If you immigrate to Canada as a nurse, you can live the life of a fairy tale. In Canada, things move quickly when you work as a registered nurse. Many Nigerian immigrants frequently question themselves as to why they chose not to go to Canada sooner.
However, Canada may be calling if you are overworked or underpaid and confined to a hospital, or if you are just hoping that your salary will arrive on time.
There is a great need for nurses in Canada, and there are numerous Canadian immigration routes from which to choose. Any of the nation’s economic immigration schemes allows talented workers like you to enter the country. But you have to demonstrate that you’re eligible to work in Canada in through these means:
- You have to be a Nigerian graduate of an authorized or recognized institution.
- Both a valid nurse registration and an RN/midwife license are prerequisites.
- It is required that you possess a minimum of two to five years of experience in the nursing field.
Nurses Eligible for Economic Immigration to Canada
If you are a registered nurse looking for work in Canada, you can obtain permanent residency through any of the federal and provincial economic immigration schemes, which include:
- The system of Express Entry
- The PNP, or Provincial Nominee Program
- Quebec’s Skilled Worker Program
Evaluation of Academic Credentials
If you are required to practice in Canada, you will need to have your academic qualifications assessed. The following organizations’ credential evaluations are accepted by the Canadian government:
- World Education Services (WES) is the first
- The service for assessing qualifications internationally (IQAS)
- The Canada-based International Credential Assessment Service (ICAS)
- The Center for Education Statistics (CES)
- The service for evaluating credentials internationally (ICES)
For a certain amount, the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS) will accept your credentials after you’ve finished your background checks and studies. Next, on the official NNAS application page, you will set up your profile.
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For whom is a NNAS evaluation appropriate?
- Candidates who obtained their degree outside of Canada
- Candidates who have never held a nursing position in Canada
- Candidates who want to work in Canada as an RPN, LPN, or RN
Obtaining NNAS Approval
You have to give in;
- Original documents signed, dated, and stamped copies; two pieces of identity that need to be notarized;
- A filled-out nursing education form that was downloaded from the internet. It is completed and signed by you before being forwarded to the school. Together with your course curriculum, course descriptions and syllabi, and academic records or transcripts, the form would be filled out and sent straight to NNAS by the school’s representatives.
- The nursing registration form shall be dispatched to the nursing licensing authority of your present location of registration.
- The nursing practice/employment form needs to be completed and sent to the places where you have worked for the last five years so that NNAS can get it.
- NNAS receives the results of the IELTS language exam directly.
Because every state and province has different standards, you must now choose which province you wish to live in and work in.
You would receive a report from the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS) after they review your credentials, and it needs to be sent to the state regulatory body. They would evaluate your credentials and expertise using this report, and they would determine whether you are qualified to add Canada. Occasionally, they advise you to complete any course in order to pursue the required eligibility.
They will, however, give you a position as an RN, Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), or Registered Licensed Practical Nurse (RPN) if they find your report satisfactory. The Canadian Council for Licensed Practical Nurse Regulators (CCPNR) and the Canadian Nurses Association (CAN) both offer these registrations.
Documents Required
- Notarized Photo ID (passport, driver’s license, or other identification card) with signature on it
- Educational records, such as mark sheets, degree certificates, transcripts, course curriculum, and other academic records; Registration documents from the Nursing Council;
- Employment form completed within the last five years;
- Scores on the IELTS and CELBAN tests: Academic format: speaking 7, listening 7.5, reading 6.5, writing 7, overall 7. CELBAN test score: speaking 8, listening 10, reading 8, writing 7.
- All copies of certificates need to be notarized, and fees are approximately $650.
Types of Canadian Nursing Licenses
The nursing profession in Canada is subject to stringent regulations. All nurses are required to hold a license issued by provincial or territorial regulators. Failure to obtain a license will prevent you from practicing anywhere in Canada. In the interim, there are three primary types of Canadian nursing licenses that are determined by education, skill requirements, and job responsibilities. These licenses are as follows:
Nurse Practitioner (NP): An NP license is regarded by certain jurisdictions as an extension of an RN license. To be eligible to become an NP nurse, candidates must possess a master’s degree in nursing, an advanced nursing degree with a focus on adult, pediatric, or primary healthcare, and professional experience as a registered nurse (or equivalent).
Registered Nurse or Registered Psychiatric Nurse: A bachelor’s degree in nursing is required for licensure as a registered nurse (RN) or registered psychiatric nurse.
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs, also known as Registered Practical Nurses): To obtain this license, applicants must have a nursing diploma.
Depending on the province you apply to, the names of the licenses may change. Additionally, there can be entry-level licenses available for recent graduates or nursing students. For example, the licensure process for Registered Psychiatric Nurses is different from that for RNs in British Columbia and Alberta.
Nevertheless, some provinces and territories have separate nursing categories with their own regulators, whereas British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia each have a single college that oversees all categories of nurses.
National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX)
For Registered Nurses:
You must pass the National Council Licensing Examination in order to practice nursing in Canada as a registered nurse. This test may be taken in Canada or in your home country.
To be eligible for a nursing license in your province, you have to:
- To demonstrate your competency, pass the Registration Examination for the relevant nursing category.
- Applicants for an RN licensure must show up for the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX-RN
- The REx-PN exam (Regulatory Exam – Practical Nurse) is required of LPN candidates.
- Possess the right to work in Canada or be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
- Provide a report on your criminal history, disclose any past infractions, and explain any situations in which you were denied registration as a nurse in any nation.
- To show that you understand the rules, laws, regulations, and recommendations specific to the nursing profession in your province or territory, pass the Jurisprudence Examination.
- Indicate if you have any physical or mental illnesses that could affect your capacity to practice nursing.
You can finish your online registration and pay the registration and first-year membership cost once you’ve fulfilled these license requirements.