You are hereThe Canada nurse route. 12 steps. NNAS: five business days from your last document. The regulator, your tests and the job search set the rest.
- 1See where you standYou are hereStart this route
- 2Get your papers outYou can start this now
- 3Apply to NNASYou can start this now
- 4Have the NMCN send your registration form to NNASCannot start yet: opens when you have paid and applied to NNAS
- 5Pass your English testYou can start this now
- 6Apply to the Nova Scotia nursing regulatorCannot start yet: opens when your registration form is on its way to NNAS, or when your Nova Scotia employer has written to the NSNMR
- 7Pass the NCLEX-RNCannot start yet: opens when you have applied to the NSNMR
- 8Win a job offerOnly if you go through a Nova Scotia job offer
- 9Get endorsed and get your work permitOnly if you go through a Nova Scotia job offer
- 10Apply for permanent residenceCannot start yet: opens when Nova Scotia has endorsed you, or once Express Entry invites you and you enter the date of your invitation on your plan's dates page
- 11Land: your licence, your SIN and your health cardCannot start yet: opens when your work permit or your permanent residence is granted
- 12Your first payslipCannot start yet: opens when you start with your employer
I am stuck
I am stuck
The desk explains what a step means and where the official answer lives.
Become a nurse in Canada
For nurses on the NMCN register. Twelve steps to your first payslip in Nova Scotia.
Why this order?
The steps run in the order Nova Scotia's nursing regulator, the NSNMR, and Canada's immigration service need them. Without a job offer in Nova Scotia, NNAS comes first, and the NMCN sends NNAS your registration form itself. Your papers, your English test and your job search can start now. The NCLEX is not sat in Nigeria, so plan the trip to a centre abroad.
NNAS releases its report within five business days of receiving all your documents. How long the NSNMR takes to decide: we do not know yet. IRCC's processing times are on its own tool. Your tests and your job search set the real length. Read 8 October 2026.
Free. About two minutes.
- 1Start here
See where you stand
Seven questions, about two minutes, no account.
See what this step needs
No number comes from your answers on this route: no verified rule set grades it. Your answers set your first move.
Nova Scotia's nursing regulator, the NSNMR, names Nigeria. A registered nurse "currently registered & licensed in good standing in the Philippines, India, Nigeria, UK, Australia, New Zealand" with a job offer in Nova Scotia has the employer write to it; a nurse without a job offer in Nova Scotia applies to NNAS, the National Nursing Assessment Service, first. Read on nsnmr.ca, 8 October 2026.
NNAS is "the first step towards becoming a nurse in Canada". Its Expedited Service is for nurses who have "been licensed as a nurse outside of Canada". Read on nnas.ca, 8 October 2026.
To stay for good: Express Entry's healthcare and social services category lists "Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses" (NOC 31301, TEER 1) and asks for "at least 12 months of full-time work experience" within the past 3 years, "in Canada or abroad"; a job offer is not among its listed requirements. NOC and TEER are canada.ca's own codes for the job. Read on canada.ca, 8 October 2026. The Atlantic Immigration Program asks for a job offer from a designated employer and "at least 1,560 hours of related work experience over the past 5 years". Read on canada.ca, 7 October 2026.
Source: NSNMR, international nurse applicants, read 8 October 2026.
Read who Nova Scotia's nursing regulator takes
Express Entry's healthcare category, on canada.ca
The Atlantic Immigration Program, who can apply
The Atlantic Immigration Program's work experience, on canada.ca
Free.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Answer seven short questions about you. Nothing here gives you a number: your answers set your first move on the route.
Where the official answer lives: The NSNMR's page for international nurse applicants holds its three ways in; canada.ca's category page holds the nurse's line for Express Entry.
- 2You can start this now
Get your papers out
Get two notarised copies of your identity, order your credential assessment, and ask every employer for a work letter.
See what this step needs
First: does your name match on every document? "NNAS will confirm that all names on your identification documents match." Fix any difference before you pay a fee. Read on nnas.ca, 8 October 2026.
Your identity, for NNAS: two forms, "notarized, copies of original documents (signed, dated, and stamped)"; "Outside of Canada, notarized copies must be prepared by a government-approved official." "At least one form of identification must contain your photo and it must be current and not expired": your passport, with a birth certificate as the second. Documents must be in English or French; a translation is sent to NNAS by the translator. Read on nnas.ca, 8 October 2026.
Your credential assessment, for permanent residence: "If you completed your education outside Canada, you need an Educational credential assessment (ECA)". Five organisations are designated: Comparative Education Service (University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies), International Credential Assessment Service of Canada, World Education Services, International Qualifications Assessment Service and International Credential Evaluation Service. None is a professional body for nurses. The report must be less than 5 years old. Read on canada.ca, 8 October 2026.
What an assessment costs and how long it takes: we do not know yet. Each of the five organisations sets its own; canada.ca's education assessment page links them. Ask the one you choose before you pay.
