Trained in Ireland?
The verification body, documents, English-test position, and NNAS shortcuts for nurses educated in Ireland, on the way to a Canadian licence.
Which body verifies my registration?
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). nmbi.ie ↗
What documents do I need?
NMBI verifies registration directly. Irish school sends transcripts. No translation needed.
Do I need an English test?
Exempt.
Can I skip NNAS?
Ireland is in Alberta's CRNA pathway, and Alberta's CRPNA expedited psychiatric pathway (WES only) explicitly includes the Republic of Ireland. Ireland is not named in BCCNM's expedited RN pathway, so BC applicants typically still go through Inspire.
Which Canadian designation will I map to?
Irish nurses map to RN. NMBI's register has a distinct Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) division — the closest direct analogue to the Canadian RPN of any of the eight countries.
Needs verification
Designation mapping is decided case by case by the regulator you apply to. Use the notes above as orientation, not a guarantee.
Province shortcuts
Alberta — CRNA comparability pathway
CRNA accepts nurses educated in the United States, the Philippines, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, Nigeria, Jamaica, New Zealand, and Ireland. CRNA states this “represents 94 per cent of IENs who have applied for licensure in Alberta in the past five years.” This covers all eight countries on this site. nurses.ab.ca ↗
How NNAS works
NNAS Expedited Service costs $750 CAD, covers RN and LPN together in one application, and issues the Advisory Report within five business days of receiving the last document. Regular Service begins at $650 USD (NNAS estimates approximately $845 CAD) for one profession and one regulator. The Registered Psychiatric Nurse pathway runs through Regular Service only, not Expedited.
Heads up
The CAD figure for Regular Service is NNAS's own approximate conversion and moves with the exchange rate. Treat it as an estimate, not a fixed price.
Key fact
NNAS stopped collecting language test scores on October 14, 2022. Proof of language proficiency now goes directly to your provincial regulator, not to NNAS.
Key fact
You cannot submit your own education or registration verification forms. Your school and your licensing authority must send them to NNAS directly. Translations must also be mailed directly by the translator, not by you or anyone related to you.
Which provinces require NNAS? Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan. Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Newfoundland & Labrador do not.
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