How to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse in British Columbia
How to become a licensed practical nurse in British Columbia: the BCCNM route, the REx-PN, fees, and the Inspire path for nurses trained abroad.
How to Become a Registered Nurse in British Columbia
How to become a registered nurse in British Columbia: the BCCNM route, NCLEX-RN, fees, and the Inspire path for nurses trained abroad.
Applies in: British Columbia
The short answer
To become a registered nurse in British Columbia, graduate from a nursing program recognized by the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM), apply to BCCNM for a practising RN licence, and pass the NCLEX-RN. Nurses educated outside Canada take a different first step: apply to Inspire Global Assessments and to BCCNM in parallel — BC does not use the NNAS-first route other provinces use. A BC graduate pays $265 for the application assessment, $360 plus GST per NCLEX-RN attempt, and $781.10 a year for practising registration in 2026–27.
Step 1: Graduate from a BCCNM-recognized program
The starting point for a Canadian-educated nurse is a registered nursing program recognized by BCCNM. BCCNM's registration pages are organized by where you trained — BC graduates, Canadian graduates from other provinces, and internationally educated nurses each have their own application stream, and the steps below follow the BC-graduate stream.
If you trained outside Canada, skip to the internationally educated nurse section below — your route runs through Inspire Global Assessments, not through a Canadian program, and the order of operations is different.
Step 2: Apply to BCCNM
Create a BCCNM account and apply for a practising RN licence. The 2026–27 application assessment fee is $265 including GST for a BC graduate, $345 for a Canadian RN applying from another province, and $690 for an internationally educated nurse. Application assessment fees are not refundable — only registration fees are — so be sure you are applying in the right stream before you pay.
BCCNM also assesses good character and capacity to practise as part of the application. That includes the completeness and accuracy of what you submit, past or current regulatory investigations, criminal charges or convictions, workplace investigations, and any health condition that may currently impair your ability to practise competently. If your background is complicated, the time to sort it out is before you apply, not after.
Step 3: Register and write the NCLEX-RN
You must take the NCLEX-RN if you are a new graduate of a BC registered nursing program, a new graduate of a registered nursing program elsewhere in Canada who has never held a practising licence, or an internationally educated nurse who has never held practising registration in Canada. You do not need it if you are currently registered as an RN (or equivalent) in another Canadian province and want to practise in BC.
The sequence:
- Apply for a practising RN licence through your BCCNM account.
- Once BCCNM confirms you are eligible, you receive an email from BCCNM Licensing Services with instructions to register and pay for the exam through the Pearson VUE website.
- The fee is $360 plus GST per attempt, paid directly to Pearson VUE and non-refundable, on top of BCCNM's application and licence fees.
- Your authorization to test is valid for 90 days — you must take the exam within that window or your Pearson VUE exam registration is cancelled.
There is no limit on the number of times you can write the NCLEX-RN, as long as you have a valid BCCNM application and meet the competence requirement. If you need exam accommodations, contact BCCNM Licensing Services before you register.
Step 4: Provisional registration, then practising registration
If you have completed all your final requirements except the regulatory exam, you are eligible for provisional registration. BCCNM will send you instructions to pay the registration fee — $781.10 a year for a practising or provisional RN in 2026–27. Once you pass the exam, a provisional licence converts automatically to a practising RN licence and the online directory updates. Without a provisional licence, BCCNM emails you instructions to pay the licensing fee after you pass.
One rule to respect exactly: you are not authorized to practise as a nurse until you are listed in BCCNM's online directory. Do not start work, even with an offer in hand, before that listing appears.
After registration, familiarize yourself with practice in British Columbia — nursing scope and standards differ slightly in every Canadian jurisdiction. BCCNM specifically points new registrants to its practice standards and to the Indigenous Cultural Safety, Cultural Humility and Anti-racism Practice Standard, which sets out how registrants are to provide culturally safe and anti-racist care for Indigenous clients.
The internationally educated nurse route: Inspire and BCCNM in parallel
This is the part of the BC route that differs most from other provinces, and the order matters. BCCNM's own instruction is to apply and complete the requirements for BCCNM and Inspire at the same time, to move through the process as quickly as possible.
1A. Apply to Inspire Global Assessments. Inspire confirms your identity and evaluates your English language proficiency, your education credentials, and your nursing skills and knowledge through a competency assessment. Applicants who apply after January 31, 2023 submit their English language proficiency evidence to Inspire, not to BCCNM. Inspire then provides that information to BCCNM as an applicant package.
1B. Apply to BCCNM. Create a BCCNM account (if you do not have one) and apply for practising licensure.
