Career establishment: licensing

The same occupation, place by place

Regulation is provincial. The same work can need a licence in one province, a certificate in the next, and nothing at all in a third, and the body, the route and the fees change with it. These are the differences, set out side by side.

Being allowed to work in an occupation and being allowed to come to Canada are two separate decisions, made by two different bodies. Nothing on this page is part of your immigration assessment, no rule in that assessment reads it, and meeting everything here does not make you eligible for any immigration program. The reverse is also true: an immigration approval gives nobody permission to practise a regulated occupation.

Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (NOC 31301)

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Differences between Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon

The differences between the places you chose, set out side by side. Nothing here puts one province above another and nothing here is advice about where to go: which of these differences matters depends on your own qualifications, your family and your work, which only you can weigh. Where a cell says we have not checked, that is what it means, and not that there is nothing there.

Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (NOC 31301) in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon
Question	Alberta	British Columbia	Manitoba	New Brunswick	Newfoundland and Labrador	Northwest Territories	Nova Scotia	Nunavut	Ontario	Prince Edward Island	Quebec	Saskatchewan	Yukon
Is a licence or certification required by law to do this work?	We have not checked whether one is required here. We hold the body’s own address, and its page is the one that answers this	No licence or certification is published as required by law here	We have not checked whether one is required here. We hold the body’s own address, and its page is the one that answers this	We have not checked whether one is required here. We hold the body’s own address, and its page is the one that answers this	We have not checked whether one is required here. We hold the body’s own address, and its page is the one that answers this	We have not checked whether one is required here. We hold the body’s own address, and its page is the one that answers this	We have not checked whether one is required here. We hold the body’s own address, and its page is the one that answers this	We have not checked whether one is required here. We hold the body’s own address, and its page is the one that answers this	No licence or certification is published as required by law here	We have not checked whether one is required here. We hold the body’s own address, and its page is the one that answers this	We have not checked whether one is required here. We hold the body’s own address, and its page is the one that answers this	We have not checked whether one is required here. We hold the body’s own address, and its page is the one that answers this	We have not checked whether one is required here. We hold the body’s own address, and its page is the one that answers this
Which body issues it?	College of Registered Nurses of Alberta, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, Apprenticeship and Industry Training	British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives, Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia, SkilledTradesBC, Inspire Global Assessments	College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba, Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba, Apprenticeship Manitoba	College of Nursing of New Brunswick, Engineers and Geoscientists New Brunswick, Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Branch	Newfoundland and Labrador College of Nurses, Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland and Labrador, Apprenticeship and Trades Certification Division	College of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists, Apprenticeship, Trades and Occupations	Nova Scotia Nursing and Midwifery Regulator, Engineers Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency	College of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists, Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupations Certification	College of Nurses of Ontario, Professional Engineers Ontario, Skilled Trades Ontario, International Credential Assessment Service of Canada, International Credential Evaluation Service, British Columbia Institute of Technology, World Education Services	Prince Edward Island College of Nursing and Midwifery, Engineers PEI, Apprenticeship Section, Education and Lifelong Learning	Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec, Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, Centre administratif de la qualification professionnelle	College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan, Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission	Yukon Registered Nurses Association, Engineers Yukon, Apprenticeship Training, Yukon Education
What is published that is not permission to work?	None published	None published	None published	None published	None published	None published	None published	None published	None published	None published	None published	None published	None published
Which routes to it are published?	No route published here yet	No route published here yet	No route published here yet	No route published here yet	No route published here yet	No route published here yet	No route published here yet	No route published here yet	No route published here yet	No route published here yet	No route published here yet	No route published here yet	No route published here yet
How many published steps can be started before arrival?	No published steps to count	No published steps to count	No published steps to count	No published steps to count	No published steps to count	No published steps to count	No published steps to count	No published steps to count	No published steps to count	No published steps to count	No published steps to count	No published steps to count	No published steps to count
How much of the fee material has the body published?	No published steps to price	No published steps to price	No published steps to price	No published steps to price	No published steps to price	No published steps to price	No published steps to price	No published steps to price	No published steps to price	No published steps to price	No published steps to price	No published steps to price	No published steps to price
What have we checked here?	Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Alberta's is the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta. We have not read its requirements, so ask the College, and treat nothing on the Ontario or British Columbia pages as applying here.	Checked pathway. Covered: the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives' own route for an internationally educated nurse, read from the College's pages and from Inspire Global Assessments on 2026-10-22, including the simulation lab assessment that has to be done in person in Canada. The route reaches a reader only once a lawyer has published it.	Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Manitoba's is the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba. We have not read its requirements, so ask the College.	Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and New Brunswick's is the College of Nursing of New Brunswick, formerly the Nurses Association of New Brunswick. We have not read its requirements, so ask the College.	Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Newfoundland and Labrador's is the Newfoundland and Labrador College of Nurses. We have not read its requirements, so ask the College.	Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and the Northwest Territories are covered by the College of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, which took over regulation from the former College and Association of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The address held here is the former body's site, because the new College's own address was not confirmed when this was written. The national profile says the process differs there, so ask the College directly.	Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Nova Scotia's is now the Nova Scotia Nursing and Midwifery Regulator, which replaced the Nova Scotia College of Nursing. We have not read its requirements, so ask the regulator.	Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Nunavut is covered by the College of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, which took over regulation from the former College and Association of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The address held here is the former body's site, because the new College's own address was not confirmed when this was written. The national profile says the process differs there, so ask the College directly.	Checked pathway. Covered: the College of Nurses of Ontario's own route for a nurse educated outside Canada, read from the College's pages on 2026-10-22, with the fees it publishes and the three assessment services it approves. The route reaches a reader only once a lawyer has published it.	Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Prince Edward Island's is the Prince Edward Island College of Nursing and Midwifery. We have not read its requirements, so ask the College.	Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Quebec's is the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec. Quebec's process differs from the rest of the country, including its registration examination, so nothing from the other routes carries over. Ask the Ordre.	Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Saskatchewan's is the College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan. We have not read its requirements, so ask the College.	Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Yukon's is the Yukon Registered Nurses Association. The national profile says the process in Yukon differs from the rest of the country, so ask the Association directly.