Your work letters: Express Entry's healthcare category counts "at least 12 months of full-time work experience" within the past 3 years, read 8 October 2026; the Atlantic programme counts "at least 1,560 hours of related work experience over the past 5 years", "Volunteer work and unpaid internships don't count", and the work must "not be from a self-employed job", read 7 October 2026. What a work letter must say: we do not know yet. Here is the official page to watch, canada.ca's work experience page for the Atlantic programme.
Source: canada.ca, get your education assessed, read 8 October 2026.
Your clock: a count of the days left on your credential assessment, worked out from the date your educational credential assessment report was issued, which you enter in your plan: it must be less than 5 years old. Enter it in your plan
Open canada.ca's education assessment page, with the five organisations
canada.ca's work experience page for the Atlantic programme
Free to do yourself.
The desk can get your transcript out for you.I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Get two notarised copies of your passport and birth certificate, made by a government-approved official, check your name is the same on every paper, order a report that says your nursing degree equals a Canadian one, and ask every hospital for a work letter.
Where the official answer lives: nnas.ca's important documents page holds the identity rules; canada.ca's education assessment page names the five organisations; your school's records office issues your transcript.
- 3You can start this now
Apply to NNAS
Open your NNAS account, choose the Expedited Service, pay CAD 750, and send the forms to your school and the NMCN.
See what this step needs
Skip this step if your Nova Scotia employer has written to the NSNMR: with a job offer in Nova Scotia, the employer sends confirmation of the offer to registration@nsnmr.ca, with no NNAS step. Read on nsnmr.ca, 8 October 2026.
CAD 750, about ₦711,800, the Expedited Service: "$750 CDN for a single RN and LPN application". Nova Scotia is one of the nine provinces whose regulators take its report, and "Applicants can also request that an Advisory Report be sent to multiple regulatory bodies at no additional cost." Read on nnas.ca, 8 October 2026, at ₦949 to the Canadian dollar, 20 October 2026 (the CBN's US dollar rate of 20 October 2026 divided by the Bank of Canada's of 20 October 2026).
The four steps: "Create your account and agree to the Terms and Conditions"; "Complete application & pay fees"; "Submit documents", where "most documents must be sent to NNAS by Third Parties, not by you"; and "Monitor status and receive Advisory Report". "NNAS Advisory Reports are released within five business days of all documents being received." Read on nnas.ca, 8 October 2026.
The forms, from the handbook (last updated June 2026): the Nursing Education Form you "Print and mail" to your nursing school, and the Nursing Registration Form to your licensing authority, the NMCN (Step 4). "You must sign Part A of each form before mailing it directly to the appropriate third party." Some regulators ask for a credential assessment or your transcripts here: "this requirement will appear automatically in your Applicant Portal". Read on nnas.ca, 8 October 2026.
Your clock: "All required documents must be submitted within 12 months", and "Your application expires after 12 months. Contact third parties early to help prevent delays." Reactivation costs CAD 240, about ₦227,800; a translation CAD 115 a page, about ₦109,100. Your Advisory Report is valid for one year from the day it is issued, and an appeal, CAD 500, about ₦474,500, must be made within 60 days. Read on nnas.ca, 8 October 2026.
Source: NNAS, Expedited Service, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the 12 months your NNAS application stays open, worked out from the day you paid and applied to NNAS, which you enter in your plan: your application expires after 12 months. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: a count of the days left on your NNAS Advisory Report, one year from its issue, worked out from the day NNAS issued your Advisory Report, which you enter in your plan: it is valid for one year. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: the last day to appeal your NNAS Advisory Report, within 60 days of its issue, worked out from the day NNAS issued your Advisory Report, which you enter in your plan: an appeal must be made within 60 days.
NNAS, the application and its timeline
The NNAS Expedited Service handbook (PDF)
Rekoja charges nothing here. You open the account and pay NNAS yourself.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Make an NNAS account, pick the Expedited Service, and pay CAD 750. Then post one form to your nursing school and one to the NMCN. NNAS needs everything within 12 months.
Where the official answer lives: The NNAS handbook and its fees page hold the rules; NNAS answers on your own application in your Applicant Portal.
- 4Cannot start yet: opens when you have paid and applied to NNAS
Have the NMCN send your registration form to NNAS
Sign Part A of the Nursing Registration Form and post it to the NMCN, which completes it and sends it to NNAS itself.
See what this step needs
Skip this step if your Nova Scotia employer has written to the NSNMR: with a job offer in Nova Scotia there is no NNAS step. Read on nsnmr.ca, 8 October 2026.
"Send a Nursing Registration Form to each nursing authority where you have obtained a licence or registration" and "Ask the authority to complete the form and send it directly to NNAS by mail or courier." "NNAS cannot accept documents sent by you", and every document must carry "the organization's name, return address, and official seal or stamp". For you, that authority is the NMCN, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria. Read on nnas.ca, 8 October 2026.
