Registration with the College of Registered Nurses of BC

To view the complete information provided by College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (CRNBC) for international nurses seeking registration in British Columbia, please click here. Selections of the CRNBC website have been added to this web page for your convenience.

Please note that the registration process typically takes 3 to 6 months. Submitting all required documents as soon as possible, and maintaining contact with CRNBC on a regular basis to ensure that everything is running smoothly can speed up the process.

Eligibility: International Applicant

To be eligible for registration in British Columbia you must have:

• completed a nursing education program deemed equivalent to nursing education programs in British Columbia;
• provided proof of competence to practice as a nurse such as nursing education, practice hours in the previous five years, employment references and registration examination results;
• have no outstanding criminal charges or convictions relevant to the practice of nursing or membership in the Association;
• have satisfactory employment references including a reference from a Canadian employer of at least 8 weeks duration;
• have registration in good standing from other jurisdictions, no health problems that impair ability to practice and be fluent in English.
• Please visit the CRNBC web site to download the application package and complete the forms.
• Please download and review the 'Are You Ready to Apply for CRNBC Registration' Fact Sheet before completing an application for registration.

Fee Schedule

CRNBC application fee: $525.00

CRNE Fee $645.75

Provisional Full: $444.14 and ½ for half year provisional status

CRC fee: $20.00

https://www.crnbc.ca/Registration/RNApplication/InternationalEN/Pages/Default.aspx

What to do: International Applicant

Once you have ordered an application form (www.crnbc.ca), CRNBC will send you an application package. You must complete the application form and have it notarized by a notary public or commissioner for taking oaths. You must also include:

• Processing fee
• Proof of identity : Certified photocopy of birth certificate, passport, immigration papers or citizenship card, provided it shows birth name and date of birth and certified copy of marriage certificate or other name change documents showing legal name.
• Professional experience record: Include full name and mailing address for each employer and signed consent. CRNBC will request references from employers directly.
• Basic Nursing Education Transcripts: You will be asked to send the request form provided to the school of nursing where you received your basic nursing education and others where you have taken additional courses (e.g. midwifery). The school(s) must return the transcripts and other information directly to CRNBC.
• The College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia has created three tutorial modules on their website. One of the modules is “Clinical Decision Making Nursing Practice”, the second tutorial is “Understanding the Scope of Practice”, the third tutorial is "Communications in Nursing Practice”. We recommend you complete each of these tutorials. Completion of these tutorials will help you prepare for your interview with one of our Hiring Managers.  To view the modules please click here.

Nursing Education

Qualifying programs are required for nurses who need additional nursing preparation to meet the education requirement for nurse registration in British Columbia. Nurses educated in British Columbia are generalists and are prepared to practice along the continuum of care and across the client's life cycle. Some international applicants may be required to take qualifying courses if they lack education or experience in specific areas that are considered part of a generalist nursing background, such as psychiatric nursing or maternal/newborn nursing.

Qualifying Programs for nurses needing additional preparation can found at:

Verification request: Send this form to the registering body where you first obtained registration and to all other registering bodies where you have subsequently registered. Request the documents be sent to CRNBC.

English Fluency: If English is not your first language, you must establish your fluency in English. This is generally accomplished by passing standardized tests.

English Test Fact Sheet can be found at:

Criminal Record Check Authorization

CRNBC will send this form to you once the assessment of your application has been completed.

Under the British Columbia Criminal Records Review Act, all applicants must have a criminal record check to determine any criminal convictions relevant to the protection of children. CRNBC will arrange for the criminal record check. You must return the authorization form with a $20 CND processing fee.

Criminal Records Check Fact Sheet can be found at:

Provisional Registration

You may receive Provisional registration once CRNBC has determined you are eligible to write the CRNE. At this time, complete an application for registration and submit it with the applicable fee. This will enable you to work as a nurse while you are waiting to write the exam and receive the results.

Provisional Registration Facts:

What CRNBC does once it receives the application package

• Letter Sent to Applicant
  Indicates that application has been received.
  
• Preliminary Assessment of Application
  Based on the initial review of your application, you will be sent a letter indicating if there are any outstanding documents, discrepancies within the application, or concerns with the application. These must be addressed prior to continuation of the assessment of your application.
  
