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While You Wait

The wait is real — here's how long it actually takes, how to track it, and how to use the time well.

Last checked: August 7, 2026. Timelines and funding programs change — always confirm with NNAS, your province, and each program.

How long does this actually take?

Honestly? It varies a lot — and it's worth understanding why, rather than trusting one confident number.

NNAS's own part is fast now. Under the Expedited Service, your report is issued within 5 business days of all your documents being received. That part is fully in NNAS's control, and it's quick.

What actually takes time is everything around that:

  • Gathering your documents — typically 2 to 6 weeks, because it depends on how fast your old employers and licensing bodies respond, not on you.
  • The provincial registration step after your NNAS report — this can run anywhere from a few months to closer to a year, depending on the province and whether they ask for anything additional.

Key fact

Put together end to end, most sources place the realistic total somewhere between 6 months and 2 years, with the biggest variable being how quickly third parties respond and whether bridging courses are required. NNAS being fast doesn't mean the whole process is fast — most of the wait happens around it, not inside it.

Heads up

All your documents must be submitted to NNAS within 12 months of starting your application. Delays are usually caused by not responding fast enough to a request — not by NNAS being slow. Check your NNAS account and email regularly.

Track your status

Here's what each label on the NNAS applicant dashboard actually means, so you're not left guessing:

  • Waiting for Required Documents: NNAS is still waiting on you — or a third party like an old employer or old licensing body — to send something in.
  • Ready for Review: everything's in, and an evaluator will be assigned.
  • Ready for Final Review: your file is in final quality checks.
  • Report Issued: done — your Advisory Report is ready.

Good to know

If your status hasn't moved in a while, it's almost always because something is still waiting on a document from a third party — not because your file is stuck. Following up directly with whichever employer or licensing body hasn't responded yet is usually the fastest way to move things along.

What to do while you wait

The wait is real — so use it, don't just sit on it.

  • Book your English test now, if you haven't already. Slots can be limited and scores expire after 2 years, so timing it against your expected licensing date matters.
  • Look into bridging programs for your target province. These are courses that help translate your international training and experience into what Canadian employers and regulators expect. Worth knowing: many publicly funded bridging programs require permanent residency status to enroll, so this may depend on where you are in your immigration process — not just your nursing paperwork.
  • Start NCLEX prep in parallel. There's no need to wait for your NNAS report to begin studying.
  • Look into mentorship support. The CASN IEN Mentorship Program pairs newcomers with practicing Canadian nurses for guidance and networking — worth looking into early, rather than after you're already licensed.
Can you work while you wait?

This one needs care, because it isn't really a nursing-license question — it's an immigration and provincial-scope question, and we're not immigration advisors.

Many internationally educated nurses work in support roles during this waiting period, most commonly as a care aide, continuing care assistant, personal support worker, or healthcare aide — roles that typically need minimal extra certification and give real Canadian healthcare experience while you wait. Some also work as a nursing unit clerk, an administrative role that still uses healthcare knowledge.

Heads up

Important: whether you're legally able to work in Canada at all depends on your immigration or work-permit status — not on where you are in the NNAS process. That's a separate question NNAS and this page can't answer for you. And these support roles are not nursing roles: check with your provincial regulatory body about exactly what you're permitted to do without a full license before starting any paid healthcare work.

Financial support programs

These are real and currently active. Amounts and eligibility change, so treat them as a starting point.

National — available regardless of province

  • PASS (Pre-Arrival and Post-Arrival Supports and Services) — run by CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses. Free, funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Helps nurses before they even arrive in Canada with settlement and licensure guidance, and continues supporting newcomer nurses anywhere in Canada after arrival, not just Ontario. care4nurses.org
  • Foreign Credential Recognition Program (FCRP) — Government of Canada. Loans of up to $30,000 to help cover costs like credential assessments, licensing exams, language training, and exam-related travel.

Ontario

  • STARS (Supports, Training, and Access to Regulated-employment Services) — also run by CARE Centre, funded by the Government of Ontario. One-on-one case management, language and communication training, exam prep, mentoring, and job shadowing, for nurses already in Ontario. care4nurses.org

Alberta

  • BIEN (Bursary for Internationally Educated Nurses) — Government of Alberta funded, up to $30,000 per learner to cover bridging program costs. The tradeoff: recipients commit to a return-of-service period — one year of full-time work in an eligible rural Alberta community for every $6,000 received. Applications open periodically rather than year-round, so it's worth checking current status directly. rhpap.ca/bien

Manitoba

  • IENs in Manitoba Project — up to $23,000 in non-repayable financial assistance covering language training, assessments, and bridging program costs, for nurses who've already started their registration process with a Manitoba regulator. gov.mb.ca

British Columbia

  • System-level bridging investment — BC's government announced $68.1 million in bridging and training investment for internationally educated nurses in 2024. This is a system-level funding commitment rather than one program with a single application link, so it's worth checking BCCNM's own site for the current individual-facing options this funding has produced, since specifics may change as programs roll out.

Needs verification

Funding programs like these open, close, and get renamed more often than fee schedules do. Treat the amounts above as a starting point, and confirm current status before counting on any of them in a budget.

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