The NMCN's fees for a verification to a country other than the UK: ₦66,875 for a general verification of your certificates of registration, and ₦8,750 for a letter of good standing on its own, each paid to the NMCN through REMITA. Read on nmcn.gov.ng, 7 October 2026.
The NMCN's circulars page lists a "Circular on Ceasation of Manual Verification" and a "Commencement of Online Verification Circular". Read on nmcn.gov.ng, 7 October 2026. Whether that changes how it takes the NNAS form: we do not know yet; ask the NMCN first.
Which of these the NMCN charges to complete the NNAS form, how long it takes, and whether it sends by courier: we do not know yet. Here is the official page to watch, the NMCN's verification page, checked 7 October 2026. Ask the NMCN before you pay: (234) 702-923-4588 or info@nmcn.gov.ng.
Source: NNAS, Expedited Service Applicant Handbook, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: a count of the days left on your licence, worked out from the date your practising licence is valid until, which you enter in your plan. Enter it in your plan
Open the NMCN's verification page
Open the NMCN's verification page
Free to do yourself: you sign and post the form.
The desk can do this step for you.I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Print the form NNAS gives you, sign the first part, and post it to the NMCN. The NMCN fills it in and sends it to NNAS. Call or email the NMCN first to ask what it charges and how long it takes.
Where the official answer lives: The NMCN answers on (234) 702-923-4588 and info@nmcn.gov.ng; its Abuja office is Plot 713, Cadastral Zone Life Camp, Gwarinpa, and its Lagos zone office No. 8 Harvey Road, Yaba, Lagos, 08064703003, lagoszo@nmcn.gov.ng. NNAS shows in your Applicant Portal when the form has arrived.
- 5You can start this now
Pass your English test
Sit CELBAN, IELTS Academic, OET or PTE Academic and reach the scores the NSNMR asks for.
See what this step needs
CELBAN9Listening8Reading8Speaking7WritingIELTS Academic, total 77Listening6.5Reading7Speaking6.5WritingOETBListeningC+ReadingBSpeakingC+WritingPTE Academic73Listening66Reading75Speaking68WritingRead on nsnmr.ca, canada.ca, ielts.idp.com, ielts.org and oet.com, 19 October 2026
See the details
The NSNMR's four tests and scores: CELBAN writing 7, speaking 8, listening 9, reading 8; IELTS Academic writing 6.5, speaking 7, listening 7, reading 6.5, total 7; OET writing C+, speaking B, listening B, reading C+; PTE Academic writing 68, speaking 75, listening 73, reading 66. "Your English Language Proficiency Test results expire 2 years from the date you complete the test." The NSNMR also lists exemptions, among them a nursing programme whose "theory and clinical experiences were delivered in English": ask it whether yours counts. Read on nsnmr.ca, 19 October 2026. For permanent residence the tests are different: Express Entry takes CELPIP, IELTS and PTE Core, and the Atlantic programme CELPIP, IELTS and PTE. CELBAN, OET and PTE Academic are not on either list. Express Entry asks for results "less than 2 years old", with CLB 7 for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Read on canada.ca, 19 October 2026. The Atlantic programme asks CLB 5 for a TEER 1 job. Read on canada.ca, 19 October 2026. IELTS Academic is sat at IDP and British Council centres across Lagos and Abuja, 57 centres in Nigeria on the IELTS finder, and IDP Nigeria charges ₦299,000 for it on computer at a test centre. OET bookings close 24 days before a paper test and 7 days before a computer test. Read on ielts.idp.com, ielts.org and oet.com, 19 October 2026. Where CELBAN, OET and PTE Academic are sat in Nigeria and what they cost: we do not know yet. Here are the official pages to watch, CELBAN's, OET's and PTE's, linked on this step. Ask the NSNMR on registration@nsnmr.ca which test it prefers.
Source: NSNMR, English language proficiency, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: how long your test result stays valid, worked out from your test date, which you enter in your plan: the NSNMR takes a result for 2 years. Enter it in your plan
Open the NSNMR's English requirement
IDP Nigeria's IELTS fees and test dates
Express Entry's language tests, on canada.ca
Free. Rekoja sells no course and no test.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Take one of the four English tests and reach the NSNMR's scores. The result lasts two years, so time it to your application. For permanent residence you may need a second test: CELPIP, IELTS or PTE Core.
Where the official answer lives: The NSNMR's English page holds the scores and the exemptions; canada.ca's language page holds Express Entry's tests.
- 6Cannot start yet: opens when your registration form is on its way to NNAS, or when your Nova Scotia employer has written to the NSNMR
Apply to the Nova Scotia nursing regulator
Write to registration@nsnmr.ca with your NNAS report for your instructions, then apply and pay the application fee.
