How to use NNAS for Canadian nursing registration
NNAS (National Nursing Assessment Service) is the gateway evaluator for nursing registration in every Canadian province EXCEPT Quebec. NNAS does not licence you — it issues an Advisory Report that your chosen provincial regulator then reviews. This is a 12 – 16 week process before the province even starts its review.
- International passport (valid 12+ months)
- Nursing diploma / BSc certificate
- Sealed academic transcripts
- Current home-country nursing licence
- Home regulator verification of registration
- Employment / experience letters
- Sworn English translations (if originals are in another language)
- NNAS application fee — CAD 685 (~$510 USD)
- Additional NNAS report copy — CAD 110+ each
- Courier from home registrar — $50 – 150
- IELTS Academic — ~$240 (or CELBAN)
- Provincial regulator licensure fee — varies (CAD 350 – 550)
Step-by-step
- 1
Pick your target Canadian province first
Each province has its own regulator: CNO (Ontario), BCCNM (British Columbia), CRNA (Alberta), CRNM (Manitoba), NSCN (Nova Scotia), etc. Quebec uses OIIQ — it does NOT use NNAS. Pick the province before paying for NNAS.
1 – 2 weeks of research - 2
Create your NNAS online account and pay
Open an account at nnas.ca, fill in the registration form, pay CAD 685 (one province) or CAD 795 (multi-province). NNAS opens a document portal for each requested item.
1 day - 3
Request documents from your school + home regulator
NNAS supplies you with PDF request forms. You send these to your school registrar (transcripts) and home regulator (licence verification + good-standing). Both parties mail sealed responses DIRECTLY to NNAS. NNAS rejects any documents you forward yourself.
6 – 12 weeks - 4
Upload your candidate-supplied documents
Passport scan, employment letters, and identification go through your NNAS portal. NNAS validates these against the third-party documents.
1 day - 5
Wait for NNAS evaluation
NNAS reviews completeness, comparability of nursing education, and clinical hours. The evaluation takes 12 – 16 weeks AFTER all documents arrive.
12 – 16 weeks - 6
Receive your Advisory Report
NNAS sends the Advisory Report to your chosen provincial regulator and gives you a candidate copy. The report is comparability-only — it does NOT register you.
1 day - 7
Apply to your provincial regulator for registration
Submit your provincial application + fee. The regulator reviews the NNAS report, may require an English test (IELTS or CELBAN), and may require NCLEX-RN. Some provinces require a jurisprudence exam.
4 – 8 weeks
Common pitfalls
- NNAS is NOT a licence — confirm your provincial regulator has registered you BEFORE making relocation plans.
- Some African nursing programmes fall below NNAS minimum clinical hours and require bridging — confirm before paying NNAS.
- Quebec uses OIIQ, not NNAS — only pay NNAS if your province is Anglophone.
Frequently asked
Does NNAS register me as a nurse in Canada?⌄
No. NNAS only issues an Advisory Report — a comparability assessment. Your provincial regulator (CNO, BCCNM, CRNA, etc.) is the body that registers you and issues the licence.
How long does the full NNAS-to-licence process take?⌄
Plan 12 – 18 months end-to-end. NNAS itself takes 12 – 16 weeks; the provincial review adds 4 – 8 weeks; English test + NCLEX add a few months on top.
Can I use NNAS for Quebec?⌄
No. Quebec uses OIIQ, which has its own application process and accepts French-language documents directly. Do not pay NNAS if your destination is Quebec.
What if my clinical hours are below the NNAS minimum?⌄
Your Advisory Report will flag the gap. Some provinces accept the report anyway and assess case-by-case; others require a bridging programme. Confirm with your target provincial regulator before paying NNAS.
Can I apply to multiple provinces with one NNAS report?⌄
Yes — pay the multi-province NNAS fee (CAD 795) up front. Cheaper than ordering report copies later.
Do I still need to take the NCLEX-RN after NNAS?⌄
Yes — most English Canadian provinces require NCLEX-RN regardless of NNAS. Quebec uses OIIQ instead. Plan for NCLEX prep + sitting in parallel with the provincial application.
NNAS is the slowest part of the Canadian nursing pathway — typically 12 – 16 weeks before the province even sees your file. Start it early, run English-test prep in parallel, and you save 3 – 4 months overall. African nurses who land in Ontario, BC, or Alberta typically complete the full Canadian pathway in 12 – 18 months end-to-end.
Related pages
Pathway provides guidance only. We are not an immigration lawyer, a nursing regulator, or a visa agent. Outcomes depend on regulators and authorities, not on us.