NNAS Application Guide for Canada (2026): Fees, Timeline & Steps

Last updated: July 4, 2026 — every fee and timeline below is cross-checked directly against nnas.ca, the official National Nursing Assessment Service.

NNAS Application Guide: The First Step to Becoming a Nurse in Canada (2026)

If you’re an internationally educated nurse (IEN) planning to work in Canada, NNAS is your mandatory first step — with one exception: Quebec, which uses its own body (OIIQ) instead. This guide walks through exactly what NNAS does, what it costs, how long it takes, and what happens after you get your report.

What NNAS Actually Does (and Doesn’t Do)

NNAS is not a licensing body. It doesn’t give you permission to work as a nurse in Canada. What it does is verify your identity, education, and nursing credentials, then issue an Advisory Report — a comparability assessment that your chosen provincial nursing regulator (CNO, BCCNM, CARNA, etc.) uses to decide whether your education meets Canadian standards.

Your actual license comes from the provincial regulator, not from NNAS. This is the single most misunderstood part of the process, and it’s worth repeating: NNAS clears the runway; the province issues the license.

Two Ways to Apply: Expedited vs. Regular Service

NNAS offers two service tracks, and picking the right one matters for both cost and speed.

Expedited Service — most IENs should start here

• Fee: $750 CAD for a single Advisory Report covering both RN and LPN professions at once
• Report issued within five business days of NNAS receiving all required documents
• You can send your report to multiple participating regulators at no extra cost, as long as you select them before your report is issued
• Eligibility: you must have completed a post-secondary nursing program outside Canada and have been licensed as a nurse in that country

Regular Service — for applicants who don’t qualify for Expedited

• Main application fee: $650 USD, covering one profession and one regulator
• Additional regulators or professions cost extra (roughly $220–$650 depending on what’s added)
• No five-day turnaround guarantee — processing typically runs longer

Both services require your Advisory Report to be requested within 12 months of paying your fee, or your application expires and you’ll need to reapply from scratch.

What NNAS Actually Costs (Full Breakdown)

Budget realistically for $750–$1,200 CAD once translations and notarization are factored in, before you even reach provincial or NCLEX fees.

Timeline: How Long Does NNAS Actually Take?

• Expedited Service: Advisory Report issued within 5 business days after all documents are received — but gathering documents (especially transcripts and employer verification forms mailed directly by third parties) commonly takes 8–16 weeks in practice
• Regular Service: No fixed turnaround; plan for 12–16 weeks minimum
• Full NNAS-to-licensure timeline (NNAS + provincial review + NCLEX): Realistically 12–18 months end to end

The bottleneck usually isn’t NNAS’s internal processing — it’s waiting on transcripts, employer forms, and translations to arrive from third parties. Start requesting these the same week you decide on Canada.

Step-by-Step: How to Apply

1. Choose your target province before you start. This determines which regulator receives your report and can affect fees — don’t guess, decide first.
2. Create your NNAS account at nnas.ca and confirm you’re not applying to Quebec (Quebec uses OIIQ, not NNAS).
3. Complete your application and pay the fee — Expedited or Regular, based on eligibility above.
4. Submit required documents, including:
   • Official transcripts sent directly from your nursing school
   • Employer verification forms sent directly by past employers (you cannot submit these yourself)
   • Notarized copies of two forms of ID
   • Certified translations if documents aren’t in English or French
5. Track your application through the NNAS portal — it shows real-time status of each document.
6. Receive your Advisory Report once all documents are verified.
7. Send your report to your chosen provincial regulator and begin the licensing application with them directly — this is where NCLEX-RN eligibility, English proficiency requirements, and possible bridging programs come in.

Common Mistakes That Delay Applications

• Submitting documents yourself instead of having them sent directly by the issuing institution or employer — NNAS will reject self-submitted employer or transcript forms
• Not confirming your province before applying — switching provinces after your report is issued isn’t always straightforward under Expedited Service
• Assuming NNAS is a license — it isn’t; you still need to apply separately to your provincial regulator afterward
• Applying to Quebec through NNAS — Quebec doesn’t use NNAS at all; use OIIQ instead
• Letting your 12-month application window lapse — if documents aren’t all received within 12 months, you lose your fee and must reapply

Sources

This page is built directly from NNAS’s official website, current as of July 4, 2026:

• NNAS Official Site
• NNAS Fees Page
• NNAS FAQs
• NNAS Expedited Service
• NNAS Application Process & Timeline
• NNAS Applicant Handbook (PDF)

This is general educational information, not legal or immigration advice. Rules change — always confirm current requirements directly with NNAS and your target provincial regulator before making decisions or payments.

How to Become a Registered Nurse in Canada (Guide for International Nurses) Easy process 2024 – brandednurses

Frequently Asked Questions