See what this step needs
The NSNMR's three ways in for a nurse trained abroad: a nurse practising in the USA applies directly; a nurse "currently registered & licensed in good standing in the Philippines, India, Nigeria, UK, Australia, New Zealand" with a job offer in Nova Scotia has the employer "send confirmation of your job offer to registration@nsnmr.ca"; every other nurse, or one without a job offer in Nova Scotia, takes "Step 1: Apply to the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS) to get an Advisory Report" and "Step 2: Reach out to registration@nsnmr.ca for further instructions." Read on nsnmr.ca, 8 October 2026.
CAD 570, about ₦540,900, the international nurse's application fee (CAD 500 and CAD 70 HST), for the NSNMR's year 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026. "All fees are to be paid in Canadian dollars and are NON-REFUNDABLE as per policy." Read on nsnmr.ca, 8 October 2026, at ₦949 to the Canadian dollar, 20 October 2026 (the CBN's US dollar rate of 20 October 2026 divided by the Bank of Canada's of 20 October 2026).
The application fee from 1 November 2026: we do not know yet. Here is the official page to watch, the NSNMR's fees page, checked 8 October 2026.
Your clocks: each application document expires 12 months from the date it was completed, except English test results, after 24 months, and criminal record checks, after 6 months. Read on nsnmr.ca, 8 October 2026.
Where to get your criminal record check in Nigeria, and what it costs: we do not know yet. Ask the NSNMR on registration@nsnmr.ca which certificate it takes.
What the NSNMR's instructions ask for, and how long it takes to decide: we do not know yet. Here is the official page to watch, the NSNMR's page for international nurse applicants, checked 8 October 2026.
Source: NSNMR, fees and payments, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: a count of the days left on your criminal record check, worked out from the date of your criminal record check, which you enter in your plan: the NSNMR takes it for 6 months. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: the 12 months your NSNMR application documents stay valid, worked out from the date your oldest application document was completed, which you enter in your plan: documents expire 12 months from completion. Enter it in your plan
Open the NSNMR's page for international nurse applicants
Open the NSNMR's page for international nurse applicants
Rekoja charges nothing here. You write to the NSNMR and pay it yourself.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
When NNAS sends your report, email registration@nsnmr.ca and ask what to send. Then apply and pay CAD 570. Keep your police check under 6 months old.
Where the official answer lives: The NSNMR answers on registration@nsnmr.ca; its page for international nurse applicants holds the three ways in.
- 7Cannot start yet: opens when you have applied to the NSNMR
Pass the NCLEX-RN
Register with Pearson VUE, pay the NSNMR and Pearson, and sit the NCLEX-RN at a centre outside Nigeria.
See what this step needs
"To become licensed as an RN in Nova Scotia, you must pass the NCLEX-RN Exam." You "apply and pay fees" to both the NSNMR and Pearson VUE. "There is no limit to the number of times you can take the NCLEX-RN Exam." Read on nsnmr.ca, 8 October 2026.
What you pay: Pearson's registration fee for Canada, CAD 360, about ₦341,600 ("excludes local taxes"); the "Additional International Scheduling fee", CAD 150, about ₦142,400, at a centre outside Canada and the US; and the NSNMR's exam administration fee, CAD 142.50 for a first writing, about ₦135,200, and CAD 71.25, about ₦67,600, for each writing after. From 1 February 2027 Pearson's fee for Canada is CAD 570, about ₦540,900. Pearson takes "a valid VISA, MasterCard, or American Express credit, debit or prepaid card". Read on nclex.com and nsnmr.ca, 8 October 2026, at ₦949 to the Canadian dollar, 20 October 2026 (the CBN's US dollar rate of 20 October 2026 divided by the Bank of Canada's of 20 October 2026).
Where you sit it: the NCLEX is not offered in Nigeria. Its international centres are in Australia, Brazil, France, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Türkiye and the United Kingdom; Kenya and South Africa are the African centres. Any centre in Canada or the US takes you too. Read on nclex.com and nsnmr.ca, 8 October 2026.
Whether you need a visa to sit it in Kenya or South Africa, and its cost: we do not know yet. Ask that country's embassy in Abuja before you book.
Your clocks: "NCLEX registrations stay open 365 days waiting for candidate eligibility from the NRB", the regulator. Once it makes you ready to test, you must sit the exam within the dates on your Authorization to Test email. Read on nclex.com, 8 October 2026.
Source: NSNMR, NCLEX-RN exam, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the 365 days your NCLEX registration stays open, worked out from the day you registered with Pearson, which you enter in your plan: your registration stays open 365 days. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: the last day on your Authorization to Test, worked out from the end date on your Authorization to Test email, which you enter in your plan. Enter it in your plan
Register for the NCLEX with Pearson
Rekoja charges nothing here. You register and pay Pearson and the NSNMR yourself.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Register for the NCLEX with Pearson, pay Pearson and the NSNMR, and sit the exam in Kenya, South Africa or another centre on the list, inside the dates Pearson gives you. You can take it again if you fail.
Where the official answer lives: The NSNMR's NCLEX-RN page holds its rules and fee; nclex.com holds registration, the fees and the centres; Pearson VUE answers on your booking.
