How to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse in New Brunswick

The short answer

To become a licensed practical nurse (LPN) in New Brunswick, complete an approved practical nursing program and pass the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination (CPNRE), then register with the Association of New Brunswick Licensed Practical Nurses (ANBLPN). ANBLPN states the rule plainly: for initial licensure, applicants must successfully complete an approved practical nursing program and successfully pass the CPNRE. If you trained outside Canada, the order matters — start with the provincial IEHP Navigation Service, then the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS), and only then ANBLPN.

Step 1: Complete an approved practical nursing program

The minimum educational requirement to practise in New Brunswick is a two-year college diploma in nursing approved by ANBLPN, or an LPN program approved by another provincial regulatory body, or the equivalent. The two-year diploma program is delivered by NBCC, CCNB, or Oulton College. Apply to the college directly for a seat; this guide does not re-walk college admissions.

Step 2: Apply to ANBLPN and write the CPNRE

For initial licensure, applicants must successfully complete an approved practical nursing program and successfully pass the CPNRE. For nurses educated in Canada, that is the whole spine: program, then exam, then registration. ANBLPN confirms your exam eligibility and provides instructions on how to pay your exam invoice, which includes a prorated fee for an active licence based on your scheduled exam date. Once you pass the CPNRE, your registration status changes to active.

The exam invoice is $930.25 for the May, July, or September sittings and $1,105.25 for the January, March, or November sittings. The invoice is made up of the $600 exam fee, a $65.25 administration fee, and the prorated active licence fee. If you do not pass the CPNRE, the active licence fee is reimbursed to you; the exam fee and administration fee are non-refundable.

Step 3: Keep the licence — renewal

For annual renewal of licensure, LPNs must ensure they have maintained a minimum of 1,000 active practice hours over the five most recent years as well as participate in the annual Continuing Competence Program. The licence year runs December 1 to November 30. The licence fee for the October 1 to November 30 renewal window is $350; late renewal from December 1 to 31 is $465, and a lapsed licence after December 31 is $640.

If you trained outside Canada

This route has a fixed sequence — do not reorder it:

1. IEHP Navigation Service first. All internationally educated nurse applicants must start the application process by applying with the IEHP Navigation Service.
2. NNAS second. After receiving a response from the IEHP Navigation Service, submit your application with the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS). NNAS's Expedited Service costs $750 CAD and issues the advisory report within five business days of all documents being received. This guide does not re-explain the general NNAS process — the steps are in our foreign nursing credentials guide.
3. Jurisprudence third. Following your NNAS assessment, and before you apply to ANBLPN, create an ANBLPN account to complete the online jurisprudence course and pass the exam. The jurisprudence fee is $40. Only after passing the jurisprudence exam may you apply for registration with ANBLPN.
4. Apply to ANBLPN. Submit your application and pay the $230 application fee, which is non-refundable.
5. Education upgrading. If your application is approved, you will be required to complete educational upgrading. There are two possible outcomes: a re-entry program, a 38-week online and blended program delivered by NBCC or CCNB; or the full two-year practical nursing diploma program delivered by NBCC, CCNB, or Oulton College. Note that ANBLPN has suspended its Pathways to Licensure program for a strategic review, so do not plan around it.
6. Write the CPNRE. You must pass the four-hour online proctored CPNRE. ANBLPN confirms your exam eligibility and provides instructions on paying the exam invoice. Once you pass, your registration status changes to active.

Expect a minimum of $1,450 in ANBLPN-side costs before outside organizations' fees, per ANBLPN's published breakdown: the $230 application fee, the $40 jurisprudence fee, education upgrading from $287.50, and the $930.25 to $1,105.25 exam invoice. NNAS fees and any language testing are separate and paid to those organizations.

Already licensed in another province? Transfer to New Brunswick

If you are or have been licensed as an LPN in another Canadian province and have never held an LPN licence in New Brunswick, you transfer — you do not write the CPNRE again and you do not start with the IEHP Navigation Service. If you have previously held an NB licence, you are not a transfer applicant: log into your existing account and apply to reinstate instead.

