🌎 1G$* Keepsake: Im working here in canada as a caregiver. I am a Registered Nurse in the Philippines

Thank you for your email. It is a very confusing process, so I am glad that you have asked so many questions. Please continue to read posts on Dear Kim to gleen information from the questions other IENs have asked me. There are more than 250 posts for you to read and learn from!

Being a Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) as a Live In Care Giver (LICG) your status is different from most of the people who write to me; they are usually PR’s (Permanent Residents) but I can assure you that even as a TFW and 

LICG you can begin your licensure process to become an LPN (Licenced Practial Nurse) or RN (Registered Nurse) here in Canada!

You do not have to wait until you have your PR (Permenent Residency).

I know many LICG’s who have passed the CELBAN and the LPN exam and who have recently become LPNs at the same time they became PRs, having come to Canada as TFW with the LICG program.

• Both have the same required score on the Academic Version of the IELTS or the CELBAN. (Note TEF is a french exam for people practicing in the province of Quebec.)
• Both have the same application process with the National Nursing Assessment Services. 
• Both have the same application fees. But, if you apply for both at once, you have more fees to pay.
  

But there are differences:

• The process to become an LPN takes less time, and is less expensive.
• The process to become an RN takes longer, and is more expensive.
  

Many IENs choose to do both paths at the same time. Those who do so have a higher degree of hope and motivation as a result of working as an healthcare professional and obtaining greater financial freedom as an LPN while waiting to become an RN.

The costs of becoming an RN are mitigated, paid, by the wages of an LPN. Meaning, by making more money as a licenced professional, you can save up for the RN process.

The role of the NNAS is to determine your qualifications. They will create a report, based on your education and experience, and send it to the provincial college of nursing of your choice, whether it is for a college of LPNs or RNs or both. There is a fee for the report to be sent to each regulatory body. You will find all this information on the NNAS website.

Once you have provided your documentation and English results to NNAS and a report has been written and received by the provincial college of your choice, that regulatory body will determine your next step, what courses are required, if you need a refresher, jurisprudence exams, and determine your safe practice timelines.

After all academic equivalencies are completed, it is the provincial college that issues a temporary license (LPN) or graduate license (RN) to acquire the required hours of nursing in Canada. IENs on the path of becoming an RN practice as Graduate Nurses while preparing for the national board exam.

Back in 2014, I wrote several posts for Dear Kim about the licensure process and NNAS. Please review each of them to fully understand the steps and requirements. While you may be reading about a process that is different from the process in your province, you will have a better understanding of the system and process as a whole.

• CRNBC: New application process for Internationally Educated Nurses

• Criteria for Registration and Licensure (IENs)

• CRNNS: Enhanced IEN Application Process

• ARNPEI: Internationally Educated Registered Nurse Applicants

Another important question to consider, then, is:

• When should I register with the [National Nursing Assessment Services]?

In short, because:

1. your file is only open for one year, and you must pay for an extension,
2. you will be required to provide the required score for an English Proficiency Exam,

…begin your application process with NNAS when you have obtained the required score.

Meaning: apply to NNAS when you are confident you will have the scores for your English to save you money and stress. Many IENs feel pressured when the year comes up, and they have to pay more fees, because they have not achieved the required score on the CELBAN or the IELTS.

It is highly advisable to attempt the iCELBAN as a Readiness Self Assessment and get unofficial results before you take the Official CELBAN and get official results sent to NNAS. 

I hope that I have been able to answer some of your questions and you have some direction:

• information about the licensure process on Dear Kim, and
• information about fees, CELBAN and IELTS scores from NNAS.

Once you have waded through all this information, please write back. I consider this an ongoing dialogue. I am here to assist you in navigating your professional course before you.

Sincerely,

Kim

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