- 8You can start this now
Win a job offer
Find a Nova Scotia employer the province has designated, and apply to its own advert yourself.
Rekoja checks, prepares and practises with you. It does not introduce you to an employer for a fee. No worker ever pays for a job.
- 1Start from the official lists
Begin with Nova Scotia's designated-employer list, linked on this step, and Job Bank's search for foreign candidates.
See what this needs
Nova Scotia's list says: "This list does not indicate that these employers are hiring. Designated employers are required to advertise vacancies to be filled." Read on liveinnovascotia.com, 8 October 2026. Job Bank marks each job with an icon that "means you can apply", or one that "means you cannot apply". Read on jobbank.gc.ca, 7 October 2026.
Free.
- 2Find the advert on the employer's own pages
Apply only to an advert the employer itself placed.
See what this needs
An advert that exists only in a WhatsApp forward or an agent's message is not the employer's.
Free.
- 3Apply yourself
You send your own application to the employer.
See what this needs
You pay no one for a job. Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program and International Mobility Program bar employers, and the recruiters acting for them, from charging workers recruitment fees. Read on canada.ca, 7 October 2026. Rekoja's own rule stands on every route: no worker ever pays a fee for a job.
Free.
- 4Write it the way they read it
A Canadian resume, in the shape Job Bank asks for.
See what this needs
Job Bank asks for "Your name", "Where you live", "Your work experience" and "If you have a valid Canadian work permit". Read on jobbank.gc.ca, 7 October 2026.
The structure is free. On a paid file, the desk can finish your resume with you, and "I will do it myself" stays equal.
- 5Check the employer and the vacancy
Before you trust an offer, check the employer's name on Nova Scotia's designated-employer list.
See what this needs
"Each province designates employers who can offer jobs under this program." Read on canada.ca, 7 October 2026. Nova Scotia's list is linked on this step.
Free, always.
- 6Practise the interview
Practise saying your answers out loud.
See what this needs
This predicts nothing; it helps you speak calmly.
On a paid file, the desk practises with you, once.
- 7Is this a real offer?
When an offer comes, check it before you sign or pay anything.
See what this needs
A job cannot be sold, and nobody may charge you for one. The job must be "full-time (at least 30 hours a week)" and "non-seasonal (consistent and paid all year)", from a designated employer. Read on canada.ca, 7 October 2026.
Free, always.
See what this step needs
For the Atlantic Immigration Program the job must be "full-time (at least 30 hours a week)" and "non-seasonal (consistent and paid all year)", and a nurse's job, TEER 1, must run "for at least 1 year from the time you become a permanent resident". "Each province designates employers who can offer jobs under this program." Read on canada.ca, 7 October 2026.
Nova Scotia's designated employers are a PDF list, current as of 1 July 2026, linked on this step: "This list does not indicate that these employers are hiring. Designated employers are required to advertise vacancies to be filled." Read on liveinnovascotia.com, 8 October 2026.
If an offer comes before your NNAS report, the NSNMR's job-offer way in applies: your Nova Scotia employer sends confirmation of the offer to registration@nsnmr.ca, with no NNAS step. Read on nsnmr.ca, 8 October 2026.
Who may recruit you in Nova Scotia: "Recruiters of foreign workers in Nova Scotia must hold a recruiter licence from Labour Standards", and an employer needs "an employer registration certificate from Labour Standards to lawfully hire a foreign worker". Fees charged to a worker "to help the foreign worker find employment in Nova Scotia" are a matter for a complaint. Read on novascotia.ca, 8 October 2026. Under Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program and International Mobility Program, employers, and the recruiters acting for them, may not charge workers recruitment fees. Read on canada.ca, 7 October 2026.
Whether a recruiter of registered nurses needs that licence: we do not know yet. Nova Scotia's exemptions page names jobs under the old codes "0" and "A" only. Here is the official page to watch, Nova Scotia's exemptions page, checked 8 October 2026.
Express Entry gives no points for a job offer: "As of March 25, 2025, we're removing job offer points from the Comprehensive Ranking System". Read on canada.ca, 8 October 2026.
Rekoja cannot get you the job or apply for you, and nobody may charge you for a job.
Source: novascotia.ca, rules about recruiting foreign workers, read 8 October 2026.
Your clock: the day your job offer was signed, worked out from the date your employer signed your job offer, which you enter in your plan. Enter it in your plan
Nova Scotia's recruiter licence exemptions
Search Job Bank's jobs open to foreign candidates
Nova Scotia's designated employers (PDF, current as of 1 July 2026)
Nova Scotia's Atlantic Immigration Program page
Nova Scotia's recruiter licence exemptions
Nova Scotia's licensed recruiters
Free. Rekoja never sells a job, introduces you to no employer, and nobody may charge you for one.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Look for a full-time, all-year nursing job with a Nova Scotia employer on the province's list, find its own advert, and apply yourself. Never pay anyone for a job.
