What are the requirements for a Nurse in Canada?
If you want to work in Canada as a nurse, here are some of the major requirements you need to meet:
- You must have your diplomas assessed by a recognized organization
- You need to apply for licensure to a nursing regulatory body in the particular province or territory you want to settle and work in Canada
- You have to register with the Canadian Licensed Practical Nurses Regulatory Council (CCPNR) or the Canadian Nurses Association (CAN)
- You must pass the Canadian Nursing Registration Examination (CRNE) or the Canadian Licensed Practical Nursing Examination (CPNRE). You can appear for this exam only in Canada
How to immigrate to Canada as a Nurse?
From now on, if the candidate exercises a profession in demand in the country, it is fully guaranteed that he will be able to obtain a permanent residence visa. There are many immigration programs that allow skilled immigrants to apply for a permanent residence visa in Canada.
Express Entry program
Nurses are qualified for the Express Entry program under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). They just need to meet the requirements of this program. First, they must score 67 points in a points-based assessment program that verifies applicants’ eligibility. Eligibility points are awarded based on factors such as age, language skills, education, and work experience.
Once applicants have created the Express Entry profile, their profile is submitted to the Express Pool. All the profiles in the express entry pool are ranked based on their Comprehensive Rankings System (CRS) scores. The highest-ranked profiles then receive an invitation to apply (ITA) to apply for a permanent residence visa.
Quebec immigration
The province of Quebec still has a strong demand for nurses. The province of Quebec offers high salaries, available jobs, and a rapidly expanding healthcare system with the aim of attracting the best international nursing professionals to the province. QSWP offers nurses to obtain permanent residency in the province. You can apply for this immigration program in two steps. First, it involves obtaining a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) from the Quebec immigration office. This certificate means that the candidates have been selected by the province. The second step is to apply for a permanent residence visa with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) via the CSQ certificate.
In the case of nurses, they can obtain very high points for the selection factor of the area of training as well as for their training.
Provincial Nominee Program
There are also several Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) for which nurses may be eligible. Sometimes there is a section dedicated specifically to nurses. There are other immigration streams that are for health professionals or for skilled workers in a general. Nursing is a profession in demand in Canada and falls under economic class immigration. First, they are in high demand, and second, they are in a skilled trade. Quebec Experience Program, British Columbia Health Professionals (Skilled Immigration and Express Entry Pathways), New Brunswick Internationally Educated Nurses (IEN) Program are all avenues that nurses can follow.
Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) has an immigration stream – NSNP: Express entry that is in line with the federal government’s express entry program. It allows the province to target candidates with the express entry profile and with required work experience to be nominated for permanent residency in the province. Two of these targeted professions are “registered nurses” and “licensed practical nurses”.
Several provinces have more than one program that accepts nurses. Sometimes federal and provincial programs interact. For example, some PNP immigration streams comply with the Express Entry program. The flows to which this link is made are said to be “improved”. If a person receives a nomination from an enhanced program, that person earns 600 points on their CRS score, thereby ensuring that they will receive an ITA.
Atlantic Immigration Program
Atlantic Immigration Pilot is similar to Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program. It is aimed at qualified people who know which province they would like to settle in when they arrive in Canada and assume that this province is one of the four participating provinces in this immigration pilot project.
This program was designed to address labor shortages in the four Atlantic provinces; Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. All professions in the medical health field are in high demand in Atlantic Canada. If you have a valid full-time job offer in one of the four provinces listed above, you can apply for permanent residence at the same time as you apply for your Canadian work permit.
Study 2 immigrate
Even if you are not currently eligible for any of the above immigration options, you can still come to Canada. As an international student, you can pursue your career in nursing while living, working, or studying in Canada,
Your Canadian education can even help increase your eligibility to immigrate permanently when you graduate. You need to keep in mind that the federal government or the province or territorial government has the right to change the requirements of the immigration programs at any time, so there is no guarantee that you can be eligible for the same program till you graduated from an educational institution. However, under the current system, a Canadian degree can make all the difference.
