Written in 2014. Updated 2023

5 KEY POINTS ABOUT NNAS

1. NNAS does not make decisions about an applicant’s eligibility for registration.
2. NNAS conducts the initial review of an application.
3. NNAS applies only to those applicants who were educated outside of Canada and have never been registered as a nurse in Canada.
4. The registration requirements have not changed.
5. NNAS only affects those who submit their applications after August 12, 2014.
6. As of October 2022, NNAS no longer requires CELBAN or IELTS scores!

1. NNAS does not make decisions about an applicant’s eligibility for registration. The [Provincial Colleges of Nursing] and all other regulatory bodies involved with NNAS will continue to make the final decision on whether to accept or refuse an applicant’s request for registration.
2. NNAS conducts the initial review of an application. NNAS will function as the start of an applicant’s journey to registration by accepting the applicant’s initial application and assessing the documents (e.g., education transcripts, identity documents). NNAS will then create an advisory report that the [Provincial Colleges of Nursing] will use along with other information to determine whether the applicant can proceed to the next steps in the registration process – steps [Provincial Colleges of Nursing] will continue to administer.
3. NNAS applies only to those applicants who were educated outside of Canada and have never been registered as a nurse in Canada. Applicants who were educated at an approved nursing program in Canada or are currently registered as a nurse in another Canadian jurisdiction will continue to be assessed by the [Provincial Colleges of Nursing] under current registration processes.
4. The registration requirements have not changed. Provincial legislation, regulation and policy sets out the requirements that all applicants must meet before they can practice nursing in [Canada].
5. NNAS only affects those who submit their applications after August 12, 2014. When NNAS is launched, all new applicants will be directed to the NNAS Website to begin the application process. Applicants who apply to the [Provincial Colleges of Nursing] before August 12 will continue to be assessed by the [Provincial Colleges of Nursing]; they will not be asked to re-submit their applications to NNAS when its portal goes live.
6. The above 5 pts were from: http://www.clpna.com/2014/08/international-nurses-must-now-apply-national-nursing-assessment-service/
7. As of October 2022, NNAS no longer requires CELBAN or IELTS scores! Instead, the question as to whether or not you are required to submit scores for an English proficiency exam is being deferred to the Provincial Colleges of Nursing. Read this post to learn more.

If you are still confused, please write a comment so I can clarify things for you. There are probably many other IENs with the same question. KK