Registered nurses (RNs) and other healthcare professionals are in high demand in Canada.
Healthcare workers like RNs are registered provincially, and there are several steps to take to become registered as an internationally-trained RN.
There are several immigration pathways devoted specifically to healthcare workers, including:
British Columbia’s BC PNP Health Authority
Saskatchewan’s SINP International Healthcare Worker
Nova Scotia’s NSNP Occupations in Demand and Physician
New potential pathways in the near future
General Immigration Requirements
Be registered in the province you want to immigrate to in your healthcare profession, if that occupation is regulated in Canada. This includes:
Meeting the English language requirement for the province. For example, in BC, a minimum of 7.0 in speaking, 7.5 in listening, 6.5 in reading, and 7.0 in writing is required in the IELTS-Academic language test.
Having the required training and experience as required by the province. If not, you may need to have additional training in Canada before you can become registered.
Passing the NCLEX exam.
Have a job offer from a healthcare organization/company. All healthcare worker-specific immigration pathways require a valid job offer to be eligible to apply.
BC PNP and SINP have job-matching services to help connect you with a potential employer.
For RNs in the BC PNP stream, the offer must be made by a public health authority.
With the support of a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), you could be eligible to work in Canada to gain valuable Canadian work experience, and use both the job offer and experience to apply under a provincial nominee program (PNP) pathway or Express Entry.
Meet the remaining eligibility requirements for your chosen immigration pathway. This includes:
Having the required experience or education, as necessary for your immigration pathway.
Having the required documents supporting your background such as birth certificate, national ID card, passport, civil status documents, etc.
Not being criminally or medically inadmissible to Canada.
