NNAS is the first step for an Internationally Educated Nurse (IEN) who is considering applying to the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), and:

• is a graduate of a nursing education program outside of Canada; and,
• is not registered to practice as a Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse or Registered Psychiatric Nurse anywhere within Canada. (Note: CNO does not register Registered Psychiatric Nurses.)

IEN applicants requesting registration with CNO first go through the following steps:

Go to www.nnas.ca to create an online account, complete your forms, and pay your fee(s). Through this account, NNAS will communicate with you and guide you through the process. (You can also contact NNAS using its toll-free number.) Also, NNAS provides an online instruction guide.

1. Submit all required documents. NNAS will tell you which documents are needed and who must submit them. This includes documents relating to your identity, nursing education, nursing practice/employment, and nursing registration.
2. Receive an NNAS Advisory Report. NNAS will tell you when your file is complete. Through your account, you will be able to access a copy of your Advisory Report. The advisory report includes an overview of your information submitted to NNAS and your curriculum assessment, if applicable.
3. Apply to CNO. After you have received your advisory report, you will receive instructions about how to contact CNO with your request to register in Ontario. CNO will not consider you an applicant for registration until you have completed the NNAS process and submitted the required application and fee(s) directly to CNO.

Applying through NNAS ensures a consistent approach to collecting, verifying and storing documents.

You can contact CNO’s Customer Service Centre via email.

You can also find information about all registration requirements you must meet before you can practice as a nurse in Ontario on CNO’s website.

Yes.

Yes. When you create your account at NNAS, you will be able to select the provinces and/or categories in which you eventually wish to apply. Additional fees may apply if you choose this option.

You must contact NNAS to request the change and they will advise you whether or not this can be done for a re-evaluation by another nursing regulatory body in another province. This may impact the processing time of your application with NNAS.

NNAS does not address any immigration issues. There is a link to Immigration and Citizenship Canada on the NNAS website. 

You can find the application form by visiting the NNAS website. You apply by creating an account with NNAS, paying the required fees and following the instructions for completing the application form and sending the required documents. You will be notified when the file is complete. You can then apply to CNO using a direct link from the NNAS website.

When NNAS informs you that your file is complete, you will be able to retrieve your advisory report from your online account. Instructions will be provided on how to apply to CNO. Your documentation will not be sent automatically to CNO until you submit an application and pay the required fees. Once that happens, CNO will retrieve your NNAS documents and advisory report.

If you haven’t already completed the registration exam, CNO will assess your NNAS advisory report, along with other documents, and notify you of required next steps (e.g., applying for the exam or completing additional nursing education).

No. You are not authorized to practice as a nurse in Ontario until you are registered with CNO. Once NNAS has completed its assessment, you can then apply to CNO. Once CNO has reviewed the advisory report from NNAS, you will receive a letter from CNO that will instruct you on your next steps.

The fee schedule for NNAS services can be found hereExternal link.Opens link in new window. on the NNAS website. Note that the NNAS application fee is separate from CNO’s application fee. You will pay the CNO’s application fee directly to CNO before it can accept your application and NNAS advisory report. 

Additional fees may apply if you choose to have your information collected for more than one regulatory body.

Yes. You may incur other fees in addition to the NNAS application fee. Please refer to the NNAS website for information on other NNAS related fees. Note that the NNAS application fee will not cover other costs related to your application to CNO. such as the CNO application fee, registration or jurisprudence exam fees, and any additional assessments completed by CNO or third parties (e.g. Touchstone Institute evaluation, language proficiency tests, etc.)

NNAS is a Canadian organization and is subject to thePersonal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Canada). Ontario privacy legislation will apply once your file is transferred to CNO.

No. Only those regulatory bodies that you choose to apply to will have that information. 

Yes. When you set up an account with NNAS, you will be asked to sign an authorization form that outlines the terms and conditions associated with this.