To be eligible to practice in Ontario under automatic recognition, you must demonstrate that you are registered to practice as an RN in good standing in another Canadian jurisdiction. “Good standing” means

• you are not the subject of any discipline or fitness-to-practice orders, ongoing investigations, interim orders or agreements resulting from complaints or proceedings
• you are complying with the continuing competency and quality assurance requirements where you are currently registered to practice in Canada

When you register with CNO, you will have terms, conditions and limitations (TCLs) placed on your certificate of registration and posted on CNO’s public register, Find a Nurse. They require you to submit proof that you have requested the following:

• a verification of registration for each regulatory body in or outside Canada where you hold a certificate of registration. (This documentation confirms your good standing and your entitlement to practice in that jurisdiction.) 
• a police criminal record check.

You have seven (7) days after being registered to send us, by email, proof of having requested this documentation. We will accept the following as proof of request:

• an email confirmation from another jurisdiction that you have requested the verification of registration, or a screenshot of your request, including the date you made the request  
• If you use our online Police Check vendor:
  
  
  • a screenshot of the vendor’s website showing that you made the request 
  • an email confirming that you made the request
  • a receipt of payment for your request
• If you use your local police services:
  
  
  • a screenshot showing that you made the request 
  • a receipt of payment for your request  

Once we receive either proof that you requested the documents or the actual documents, the verification of registration and the police check, the TCLs will be removed from your registration information on Find a Nurse. If you don’t provide the required documentation, within seven (7) days, CNO may suspend your certificate of registration.

For more information, read the Registration Guide: Canada (registered outside Ontario).

If you are not currently registered in another province or territory outside of Ontario, we will need the following:

• Proof of your citizenship, residency status, or authorization to practice nursing in Ontario
• A police criminal record check through Sterling, a secure third-party criminal record check provider. CNO does not accept police criminal record checks from any other sources. Your police criminal record check is valid for only six months after it is issued. Please keep this timeline in mind when you start the application process. If your police criminal record check expires while your application is in progress, you will need to request a new one. Visit our police criminal record check webpage for more information, including how to make a request.
• Verification of Course Completion and Transcript Request from the nursing school where you completed your initial Canadian nursing program that prepared you to practice as an RN (e.g., baccalaureate degree or diploma). This does not include bridging programs
• Verification of Nursing Practice from your most recent nursing employer
• Verification of Registration from
• any Canadian provinces/territories where you were previously registered as any type of nurse (RN, RPN/LPN, NP)
• any jurisdictions outside Canada where you are currently registered and/or practicing as a nurse. 

CNO may request proof of registration from any other jurisdictions where you were previously registered and/or practicing after reviewing your application information.

You must also successfully complete the Transition to Practice requirement. Canadian applicants can meet this requirement by either holding current registration in another Canadian province or territory or by having recent Canadian education or practice (within three years). Learn more about the TTP requirement. 

All applicants must also successfully complete an online jurisprudence examination. Once you have submitted your online application and fee, you will receive information about how to access the secure testing site.
For more information, read the Registration Guide for Canada (outside Ontario).

Practice in the Temporary Class

The Temporary Class is an option for applicants with an open General Class application. This option allows applicants to practice nursing, under specific terms, conditions and limitations while completing the nursing education requirement to become eligible to write the registration exam or completing the Transition to Practice course.

 

To be eligible for Temporary Class, you must:

• have completed a nursing education program approved in your jurisdiction
• meet the Ontario requirements for registration in the General Class except for the education, transition to practice and the registration exam requirements
• have an RN offer of employment from an approved Ontario nursing employer

Applicants who fail the registration exam two or more times are not eligible for registration in the Temporary Class.