Where the official answer lives: canada.ca's job offer page holds the offer rules; Nova Scotia's designated-employer list and its Labour Standards pages, linked on this step, say who can hire and who can recruit.
- 1
- 9Cannot start yet: opens when a designated employer has offered you the job
Get endorsed and get your work permit
Your employer asks Nova Scotia to endorse your offer and for a work permit referral letter; then you apply for the work permit online.
See what this step needs
To endorse a job, Nova Scotia asks the employer to show "that efforts to hire locally have been unsuccessful", to give "a valid, full-time, non-seasonal job offer co-signed by the foreign worker" and "an individualized settlement plan co-signed by the foreign worker". Your settlement plan comes from a settlement service provider; Nova Scotia's providers call theirs "free", "At no cost". The province then issues an "endorsement certificate". Read on liveinnovascotia.com, 8 October 2026.
"Foreign workers who require a work permit must have a work permit referral letter issued by the Province", so ask your employer to request it with the endorsement. Read on liveinnovascotia.com, 8 October 2026.
The work permit: it "is valid for 2 years" and "only allows you to work for the employer who offered you the job"; "Your spouse or common-law partner can apply for an open work permit". "Getting a temporary work permit doesn't automatically mean we'll approve your permanent residence application." IRCC's fee for a work permit is CAD 155 a person, about ₦147,000, and biometrics CAD 85 a person, about ₦80,700. Read on canada.ca and ircc.canada.ca, 8 October 2026, at ₦949 to the Canadian dollar, 20 October 2026 (the CBN's US dollar rate of 20 October 2026 divided by the Bank of Canada's of 20 October 2026).
A work permit before permanent residence through Express Entry, outside the Atlantic programme: we do not know yet. Here is the official page to watch, canada.ca's Express Entry page, checked 8 October 2026.
Nova Scotia's own nominee stream for nurses, if it has one: we do not know yet. Here is the official page to watch, Nova Scotia's Atlantic Immigration Program page, checked 8 October 2026.
Source: canada.ca, the Atlantic programme's temporary work permit, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the day your certificate of endorsement was issued, worked out from the date on your certificate of endorsement, which you enter in your plan. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: a count of the days left on your work permit, worked out from the valid-until date on your work permit, which you enter in your plan. Enter it in your plan
Read how the work permit works on canada.ca
Nova Scotia's Atlantic Immigration Program page
Find a settlement service provider on canada.ca
Read how endorsement works on canada.ca
Free to do yourself.
The desk can prepare this file with you.I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Your employer asks Nova Scotia to approve your job offer and for a letter for your work permit. Get a free settlement plan, then apply online for the work permit, CAD 155. It lets you work for that employer for 2 years.
Where the official answer lives: Your employer and Nova Scotia answer on the endorsement, through liveinnovascotia.com; canada.ca's work permit page holds the permit's rules; IRCC answers on your own application.
- 10Cannot start yet: opens when Nova Scotia has endorsed you, or once Express Entry invites you and you enter the date of your invitation on your plan's dates page
Apply for permanent residence
Apply in IRCC's PR Portal with your endorsement, or from an Express Entry invitation, and pay the fees online.
See what this step needs
Through the Atlantic programme: "You must apply online using the PR Portal." You upload your "Confirmation of Provincial Endorsement", your "Settlement plan", "Proof of language proficiency", "Proof of education", "Proof of funds", police certificates, your medical exam, your travel and identity documents and photos. After you apply, "You have 30 days from the date on the letter to get your biometrics done", and "You and your family (partner and children) must have a medical exam before you come to Canada." Read on canada.ca, 19 October 2026.
Through Express Entry, with no job offer: the healthcare and social services category invites nurses with 12 months of full-time work in the past 3 years. The Federal Skilled Worker Program asks for 1 year of continuous work or 1,560 hours in the last 10 years, a credential assessment, at least CLB 7 in your first official language, and 67 points or more. "Your invitation to apply is valid for 60 days only." Read on canada.ca, 19 October 2026.
How to make your Express Entry profile and enter the pool: sign in to your IRCC secure account, enter your personal details to create a profile, and submit it. "You have 60 days to complete and submit your Express Entry profile." Read on canada.ca, 19 October 2026.
The rounds: the latest healthcare round was round 441, on 4 September 2026, 3,500 invitations, lowest score 475; no healthcare round followed up to round 450 on 16 October 2026. Read on canada.ca, 19 October 2026. The next healthcare round: we do not know yet. Here is the official page to watch, the rounds of invitations, checked 19 October 2026.
The fees, both programmes: CAD 1,590 for you, about ₦1.51m (a CAD 990 processing fee and the right of permanent residence fee), CAD 1,590 for a spouse or partner, CAD 270 for each child, about ₦256,200, and biometrics of CAD 85 a person, about ₦80,700 (CAD 170 for a family). Read on ircc.canada.ca, 19 October 2026, at ₦949 to the Canadian dollar, 20 October 2026 (the CBN's US dollar rate of 20 October 2026 divided by the Bank of Canada's of 20 October 2026).
