Canada

Medical Council of Canada (MCC) + Provincial Colleges

Pathways to registration

• CaRMS residency route: for IMGs who have not completed postgraduate training, or who completed it abroad and are willing to retrain. Requires applying through the Canadian Resident Matching Service — typically 2–5 years.
• Practice-Ready Assessment (PRA): an accelerated pathway for IMGs who have already completed residency and practised independently abroad. Involves a supervised clinical assessment lasting up to 12 weeks.
• Approved-jurisdiction route: for IMGs from jurisdictions deemed substantially equivalent to Canadian training.

Commonly IELTS Academic with a minimum overall score around 7.0 (no band below 7.0), though exact thresholds vary by province and PRA program.

Indicative fees

Credential verification through physiciansapply.ca typically costs CAD $700+ and takes 6–12 months. Overall, successful IMGs typically need 18 months to 5 years depending on the pathway.

National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS) + Provincial Colleges

IEN provincial registration pathway

Pathway steps

1. 1NNAS credential assessment: required by nearly every provincial regulator except Quebec. Produces an Advisory Report that the provincial nursing college reviews.
2. 2Provincial licensing exam: Registered Nurses write the NCLEX-RN; Licensed Practical Nurses write the REx-PN or CPNRE.
3. 3Jurisprudence exam: most provinces require a short exam on local nursing law, ethics, and professional standards.

Most provincial regulators accept IELTS Academic (commonly 7.0 overall) or CELBAN (Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses).

Indicative fees

NNAS assessment takes 12–16 weeks once all documents are submitted, with provincial review adding 4–8 weeks. Realistic end-to-end: 12–18 months from starting NNAS to holding a provincial certificate.

Express Entry / Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)