Trained in the United States?
The verification body, documents, English-test position, and NNAS shortcuts for nurses educated in the United States, on the way to a Canadian licence.
Which body verifies my registration?
Your state board of nursing. Licensure history is verified through Nursys, operated by NCSBN.
What documents do I need?
State board completes verification, US nursing school sends transcripts. No translation needed.
Do I need an English test?
Exempt in effectively all provinces.
Can I skip NNAS?
Yes — the strongest pathway of all eight. Per Inspire Global Assessments: if you are an RN currently practising in the US, or completed your RN education in the US, you do not submit an IEN Pathway application — you apply directly to BCCNM and do not apply to Inspire. Eligibility is at least 1,125 hours of US RN practice in the past five years, or completion of an approved US RN education program within the past five years. Nova Scotia also continues to expedite US applications on employer request even while its general expedited pathway is paused. The US is in Alberta's CRNA pathway.
Which Canadian designation will I map to?
US RNs map cleanly to Canadian RN. The shared NCLEX-RN removes the exam barrier. Psychiatric nursing in the US is a post-RN certification (ANCC PMH-BC requires an active RN licence plus roughly two years of RN practice), not a separate registration, so it does not map to the Canadian RPN.
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 ↗
British Columbia — BCCNM expedited pathways
BCCNM recognizes RN education and practice in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and New Zealand as largely comparable to Canadian RN practice. Two expedited routes exist: one for US RNs, one for RNs from Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. bccnm.ca ↗
Heads up
Nova Scotia's expedited pathway for nurses licensed in the Philippines, India, Nigeria, the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand was paused to new applicants effective January 20, 2025, with no reopening date announced. It has not reopened. The regular NNAS route remains open. Note the regulator has also rebranded: the Nova Scotia College of Nursing is now the Nova Scotia Nursing and Midwifery Regulator (NSNMR), formed June 30, 2026. Use nsnmr.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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