The funds you show, not spend: on the Atlantic programme CAD 3,815 for one person, about ₦3.6m, and CAD 4,750 for two, about ₦4.5m; on Express Entry CAD 15,263 for one, about ₦14.5m, and CAD 19,001 for two, about ₦18.0m. Express Entry does not ask them of someone authorised to work in Canada with a valid job offer. Read on canada.ca, 19 October 2026.
On the Atlantic programme, "You do not need to show proof of funds if you're already working in Canada with a valid work permit", and "you can't borrow this money from another person". Read on canada.ca, 19 October 2026.
Who goes on your application: your "spouse or partner, dependent children", even those not coming, and all pass the medical exam and background checks. A child is a dependant "under 22 years old" without a spouse or partner. Your family cannot arrive in Canada before you. Read on ircc.canada.ca and canada.ca, 8 October 2026.
How long it takes: we do not know yet. Here is the official page to watch, IRCC's processing times, checked 19 October 2026.
Source: canada.ca, Express Entry, apply for permanent residence, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the last day to apply after an Express Entry invitation, 60 days from it, worked out from the date of your invitation to apply, which you enter in your plan: it is valid for 60 days only. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: the last day for your biometrics, 30 days from the date on IRCC's letter, worked out from the date on IRCC's biometrics letter, which you enter in your plan: you have 30 days from it. Enter it in your plan
Express Entry's rounds of invitations
Open canada.ca's page on applying for permanent residence through Express Entry
Apply for permanent residence through the Atlantic programme
Make your Express Entry profile, on canada.ca
Express Entry's rounds of invitations
The Federal Skilled Worker Program
Express Entry's proof of funds
The Atlantic programme's proof of funds
Which children count as dependants: under 22, on canada.ca
Free to do yourself.
The desk can prepare this file with you.I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Apply online for permanent residence, with your Nova Scotia endorsement or within 60 days of an Express Entry invitation. Pay about ₦1.51m for you, the same for a partner, and biometrics, and keep the settlement money in your own name.
Where the official answer lives: canada.ca's pages on applying for permanent residence hold the uploads and the portal; IRCC's fee list holds the fees; IRCC answers on your own application.
- 11Cannot start yet: opens when your work permit or your permanent residence is granted
Land: your licence, your SIN and your health card
Land with your papers, take your Nova Scotia licence, and get your social insurance number and your health card.
See what this step needs
On permanent residence, approval comes by email: "The first email will ask you to respond with some basic information. The second will let you know we're ready to confirm your permanent resident (PR) status." Then "you'll get an automated email when your electronic Confirmation of Permanent Residence (e-COPR) is ready". "The Canada Border Services Agency provides helpful tools to help you when crossing the border." Read on canada.ca, 19 October 2026.
What to carry in your hand luggage when you land on permanent residence: we do not know yet. Here is the official page to watch, canada.ca's page on settling in after approval, checked 19 October 2026; it links the Canada Border Services Agency's tools for crossing the border.
What to carry when you land on a work permit: we do not know yet. Here is the official page to watch, canada.ca's page on the Atlantic programme's work permit.
On permanent residence: "After your first landing in Canada, we'll start the process to mail your permanent resident (PR) card." "Your first card won't cost anything if you send your photo and address within 180 days of becoming a permanent resident." Read on canada.ca, 19 October 2026.
If you are in Canada on your work permit when permanent residence is approved, you confirm it from within Canada in IRCC's portal: you "Confirm you're in Canada", "Provide your Canadian address" and "Upload a photo of yourself". "Declaring you're in Canada does not mean you are a permanent resident yet." Read on canada.ca, 19 October 2026.
Your licence: the NSNMR's practising licence is CAD 565.50 a year, about ₦536,700 (CAD 428.05, CAD 68 liability insurance and CAD 69.45 HST), for its year 1 November to 31 October; the 2026 to 2027 figure is the same. Read on nsnmr.ca, 19 October 2026, at ₦949 to the Canadian dollar, 20 October 2026 (the CBN's US dollar rate of 20 October 2026 divided by the Bank of Canada's of 20 October 2026). When in your application the NSNMR issues it: we do not know yet. Here is the official page to watch, the NSNMR's fees page, checked 19 October 2026.
Your social insurance number, the number you work and pay tax under: "There is no fee to apply for a SIN." Apply online, or in person at a Service Canada Centre, where "you will get your SIN during your visit". A permanent resident shows the card or the confirmation of permanent residence, which counts "within one year of becoming a permanent resident". On a work permit, Service Canada lists your "work permit issued by IRCC or CIC" among the documents it takes. Read on canada.ca, 19 October 2026.
