How to Start in Canada

How to Become a Registered Nurse in Ontario

Ontario RN registration through CNO: approved nursing program, NCLEX-RN, jurisprudence exam, Temporary Class, and the internationally educated nurse route.

Written October 18, 2026 · 10 min read

Applies in: Ontario

The path in one paragraph

To practise as a Registered Nurse in Ontario you must be registered with the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) — there is no legal way around the regulator. The standard route: finish a 4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing at an approved Ontario university, open an application on CNO's portal in your final year, write the NCLEX-RN registration exam and the online jurisprudence exam, clear the background and documentation checks, and register in the General Class. New graduates can enter the Temporary Class and work while the last requirements land; internationally educated nurses follow a credential-assessment route that CNO streamlined in April 2025.

First: CNO is the gate — the title is protected

Ontario's Nursing Act makes "Registered Nurse" (and "RN") a protected title: you may not use it, or practise nursing, without CNO registration. The CNO sets the registration requirements, approves the exams, and maintains the public register employers check. Every path in this guide — domestic graduate, internationally educated, interprovincial — runs through the same registration requirements, and the fees are staged as you move through them.

Step 1: Graduate from an approved nursing program

For Ontario applicants, this means a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) from an Ontario university whose program CNO approves — typically four years, blending classroom theory with clinical placements in hospitals, long-term care, and community settings. RPNs upgrading can use college-to-university RPN-to-BScN bridging programs rather than starting over. PSWs looking at the longer ladder should read our PSW guide, which covers the PSW-to-Practical-Nursing bridge as the first rung.

One useful detail for final-year students: your school sends CNO a Verification of Course Completion directly. Schools vary in how fast they process these, so ask yours about timing — it is the most common avoidable delay in a new graduate's file.

Step 2: Apply to CNO and assemble the file

Start your application on CNO's "Maintain your Membership" portal — ideally in your final year. The application steps:

  1. Create your portal account and start a new application.
  2. Fill it in completely and pay the non-refundable application fee.
  3. Send verification forms to third parties (school, employers, other regulators). CNO must receive documents directly from the source — anything you submit yourself does not count. Ontario graduates mostly need the school's Verification of Course Completion and transcript; the rest depends on your history.
  4. Request anything early. CNO only starts assessing once it has the completed application, the fee, and the school's verification.

From here, CNO messages you through the portal telling you what remains: exam eligibility, and evidence for each remaining requirement.

Step 3: Pass the NCLEX-RN

Every Ontario RN applicant must pass the registration exam — the NCLEX-RN (called the Next Generation NCLEX since the 2023 update, built around clinical judgment). The mechanics, from CNO's exam page:

  1. Wait for CNO to notify you that you are eligible.
  2. Register with Pearson Professional Assessments, using the exact same name as on your CNO application — it must match your photo ID at the test centre.
  3. Pay the exam fee — about $360 CAD for a Canadian-registration candidate (plus taxes; international testing centres outside Canada and the mainland US add a scheduling fee).
  4. Receive your Authorization to Test (check its expiry date) and book a Pearson VUE centre promptly.
  5. Write the exam; results arrive through the CNO portal within about a week.

There is no limit on attempts, though mandatory waiting periods separate sittings. Critical nuance: if you already passed the NCLEX-RN for another jurisdiction, do not pay and rewrite — have that regulator send your official result to CNO, which decides whether the requirement is met.

Step 4: Pass the jurisprudence exam

Separate from the NCLEX, every applicant must pass CNO's jurisprudence examination: an online, open-book-style assessment of Ontario's nursing laws, regulations, by-laws, and practice standards. After you submit your application and fee, CNO gives you access to the secure testing site; pass results are valid for five years. It is the same exam for RN and RPN applicants, so category-changers with a current pass do not rewrite.

