Nursing Licensing and Registration
Prior to obtaining employment authorization to work in British Columbia, as a Temporary Foreign Worker, you will need to pursue registration with the relevant Nursing Association.
Mandatory Registration/Licensure for Nurses
Registration with the appropriate regulatory body is mandatory in British Columbia to in order to practise as a registered nurse. An applicant’s education and experience determines which British Columbia regulatory body they should register with.
All registered nurses educated outside of Canada are considered to be internationally educated nurses (IENs). All international applicants (RN) are required to make an application to the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS) and may be required to undergo a substantially equivalent competency assessment (SEC) and write the NCLEX.
REGISTERING WITH THE APPROPRIATE REGULATOR
National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS)
All nurses who were educated outside Canada and are seeking initial registration/licensure to practice in BC as a registered nurse (RN) must first complete an application to the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS). After the NNAS notifies you by email that your application and report are complete, you may then apply to BCCNP. When you apply to the BCCNP, they will conduct a further review of your application based on your NNAS file.
Substantially Equivalent Competency Assessment (SEC)
Nursing education and practice has evolved differently in different parts of the world. As part of the application process, most internationally-educated applicants are required to complete a Substantially Equivalent Competency (SEC) assessment. The SEC assessment looks at your nursing knowledge and practice and shows how it compares to what is expected of nurses that completed their nursing program in B.C.
The assessment evaluates entry level competencies; it does not look at expert levels of nursing practice. Entry level competencies are the competences that new graduates from a B.C nursing program are required to have.
BCCNP Assessment
Once you have completed the SEC assessment a report will be sent to BCCNP summarizing the details of your assessment and identifying where differences in practice may exist in comparison to a BC grad. Coursework will normally be recommended. Using this report and all of the documentation and information from your application, the BCCNP will do an assessment and determine your registration requirements.
Registered Nurses & Registered Psychiatric Nurses – British Columbia College of Nursing Professionals (BCCNP)
Provisional Registration
Provisional registration allows applicants to practise as nurses in British Columbia while they wait to write the National Council Licensure Examination –Registered Nurse Exam (NCLEX-RN) in order to meet a practice requirement of the regulatory body.
Registration Tips
- Download the IEN Applicant Handbook from the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS)
- Apply to the NNAS
- Collect the required documents, including documents confirming your identity and your education
- Complete the online payment for the application process
- Print the required secondary forms
- Have your completed secondary forms and documents sent to the NNAS
- Ask your references for permission to use their names, and ask them to provide the College with a timely response to all requests.
- Keep a copy of all of your documents and completed forms.
- Once you have obtain the assessment report from the NNAS apply to either the British Columbia College of Nursing Professionals (BCCNP).
Record the date sent and the method of sending your paperwork to the College.
NAFTA work permit program
Under the NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement) program, some professionals from the United States and Mexico are not required to have a LMO conducted in order to obtain a work permit. To qualify, the international applicant must work in one of the professions listed in the NAFTA professions list.