• Professional Experience
  Previous employers contacted for references
• Application Assessment
  The Application Assessment does not start until this point in the process. To avoid delay please ensure that CRNBC has all applicable documents in order to being the assessment. The process can be delayed by any of the following:
  • an incomplete application
  • outstanding fees
  • outstanding or incomplete documentation
  • unsatisfactory references
  • discipline in another jurisdiction
  • a criminal charge or conviction

CRNBC must receive verifications from other regulatory bodies, school of nursing transcript and satisfactory employer references before assessment can begin.

Your application will be assessed to determine if you are eligible to write the Canadian Registered Nurses Exam (CRNE). CRNBC will send you a letter with the results of your assessment and informing you of any additional requirements to be met prior to writing the CRNE. At this time a criminal record consent form will be sent to you to be completed and returned to CRNBC. Information provided is sent to the Ministry of the Attorney Generals Office in Victoria for processing of the criminal record check.

Canadian Reference

Provide CRNBC with a reference from a Canadian employer for whom you have worked for at least eight weeks. You may do this as a Provisional (Supervised) Registered Nurse, once you are eligible to write the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination (CRNE). You will not need to provide this reference (which will be completed by your employer) until after you have worked in Canada for your new employer.

Can an applicant work as a nurse while meeting registration requirements?

Nurses from other countries who have met all requirements for registration except provision of a reference from a Canadian employer and the examination, who have not previously failed the examination and have applied to write the examination, may also be eligible to practice nursing under Provisional registration.

For further information about Provisional registration please click here.

Outstanding Requirements (if applicable)

Some applicants may be required to complete one or more of the following requirements before they are eligible to write the Canadian Registered Nurses Examination (CRNE).

Applicants for registration must demonstrate fluency in English. If English is not your first language, English fluency tests are required.

Substantially Equivalent Competency (SEC)

The SEC will be used when the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia CRNBC is unable to determine, from paper documentation alone, your ability to meet entry-level nursing competencies in BC.

The assessment process is designed to help the CRNBC determine your ability to meet entry-level nursing competencies in BC. Your professional knowledge, skills and abilities will be assessed. The assessment process will not be used for every IEN coming to BC.

You may be asked to have an assessment in any (or all) of the following areas: General Medical-Surgical Nursing, Maternal Child Health, Pediatric Child Health, Mental Health/Psychiatric Nursing.

For more information http://www.nursinginbc.ca/.

Education

Refresher programs are required by nurses who have been away from the practice of nursing for a considerable period of time or who seek an opportunity to demonstrate their competence in order to meet one of the requirements for registration.

Qualifying programs are required for nurses who need additional nursing preparation to meet the education requirement for nurse registration in British Columbia. Nurses educated in British Columbia are generalists and are prepared to practice along the continuum of care and across the client's life cycle. Some international applicants may be required to take qualifying courses if they lack education or experience in specific areas that are considered part of a generalist nursing background, such as psychiatric nursing or maternal/newborn nursing.

Qualifying Programs for Nurses needing additional preparation can found at: www.crnbc.ca/downloads/512.pdf

When CRNBC has been notified that outstanding requirements have been met you will be eligible to apply to write the Canadian Registered Nurses Examination.

Once you are eligible for the Exam

Applicants are required to pass the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination. The examination measures the competencies required of entry-level nurses for safe and effective practice. The fee to write the Canadian Registered Nurse Exam is $600.00 CDN.

Please follow these links to view the CRNE Fact Sheet, Key Information on the CRNE or access the full website at www.crnbc.ca. For more information on the Canadian Nurses Association, please click here.

Provisional Registration

Provisional registration allows you to practice as a nurse in British Columbia while you wait to write the Canadian Registered Nurses Exam (CRNE) and receive the results.

Exam Results

Pass Exam - Applicants Who Pass CRNE Exam:

• CRNBC notifies applicant of exam result and sends a registration form.
• Applicant returns form with registration fee.
• CRNBC receives criminal record check clearance, completed registration form and fees.

REGISTRATION IS COMPLETE!

Fail Exam - Applicants Who Fail CRNE Exam:

• A failing candidate may request the examination be rescored.
• A candidate is eligible to write the registration examination three times only including all writing of the registered nurse examination in other Canadian jurisdictions.
• Examination writers who are unsuccessful on the first writing will be brought forward to the CRNBC Registration Committee for review. The Registration Committee will determine if the individual will be allowed to continue working on Provisional registration or if their Provisional registration will be cancelled. The results package will detail the information that will need to be provided to the Registration Committee for its review.