Step 5: Clear the remaining requirements

The file is not complete until every box is ticked:

  • Nursing education — the baccalaureate (handled by graduation for domestic applicants; credential assessment for international ones).
  • Transition to Practice (TTP) — new since April 2025. Canadian nursing graduates and currently Canadian-registered nurses meet it automatically; others complete a CNO-approved TTP course (typically 7 to 14 weeks, online, no clinical component).
  • Evidence of practice — recent graduates meet this through graduation; others must show nursing practice within the past 3 years (or complete refresher requirements for longer gaps).
  • Language proficiency — English or French, via testing or education/practice in a qualifying system; test reports must be recent (within two years).
  • Criminal record check — through Sterling Talent Solutions, online only; valid for just six months, so time it late in the process.
  • Work authorization — proof you are authorized to practise nursing in Ontario.
  • Past offences, findings, and health/conduct declarations.

Once CNO is satisfied, you pay the registration fee and join the General Class — the full RN registration. Note that Ontario Health is currently reimbursing the General and Temporary Class registration costs; check CNO's site for how to claim.

Step 6 (optional but common): Work in the Temporary Class while you finish

New graduates who have the degree but are still waiting on exams or paperwork can register in the Temporary Class and start working. Requirements: completed nursing education (Ontario students included, once the school's verification lands), evidence of practice, the jurisprudence exam, language proficiency, work authorization, clean offences/conduct record — and an offer of employment from an approved facility (hospitals, long-term care homes, psychiatric facilities, public health boards, community health centres, and similar). Two caveats: applicants who have already failed the registration exam twice or more cannot use the Temporary Class, and you must complete all remaining requirements — including TTP — before moving to the General Class.

Step 7: The internationally educated nurse stream

If you trained outside Canada, the April 2025 changes materially improved the route:

  1. Credential assessment — get your nursing education assessed by WES, ICAS, ICES, or NNAS (NNAS is no longer the only option). CNO accepts education recognized or approved in any jurisdiction, provided it meets the baccalaureate level for RN applicants.
  2. Transition to Practice course — a 7-to-14-week online course from a CNO-approved provider if you do not already meet the requirement.
  3. Evidence of practice within 3 years — verified directly from employers.
  4. NCLEX-RN and jurisprudence exam, as above.
  5. Language proof, Sterling criminal record check, work authorization.

Internationally educated nurses should also read our foreign credentials guide for the broader recognition machinery that sits alongside CNO's process.

What the career pays

Job Bank's June 2026 wage report for registered nurses (NOC 31301) puts the Toronto Region median at $40.59 per hour, with job prospects rated "very good." Real postings bear that out: hospital and public-service RN roles in Ontario currently advertise roughly $35 to $50+ per hour depending on setting and seniority. Most Ontario hospital RNs work under ONA collective agreements with seniority steps, shift and weekend premiums, and full benefits — the published hourly rate understates total compensation. Long-term care, community, and correctional settings hire steadily too, often with signing incentives in harder-to-staff regions.

What the CNO fees actually are: 2026 and 2027

The fee answer above is deliberately vague because the fees are staged and some go to other organizations. The College of Nurses of Ontario publishes its own fees, and they are specific enough to budget from. All CNO fees below are in Canadian dollars, non-refundable, and subject to 13% HST. Annual fees are not pro-rated for partial years.

Fee20262027
Application fee, General Class (RN or RPN)$433$454
Jurisprudence exam fee$40$42
Initial registration fee (to December 31 of the year you register)$69$72
Annual renewal fee, General Class$368$386

The NCLEX-RN exam fee is separate and is paid to the exam provider, not to CNO. It is about $360 CAD now. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing has announced that, effective February 1, 2027, the Canadian NCLEX registration fee rises to $570 CAD — the first change since 2000. The fee you pay is set by your registration date, not your exam date: registrations completed before February 1, 2027 are charged the current fee, and registrations on or after that date are charged $570, including retakes. If your exam registration will fall after February 1, budget the higher figure. The Ontario Health reimbursement of registration costs mentioned above is described in this guide as temporary; check whether it still applies when you pay, rather than assuming it.