2. Verification of nursing practice and licensure. BCCNM confirms any nursing practice and licensure. Licensing Services provides instructions and forms to send to employers and nursing regulators — and the forms must be sent to BCCNM directly from the employer or regulator, in English.
3. Application assessment. BCCNM reviews your application once all documents are submitted and Inspire has sent your applicant package. It assesses whether your knowledge, skills, ability, and judgement are substantially equivalent to what is expected of a graduate of a BCCNM-recognized program. BCCNM assesses most internationally educated nurses for both LPN and RN registration in one application — after the assessment it tells you the steps for LPN or RN registration, and you can choose to enter the workforce as an LPN while completing the RN requirements, without reapplying.
4. Transitional education or coursework. You will likely need additional education to become licensed with BCCNM — anywhere from one course familiarizing yourself with the Canadian health system to a more substantial re-entry or bridging program, depending on the gaps the assessment identifies. Applicants are more likely to succeed if they completed their nursing education within the last 10 years or have practised consistently as a nurse in the last 10 years; if you do not meet that, consider completing a recognized re-entry, bridging, or other nursing education program first.
5. The regulatory exam and provisional registration. Once you have completed any required education or coursework, BCCNM sends instructions to register for the regulatory exam — REx-PN for LPNs, NCLEX-RN for RNs. Provisional registration is available if the exam is your only remaining requirement.
6. Practising licence. After you pass the exam, you are eligible for practising licensure, and the same directory rule applies: you are not authorized to practise until you are listed.
Three practical warnings from BCCNM itself: have the permits required to legally work in Canada before you apply, to avoid delays; the majority of fees are available for reimbursement through the Internationally Educated Nurse Bursary Program; and be wary of agencies offering to complete BCCNM and Inspire applications for a fee — they are not endorsed by BCCNM or Inspire, and applications must be completed and submitted by the person applying for licensure.
The US-registered shortcut. BCCNM introduced a streamlined process in 2025 for eligible US registered nurses: if you hold current US RN licensure and have recent US RN practice experience, you may apply directly to BCCNM without a separate education credential assessment through Inspire, and a previous NCLEX-RN pass can satisfy the exam requirement. Confirm your eligibility for this expedited pathway on BCCNM's site before assuming it applies — passing the NCLEX-RN alone, without current US licensure and recent practice, does not qualify you for it.
Finding work once you are registered
Health Match BC is the province's recruitment service for health care professionals, and it is the practical next step after registration — it matches nurses with positions across BC's health authorities, including rural and northern communities. Current Health Match BC postings list RN wages of $41.42 to $55.91 an hour, and some positions offer a recruitment incentive of up to $10,000 or a relocation allowance. Every posting requires current practising registration with BCCNM, so registration comes first and the job search second. Check whether a position's incentive or relocation support applies to you before you count on it — the postings say "ask if you qualify" for a reason.
Figures and details not verified on the official pages
The BCCNM application assessment and registration fees in this guide ($265, $345, $690, and $781.10) were verified at re-gate on the regulator's own pages: the $265, $345, and $690 application assessment fees are on BCCNM's fee page, and the $781.10 annual practising registration fee for April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027 is in BCCNM's bylaws Schedule G as amended by Ministerial Order 112/2026. The NCLEX-RN fee of $360 plus GST per attempt, the 90-day authorization to test, and the no-limit-on-attempts rule were verified on BCCNM's own exam page. The scheduled rise in the NCLEX-RN fee to $570 from February 1, 2027 was reported by two sources citing BCCNM, not verified on a BCCNM page — confirm it before you register for an exam after that date. No salary figure is guaranteed: the $41.42 to $55.91 range is what current Health Match BC postings list, and pay varies by health authority, role, and experience.
Related guides
- How to become a registered nurse in Ontario — the Ontario companion: the CNO route, the NCLEX-RN, and the jurisprudence exam.
- How to start getting your foreign nursing credentials recognized in Canada — the national companion: NNAS, credential assessment, and the BC exception in full.
- How to become a health care assistant in British Columbia — the BC companion role: the faster health care assistant route into BC health care work.
- How to start getting provincial health coverage as a newcomer to Canada — the newcomer companion: provincial health coverage while you work through registration.
Becoming a registered nurse in British Columbia, in five steps
- Graduate from a BCCNM-recognized nursing programComplete a registered nursing program recognized by BCCNM. Nurses educated outside Canada follow the Inspire and BCCNM parallel route instead — see below.
- Apply to BCCNM for practising registrationCreate a BCCNM account and apply for a practising RN licence. The 2026–27 application assessment fee is $265 including GST for a BC graduate.
- Register and write the NCLEX-RNOnce BCCNM confirms you are eligible, register and pay for the exam through Pearson VUE — $360 plus GST per attempt, with a 90-day authorization to test.
