Ontario’s health care system relies on a steady supply of qualified nurses who can begin practice quickly, confidently and safely. At CNO, we have spent the past decade transforming how nurses become registered. We are building a modern framework of processes, solutions and legislative changes that balances speed with rigour and puts public safety at the core.
“CNO’s registration modernization journey started with purposeful changes that laid the foundation for the bold initiatives that are delivering excellent results today,” says Silvie Crawford, RN, Registrar & CEO. “We’re proud to lead the way in nursing regulation, ensuring Ontario’s health system has the qualified nurses it needs.”
How it started: Going digital
Our registration modernization journey started in 2012 with a simple but powerful shift: moving registration renewals online. That initial leap into digital service opened the door for broader upgrades that included an online application portal, upgraded customer service capabilities and a more accessible system from start to finish. Since then, we have continued to modernize every step of the registration process. Language proficiency assessments, criminal record checks and education verifications have all been strengthened and streamlined. The result? Applicants can now register faster without compromising safety.
Pathways that get nurses practicing sooner
A groundbreaking program brought more than 4,000 nurses into the system between 2022 and 2024, and over 6,000 nurses to date, many of whom are internationally educated. This program, called the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership (SPEP), was launched by CNO and Ontario Health in 2022. Seventy-two percent of participating employers went on to hire the nurses they supervised, and almost all nurses who completed SPEP renewed their registration the following year.
On April 1, 2025, we introduced further changes to reduce delays and increase fairness and clarity for applicants. These updates expanded options for assessing credentials, welcomed nursing education approved in any jurisdiction and added a new Transition to Practice requirement to help internationally educated nurses integrate into the Ontario health care environment more smoothly.
Collaborating to bring nurses where they are needed
In 2025, we launched a new way for nurses to hold registration in multiple Canadian jurisdictions, making it easier for them to practice where they are needed. So far, more than 3,000 nurses — including NPs — have taken advantage of this option, called Interjurisdictional Nurse Licensure (INL). “The INL initiative is a noteworthy achievement in our commitment to advancing flexibility for nurses and supporting health care systems nationwide,” says Crawford.
INL also allows nurses to meet Quality Assurance requirements easily through their home jurisdiction and includes a 25% fee rebate for nurses from other provinces or territories registering with CNO as their host jurisdiction.
Taking mobility one step further, starting January 2026, nurses registered in good standing elsewhere in Canada can now register in Ontario in as little as two days. This initiative, called automatic recognition, is the product of collaboration between CNO and the Ministry of Health. Approximately 100 applicants took advantage of this pathway within its first month.
Collaboration has been the key driver behind the success of every modernization milestone. CNO continues to work closely with the Ministry of Health, employers, educators and other regulators to co‑design solutions that support workforce needs and safer patient care across the province.
A stronger health workforce for Ontario
The impact is clear. Between 2022 and 2026, the number of nurses registered to practice in Ontario increased from approximately 177,000 to over 200,000, strengthening the province’s capacity to deliver safe, high-quality care. This includes internationally educated nurses who can integrate more smoothly because of innovative solutions that make our registration process fair and flexible.
As we continue to grow and improve, we celebrate the coordinated efforts that positioned us as a leader in regulatory modernization and strengthened Ontario’s nursing workforce.