to determine whether the employment of the foreign worker is likely to have a positive or negative impact on the labour market in Canada . An HRSDC confirmation may be required in order for a work permit to be issued.


The HRSDC confirmation process is started by the prospective employer who contacts HRSDC to get a job offer form. When the form is completed and submitted, HRSDC considers several factors, including the availability of Canadians and the offered wages as well as the economic benefit the foreign worker would bring. HRSDC then provides advice to the officer.


The HRSDC confirmation is typically given for a specific period of time, and the work permit will be issued to coincide with this period. Renewal of a work permit beyond the specified period will therefore likely require a new opinion from HRSDC.


In short, it is just a determination on how that job offer will impact the Canada ’s Economy; positive Labor Market Opinion is required.


It’s quite difficult to get an LMO, because the employer needs to convince the HRSDC that they have exhausted all their efforts to search for Canadian workers but didn’t find any hence opted for foreign workers. They need to prove that their last resort is the foreign worker.


Then once you have a job offer and positive LMO, you can now apply for TWP. It doesn’t guarantee as well that the valid job offer and LMO would give you a working visa. There are still instances that you’ll receive a refusal letter.






The other option is the Permanent Residence Visa; There are 5 categories to become a permanent resident:


1.      Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)


2.      Quebec Skilled Worker


3.      Provincial Nominee


4.      Family Sponsored Class


5.      Business Immigrants






Options 1-3 are applicable for Internationally Educated Nurses, option 4 can be applicable if you have relatives who are permanent residents or citizens in Canada .


·         Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) is a relatively new program; I think it was introduced just last November 2008. It is quite a new program;
hence, some employers are not yet acquainted with the process. There are 3 elements for you to qualify under this program:


a)     Minimum level of work experience - A skilled worker must have at least one year of continuous full-time employment (or the equivalent in part-time).


b)     Financial resources - This is a straightforward requirement – an applicant must demonstrate that they have sufficient financial resources to support themselves and their dependents for 6 months after arrival in Canada . However, if you have an approved job offer, this requirement is waived.


c)     points-based assessment


o        Education (maximum 25 points)


o        Language Skills (maximum 24 points)


o        Experience (maximum 21 points)


o        Age (maximum 10 points)


o        Arranged Employment (maximum 10 points)


o        Adaptability (maximum 10 points)


Altogether these three elements, along with other requirements such as security clearances and medical examinations, make up the bulk of the requirements to come to Canada under the Skilled Worker category. If you are applying to live or work in Montreal or elsewhere in Quebec however, you must meet the selection criteria of the Province of Quebec .




·         Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) - One way to speed up the process of immigration to Canada is through the Provincial Nomination Program (PNP). The PNP consists of partnerships between the Government of Canadaand provincial governments to select individuals who wish to immigrate to Canada and settle in that particular province. Most provinces in Canada have agreements in place to participate in this program. Under the terms of these agreements, provinces may nominate applicants who are in occupations in high demand, or who will otherwise make important contributions to the province.


To immigrate to Canada under the PNP, an individual must first apply for a Provincial Nomination Certificate to the provincial government where they would like to reside. Each province has different requirements based on their particular needs. After receiving the Provincial Nomination Certificate, an individual then must apply for a Canadian Permanent Resident Visa. Provincial nominees receive priority processing for their permanent residency applications.


The following provinces currently participate in the Provincial Nomination Program:


·         Alberta


·         British Columbia


·         Manitoba


·         New Brunswick


·         Newfoundland and Labrador


·         Nova Scotia


·         Prince Edward Island


·         Saskatchewan


PNP doesn’t utilize a pointing based system and no need for financial proof. Each province mandates its own Provincial Nominee requirements. In British Columbia , it is an employer driven process. While in Manitoba you can be nominated even if 2 of your friends vouch for you.


The good thing there is you will land in Canada as Immigrants already, enjoying the same rights that of a Citizen is entitled to except for 2 things:
1) the right to vote and
2) eligibility to apply for a passport.






Hope it helps. = )


God bless! =)