Getting Started: CARNA and the CELBAN

Hi there Ms.Kim!
I’ve already posted a comment on your blog..
Me and my family just arrived last January17, my husband and I are both nurses way back in the Philippines. I’m Hoping you could help me with some of my queries..
1. Where can me and my husband get assessed for our English language?
2. Is it true that before we can get assessed for CARNE we should have taken CELBAN?
3. If it’s true, how can we enroll with your CELBAN PREP and how much will it cost(is there any promotional rates or packages) and what are the review schedules?
4. Is there any expiration date for the CELBAN Exam? How long?
5. Do you have a branch here in Calgary?If you have, where is it located and can I have your contact numbers as well.
Thank You so much for answering all of my questions..
God Bless You Ms.Kim for helping us newcomers here in Canada!
Right now we’re currently unemployed, which makes us really sad..
We have already submitted a lot of resumes as nursing aids and health care aides in various hospitals and nursing homes..we really hope we can get hired and take the review lessons as well in order for us to take the CELBAN and the CARNE afterwards..
Our daughter is already studying here also.
Thank You for taking time reading and replying to my letter.. D

Dearest D,

Diana, I am not sure where you are living. There are different organizations that offer Canadian Language Benchmark Assessments, or the CLB. These are free to residents and citizens. TFW are required to pay a fee. Many organizations use this to determine if an immigrant is eligible for the LINC program, a government sponsored English program for the beginner and intermediate level. In Edmonton the organization is Catholic Social Services. Try Immigrant Services in Calgary.

Yes, the first step of registration with CARNA is the CELBAN or IELTS. After that you have the SEC, upgrading courses, 225 hours as a GN, and the CRNE before you can become a nurse. It can take up to two years and $5000. For this reason many IENs look at becoming an LPN, and do both processes at the same time. the process for an LPN is shorter, but wages are also less than an RN. Please see

What is the difference between being an LPN and an RN?

I like this question! 🙂 You can go to www.celbanprep.info for information, and here http://www.celbanprep.ca/amember/signup.php for the fees. The fees are high, as compared to courses offered at colleges, but because I know you are an unemployed immigrant, as with most of the people who come to CELBANPrep I do have sales.

3b. Is there any promotional rates or packages?

Promotions are sent by e-mail when you sign up for How to Prepare for the CELBAN at www.celban.info. They are also posted on Twitter and Facebook ~ so become a fan!

Promotions usually happen twice a month.

3c. And what are the review schedules?

Year round admissions. Monthly start dates. Online courses that fit your schedule.

That means your lessons start the day after you subscribe. You do not have to wait for January and September.

Great question, most people do not ask that one! All English exams expire after 2 years. And the process usually takes longer than that, so you can be sure you might be required to take it again.

4b. My Question: How many times can I take the CELBAN?

I added this question as it is important to understand that you can only take it 3 times, and if you need one chance in two years, you have to pass before or during your second attempt.

I began CELBANPrep in Edmonton, with the IENs here, but I knew there were many more across Canada. I had a decision to make, did I want to stay local or help people across the nation and the world? Did I want to have branches, or did I want to decrease my costs so I could decrease the fees. Again and again I thought about the wonderful IENs I had met, and how little they made in unlicensed service industry positions. I thought of their families back home, where they sent their wages. I decided that the best way to serve both the IENs and their families was to make CELBANPrep as cost efficient as possible. Without having to pay for rent and utilities, or printing books, I was able to keep my costs down. So CELBANPrep had been created with a virtual classroom: everything is online. All correspondence is via e-mail. As you can see, I take these e-mails and my replies very seriously! CELBANPrep: Available where you are. Available when you are.

So, Diana, do you have more questions? What have you learned from the Dear Kim blog? What inspired you to write?