Alberta in full·British Columbia in full·Manitoba in full·New Brunswick in full·Newfoundland and Labrador in full·Northwest Territories in full·Nova Scotia in full·Nunavut in full·Ontario in full·Prince Edward Island in full·Quebec in full·Saskatchewan in full·Yukon in full·All licensing pages

What this comparison is not

A list of differences, not a verdict about where to go

This is not a complete directory of regulated occupations in Canada. A pathway becomes public only when one of our lawyers publishes it, which they may do only where every mandatory requirement on it rests on an excerpt from the regulator’s own page: publishing records the lawyer’s name and the day, so there are occupations and provinces we simply have not reached. Where we have not, we say so and send you to the official lookup and to the regulator itself, which are the places that can answer for your case in any event.

Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (NOC 31301) in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon

Question

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Newfoundland and Labrador

Northwest Territories

Nova Scotia

Nunavut

Ontario

Prince Edward Island

Quebec

Saskatchewan

Yukon

Is a licence or certification required by law to do this work?

We have not checked whether one is required here. We hold the body’s own address, and its page is the one that answers this

No licence or certification is published as required by law here

We have not checked whether one is required here. We hold the body’s own address, and its page is the one that answers this

No licence or certification is published as required by law here

We have not checked whether one is required here. We hold the body’s own address, and its page is the one that answers this

Which body issues it?

College of Registered Nurses of Alberta, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, Apprenticeship and Industry Training

British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives, Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia, SkilledTradesBC, Inspire Global Assessments

College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba, Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba, Apprenticeship Manitoba

College of Nursing of New Brunswick, Engineers and Geoscientists New Brunswick, Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Branch

Newfoundland and Labrador College of Nurses, Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland and Labrador, Apprenticeship and Trades Certification Division

College of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists, Apprenticeship, Trades and Occupations

Nova Scotia Nursing and Midwifery Regulator, Engineers Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency

College of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists, Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupations Certification

College of Nurses of Ontario, Professional Engineers Ontario, Skilled Trades Ontario, International Credential Assessment Service of Canada, International Credential Evaluation Service, British Columbia Institute of Technology, World Education Services

Prince Edward Island College of Nursing and Midwifery, Engineers PEI, Apprenticeship Section, Education and Lifelong Learning

Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec, Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, Centre administratif de la qualification professionnelle

College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan, Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission

Yukon Registered Nurses Association, Engineers Yukon, Apprenticeship Training, Yukon Education

What is published that is not permission to work?

None published

Which routes to it are published?

No route published here yet

How many published steps can be started before arrival?

No published steps to count

How much of the fee material has the body published?

No published steps to price

What have we checked here?

Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Alberta's is the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta. We have not read its requirements, so ask the College, and treat nothing on the Ontario or British Columbia pages as applying here.

Checked pathway. Covered: the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives' own route for an internationally educated nurse, read from the College's pages and from Inspire Global Assessments on 2026-10-22, including the simulation lab assessment that has to be done in person in Canada. The route reaches a reader only once a lawyer has published it.

Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Manitoba's is the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba. We have not read its requirements, so ask the College.

Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and New Brunswick's is the College of Nursing of New Brunswick, formerly the Nurses Association of New Brunswick. We have not read its requirements, so ask the College.

Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Newfoundland and Labrador's is the Newfoundland and Labrador College of Nurses. We have not read its requirements, so ask the College.

Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and the Northwest Territories are covered by the College of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, which took over regulation from the former College and Association of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The address held here is the former body's site, because the new College's own address was not confirmed when this was written. The national profile says the process differs there, so ask the College directly.

Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Nova Scotia's is now the Nova Scotia Nursing and Midwifery Regulator, which replaced the Nova Scotia College of Nursing. We have not read its requirements, so ask the regulator.

Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Nunavut is covered by the College of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, which took over regulation from the former College and Association of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The address held here is the former body's site, because the new College's own address was not confirmed when this was written. The national profile says the process differs there, so ask the College directly.

Checked pathway. Covered: the College of Nurses of Ontario's own route for a nurse educated outside Canada, read from the College's pages on 2026-10-22, with the fees it publishes and the three assessment services it approves. The route reaches a reader only once a lawyer has published it.

Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Prince Edward Island's is the Prince Edward Island College of Nursing and Midwifery. We have not read its requirements, so ask the College.

Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Quebec's is the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec. Quebec's process differs from the rest of the country, including its registration examination, so nothing from the other routes carries over. Ask the Ordre.

Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Saskatchewan's is the College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan. We have not read its requirements, so ask the College.

Regulator’s address only. Directory only: registration with a nursing regulator is required in every province and territory, and Yukon's is the Yukon Registered Nurses Association. The national profile says the process in Yukon differs from the rest of the country, so ask the Association directly.