Your Nova Scotia Health Card: "there's no fee to apply or renew". "Your Health Card coverage usually starts on the date you become a resident of Nova Scotia if you're moving from outside of Canada." On a work permit, "Your Health Card coverage starts on the day you become a resident of Nova Scotia or the issue date of your immigration document, whichever is later." Read on novascotia.ca, 19 October 2026. IRCC advises: "It's a good idea to buy private insurance while you wait for your government coverage to begin." Settlement services are free: "Find newcomer services near you" is linked on this step. Read on canada.ca, 19 October 2026.
Source: canada.ca, settling in Canada after approval, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: a count of your first days in Canada, worked out from the day you land in Canada, which you enter in your plan. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: the last day to send your photo and address for a free first permanent resident card, 180 days after you become a permanent resident, worked out from the day you became a permanent resident, which you enter in your plan. Enter it in your plan
The NSNMR's fees, the licence included
Apply for a social insurance number
Settling in after approval, on canada.ca
Apply for a Nova Scotia Health Card
The NSNMR's fees, the licence included
Health care for newcomers, on canada.ca
Find newcomer services near you
Your first permanent resident card, on canada.ca
Confirm your permanent residence from within Canada
The Atlantic programme's work permit, on canada.ca
Free. The desk is not offered once you land; newcomer services in Canada are free.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Fly with your papers. In your first week get your social insurance number (free) and apply for your Nova Scotia health card (free; cover usually starts the day you become a resident of Nova Scotia, or on a work permit the later of that day and your permit's issue date; IRCC advises private cover while you wait). Your nursing licence costs CAD 565.50 a year.
Where the official answer lives: Service Canada on your social insurance number; IRCC's portal on confirming your permanent residence; novascotia.ca on your health card; the NSNMR on registration@nsnmr.ca about your licence; your employer's start letter.
- 12Cannot start yet: opens when you start with your employer
Your first payslip
Check your first payslip against your offer, and keep your licence and your money in order.
See what this step needs
Job Bank's wage page for registered nurses (NOC 31301) shows what nurses in Nova Scotia earn an hour, from a national survey. Your offer says your pay; check your first payslip against it.
Your licence runs the NSNMR's year, 1 November to 31 October, at CAD 565.50 a year, about ₦536,700, the same for 2026 to 2027. Read on nsnmr.ca, 19 October 2026, at ₦949 to the Canadian dollar, 20 October 2026 (the CBN's US dollar rate of 20 October 2026 divided by the Bank of Canada's of 20 October 2026).
Send home what you can spare, not what you need. Never borrow against your next payslip.
Source: NSNMR, 2026 to 2027 annual licence fees (PDF), read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the end of your Nova Scotia licence year, 31 October each year, worked out from the NSNMR's fees page: the practising licence runs 1 November to 31 October.
Job Bank's wages for registered nurses
Find newcomer services near you
Free.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Check your first payslip against your job offer. Your nursing licence is yearly and its year ends on 31 October.
Where the official answer lives: Your employer's payroll answers on your payslip; the NSNMR on registration@nsnmr.ca on your licence.
The employer board
Each row: employer, job, the salary as written, a mark for whether you can apply from abroad, the closing date, the date it was checked and the board it came from.
No vacancy rows yet. Nova Scotia's designated-employer list names employers, not vacancies, current as of 1 July 2026, read 8 October 2026.
Search Job Bank's jobs open to foreign candidates
Nova Scotia's designated employers (PDF, current as of 1 July 2026)
Job Bank and Nova Scotia's list open on their own sites. Rekoja lists, it does not introduce.
See everything about this route
Cost. About ₦2.4m for the Nova Scotia regulator's fees, the NCLEX at a centre outside Canada and the US, and NNAS if you go through it (CAD 2,538); about ₦4.0m with your permanent residence application and biometrics (CAD 1,675). Settlement funds to show, not spend: CAD 3,815 for one person on the Atlantic programme, about ₦3.6m, or CAD 15,263 on Express Entry, about ₦14.5m (read 8 October 2026). The regulator's fees are for its year to 31 October 2026. Not the NMCN's fees, the English test or flights. Fees read 8 October 2026.
How long. NNAS releases its report within five business days of receiving all your documents. How long the NSNMR takes to decide: we do not know yet. IRCC's processing times are on its own tool. Your tests and your job search set the real length. Read 8 October 2026.
Who it fits. A registered nurse licensed in good standing in Nigeria. Express Entry asks for 12 months of full-time nursing in the past 3 years, in Canada or abroad. Here is the official page, checked 8 October 2026.
Family. Your partner and your children under 22 without a partner of their own go on your application, and may come with you. Read on ircc.canada.ca, 8 October 2026.
Your papers.Two notarised copies of your identity, your passport among them, your credential assessment, your work letters, your English result, and the NMCN's registration form, sent by the NMCN to NNAS.
The official page for this route. Checked 8 October 2026. Naira at the official rate of 20 October 2026. Canadian figures are a cross rate through the US dollar.
I am stuck? Message the desk on WhatsApp
Free. About two minutes.