- Take provisional registration if you need itIf you have met every requirement except the exam, you can hold provisional registration and start working while you wait to write — but you are not authorized to practise until you are listed in BCCNM's online directory.
- Pass the exam and hold practising registrationAfter you pass, your provisional licence converts automatically, or BCCNM sends instructions to pay the registration fee — $781.10 a year for a practising RN in 2026–27.
BCCNM registered nurse fees, 2026–27
| Application assessment, BC graduate | $265 including GST |
|---|---|
| Application assessment, Canadian RN from another province | $345 including GST |
| Application assessment, internationally educated nurse | $690 including GST |
| NCLEX-RN exam, per attempt (Pearson VUE) | $360 plus GST |
| Practising or provisional RN registration, per year | $781.10 |
Application assessment fees are not refundable; only registration fees are. The NCLEX-RN fee is paid directly to Pearson VUE and is non-refundable. Confirm every figure on BCCNM's fee page before you pay — fees change, and the exam fee is scheduled to rise from February 1, 2027.
Questions people ask
How do I become a registered nurse in British Columbia?
Graduate from a nursing program recognized by the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM), create a BCCNM account and apply for a practising RN licence, then write and pass the NCLEX-RN through Pearson VUE. The regulator is BCCNM — it regulates registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, and midwives in BC. Once you pass the exam you hold practising registration, and you are not authorized to practise until you are listed in BCCNM's online directory.
How much does it cost to become a registered nurse in BC?
For a BC graduate in 2026–27: a $265 application assessment fee including GST, $360 plus GST per NCLEX-RN attempt paid to Pearson VUE, and $781.10 a year for practising or provisional RN registration. A Canadian RN applying from another province pays a $345 assessment fee, and an internationally educated nurse pays $690. Application assessment fees are not refundable. Confirm the current figures on BCCNM's fee page before you pay.
I trained as a nurse outside Canada. How do I get licensed in BC?
Apply to Inspire Global Assessments and to BCCNM at the same time — BCCNM recommends running both in parallel. Inspire confirms your identity and evaluates your English language proficiency, your education credentials, and your nursing skills through a competency assessment, then sends BCCNM an applicant package. BCCNM assesses most internationally educated nurses for both LPN and RN registration in one application, so you can choose to enter the workforce as an LPN while you complete the RN requirements. You do not go through NNAS first in BC — that is the route other provinces use, not BC's. After any required transitional education, you write the NCLEX-RN for RN registration or the REx-PN for LPN registration.
Do I need to take the NCLEX-RN if I am already a registered nurse in another province?
No. You do not need to take the NCLEX-RN if you are currently registered as a registered nurse (or equivalent) in another Canadian province and want to practise in BC — you apply to BCCNM for registration instead. You do need it if you are a new graduate of a BC or other Canadian program who has never held a practising licence, or an internationally educated nurse who has never held practising registration in Canada. There is no limit on the number of times you can write the NCLEX-RN, as long as your BCCNM application is valid and you meet the competence requirement.
Can I work as a nurse in BC before I pass the NCLEX-RN?
Yes, through provisional registration. If you have completed all your final requirements except the regulatory exam, you are eligible for provisional registration, and BCCNM will send instructions to pay the registration fee. Once you pass, a provisional licence converts automatically to a practising licence and the online directory updates. You are not authorized to practise until you are listed in the online directory, so do not start work before that listing appears.
Where do I find registered nurse jobs in British Columbia?
Health Match BC is the province's recruitment service for health care professionals, matching nurses with positions across BC's health authorities — current postings list RN wages of $41.42 to $55.91 an hour, with some positions offering a recruitment incentive of up to $10,000 or a relocation allowance. You need current practising registration with BCCNM before a health authority will hire you as an RN, so finish the registration steps first and use the job search to target the region and specialty you want.
Sources
- British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives, Internationally educated nurses — the parallel Inspire and BCCNM route, the combined LPN and RN assessment, transitional education, and provisional registration.
- British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives, Exam (NCLEX-RN) — who must take the NCLEX-RN, the $360 plus GST fee, the 90-day authorization to test, and no limit on attempts.
- British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives, Fees — the application assessment fees ($265 BC graduate, $345 Canadian, $690 international) and the registration-fee rules.
- Ministerial Order 112/2026, BCCNM bylaws Schedule G (2026 Fees) — the 2026–27 annual registration fee of $781.10 for a practising or provisional RN, in force April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
- Nursing Jobs BC, Licensing for Internationally Educated Nurses — the Inspire competency assessment, the 3-in-1 assessment, and the bursary program.