1. Request Verification of Registration first. Ask every province where you are or have been licensed as an LPN for a Verification of Registration, before you begin the application, to keep delays down. A verification is still required even for a province where you no longer work.
2. Gather your documents. You will upload a birth certificate as proof of name (plus a marriage certificate or divorce decree if your name changed), a piece of government-issued photo ID such as a driver's licence, and a criminal record check current within the past 3 months from your local police or RCMP or through Sterling Backcheck online — online checks from other sources are not accepted.
3. Complete the jurisprudence module. Create an ANBLPN account and complete the online jurisprudence course and exam for $40. It must be completed before you can submit your application. Use Google Chrome: it is the only browser that supports the full member portal.
4. Apply and pay $115. Submit the transfer application and pay the $115 application fee, which is non-refundable. An active licence requires 1,000 practice hours over the most recent five years; if you were recently licensed and do not have them yet, upload a note explaining why.
5. Pay for your licence once approved. You must pay before you can practise in New Brunswick. The licence fee is $350 if your application is approved between December 1 and May 31, or $175 if approved between June 1 and November 30, and the licence is valid until November 30. All told, expect $245 to $505 in ANBLPN-side costs, not counting verification fees charged by other provinces.

Once your application is submitted, paid, and all documents are received, it can normally be reviewed and decided within a few days. New Brunswick does not offer temporary or partial licences: when your licence becomes active it stays active, while you are in good standing, until November 30 of that year. Transferring gives you an additional licence — you may hold licences in several provinces at once and practise in each as long as you maintain your membership there.

What the opened pages do not state

The Government of New Brunswick's LPN pathway document estimates total fees of about $2,690 for the standard process, but that estimate is dated May 2024 and is marked subject to change, so this guide does not carry it — use the current ANBLPN fee figures above instead. The opened ANBLPN licensure page does not publish a processing time for initial licensure applications, so this guide states none. This guide gives no advice on whether you qualify — that is ANBLPN's decision when it assesses your application.

Related guides:

• How to Become a Registered Nurse in New Brunswick — the RN route in New Brunswick, through the College of Nurses of New Brunswick.
• How to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse in British Columbia — the BC LPN route, which uses the REx-PN instead of the CPNRE.
• How to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse in Manitoba — another CPNRE province, for comparison with New Brunswick's process.
• How to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse in Saskatchewan — another CPNRE province with its own regulator and program route.
• How to Start Getting Your Foreign Nursing Credentials Recognized in Canada (NNAS + Provincial Regulator) — the NNAS advisory report process that comes after the IEHP Navigation Service in New Brunswick.

Sources

• Association of New Brunswick Licensed Practical Nurses, Licensure and Renewal — initial licensure as an approved practical nursing program plus the CPNRE, and the renewal rule of 1,000 active practice hours over five years plus the annual Continuing Competence Program.
• Association of New Brunswick Licensed Practical Nurses, Internationally Educated Nurses — the IEHP Navigation Service first, then NNAS, the $230 non-refundable application fee, the $40 jurisprudence fee, the $930.25 to $1,105.25 exam invoice, the $350 licence fee, and the suspension of the Pathways to Licensure program.
• Association of New Brunswick Licensed Practical Nurses, Transfers — the transfer route for LPNs licensed in another Canadian province: Verification of Registration first, the required documents and 3-month criminal record check, the $40 jurisprudence step, the $115 application fee, the $350 / $175 prorated licence fees, the decision within a few days, and no temporary licence in New Brunswick.
• Government of New Brunswick, Licensed Practical Nurses — the two-year college diploma approved by ANBLPN, the jurisprudence module before applying to ANBLPN, the re-entry and full-program upgrading outcomes, and the four-hour online proctored CPNRE.
• National Nursing Assessment Service, Fees — the $750 CAD Expedited Service fee and advisory reports issued within five business days of all documents being received.