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Registration requirements for registered Canadian nurses
This section outlines the registration requirements for RNs and RPNs already registered to practice in other Canadian jurisdiction. Specifically, a nurse must have a certificate of registration equivalent to the one for which they are applying in Ontario. This means that you must be registered and entitled to practice as an RN in the other Canadian jurisdiction if your wish to apply for registration as an RN in Ontario. Or as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in another Canadian jurisdiction if you wish to apply for registration as an RPN in Ontario. RNs and LPNs who practice under Temporary, Provisional, Graduate, or other similar registrations are not considered to have equivalent registration. Please refer to this section for details.
The Ontario Labour Mobility Act (OLMA) supports full labour mobility for Canadian nurses who wish to practice in Ontario, if they can demonstrate they are registered to practice as an RN or LPN in good standing. Good standing means the applicant:
- is not the subject of any discipline or fitness to practice order or of any proceeding, ongoing investigation, interim order or agreement as a result of a complaint, investigation or proceeding; and
- is complying with the continuing competency and quality assurance requirements where they are currently registered to practice in Canada
Applicants must provide, from each Canadian nursing regulatory body with which they hold an equivalent certificate of registration, a certificate or letter confirming that they are in good standing as a nurse. This includes confirmation that the applicant is registered and is permitted to practice nursing in that province or territory. In doing so, CNO recognizes the Education, Exam, and Language Proficiency registration requirements as being met with some exceptions.
Nurses, who are currently registered as an RN or practical nurse elsewhere in Canada, must also meet the following requirements to register in Ontario:
- Provide evidence of practice within the past three years based on declared employment unless the applicant completed their nursing program or additional education (e.g. refresher or bridging program) within the past three years
- Successfully complete CNO’s Jurisprudence Examination
- Provide proof of citizenship
- Provide a Police Criminal Record Check
- Declare any past offenses or findings related to the practice of nursing or another profession, or are involved in certain proceedings
- Declare whether you suffer from any physical or mental condition or disorder that could affect your ability to practice nursing in a safe manner. CNO must also be satisfied that you will practice with decency, honesty and integrity, and in accordance with the law.
By having equivalent Canadian registration, applicants are not required to undergo any material additional training, experience, examinations or assessment in order to register with the CNO.
This applies to all nurses who are registered to practice in a Canadian jurisdiction outside of Ontario, no matter where they received their nursing education.
CNO recognizes that obtaining third party information may be a barrier to timely registration. As such, eligible applicants currently registered in another Canadian jurisdiction will receive options through the applicant portal to expedite the registration process. These include:
- Applicants who are not recent graduates, can declare their most recent practice in the online portal. CNO may also contact the nursing employer to confirm details about employment and RN or RPN practice.
- Applicants can choose to sign an Agreement and Undertaking instead of waiting for the Verification of Registration to be completed by their current Canadian regulator(s). Through this Agreement and Undertaking, applicants will:
- declare that their status as a current practising registrant in another Canadian jurisdiction(s) is in good standing, which includes information about discipline or fitness to practice orders, regulatory proceedings, investigations, complaints, interim orders or agreements, and compliance with continuing competence and quality assurance; and
- agree to arrange for the required Verification of Registration(s) to be submitted directly to CNO within 30 days of registration.