Related guides

Questions people ask

How do I become an RN in Ontario?

The domestic path: graduate from an approved nursing program (a 4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing at an Ontario university), apply to the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), pass the NCLEX-RN registration exam, pass the online jurisprudence exam, meet the evidence-of-practice, language, criminal-record-check, and work-authorization requirements, and register in the General Class. New graduates can register in the Temporary Class to work while finishing the remaining requirements.

What degree do I need to become an RN in Ontario?

A nursing baccalaureate. Since the April 1, 2025 registration changes, CNO accepts nursing education recognized or approved in any jurisdiction, as long as it was designed to prepare you for the RN category and meets the baccalaureate credential. In Ontario that means a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) from an approved Ontario university program — typically four years including clinical placements. College-to-university bridging programs exist for RPNs upgrading to RN.

What is the NCLEX-RN, and how do I register for it?

The NCLEX-RN is the registration exam every Ontario RN applicant must pass. The sequence: apply to CNO first, wait for CNO to message you that you are eligible, then register with Pearson Professional Assessments (using the same name as on your CNO application), pay the exam fee (about $360 CAD for a Canadian-registration candidate), receive your Authorization to Test, and book a Pearson VUE testing centre. There is no limit on attempts, but mandatory waiting periods apply between sittings. If you already passed the NCLEX-RN in another jurisdiction, do not automatically re-register — arrange for that authority to send your result to CNO for review.

What is the CNO jurisprudence exam?

An online exam on Ontario's nursing laws, regulations, by-laws, practice standards, and ethics — every RN, RPN, and Temporary Class applicant must pass it, on top of the NCLEX. You take it through a secure site CNO gives you access to after you apply, and pass results are valid for five years. The same exam covers both RN and RPN applicants, so moving between categories does not mean rewriting it (unless it has been more than five years).

Can I work as a nurse in Ontario before passing the NCLEX?

Yes, through the Temporary Class. It is for applicants who meet all General Class requirements except the nursing education, transition-to-practice, and registration-exam pieces — which covers many new graduates. You need an offer of employment from an approved facility (hospitals, long-term care homes, public health units, and similar), plus the jurisprudence exam, language proficiency, work authorization, and a clean offences/conduct record. Note: if you have already failed the registration exam twice or more, you are not eligible for the Temporary Class.

What does the internationally educated nurse path look like?

Since April 2025, CNO accepts an approved credential assessment from WES, ICAS, ICES, or NNAS (not just NNAS), and recognizes nursing education from any jurisdiction that meets the baccalaureate level for RNs. After the education assessment comes a transition-to-practice requirement — most applicants meet it by completing a CNO-approved Transition to Practice course (typically 7 to 14 weeks, online, no clinical component), though Canadian-educated and currently-Canadian-registered applicants meet it automatically. Then: evidence of practice within the last 3 years, NCLEX-RN, jurisprudence exam, language proof, Sterling criminal record check (valid 6 months), and work authorization.

What are the CNO fees?

Expect several hundred dollars across the process, staged as you go: a non-refundable application fee when you open your CNO file, the NCLEX-RN exam fee (about $360 via Pearson, plus taxes), the jurisprudence exam fee, and the initial registration plus first-year annual membership fee when you register in the General Class. One piece of good news: the Ontario government is temporarily covering the General and Temporary Class registration costs through Ontario Health — check CNO's site for the current reimbursement process.

How long does registration take?

For Ontario graduates who apply during their final year, the timeline is usually weeks to a few months after graduation — most of the delay is schools submitting Verification of Course Completion and the exam scheduling queue. For internationally educated applicants, plan on roughly a year, driven by document verification, credential assessment, and exam completion; CNO closes applications with no progress after two years, which restarts the fees and documents.

What does an RN earn in Ontario?

Job Bank's 2026 wage report for registered nurses (NOC 31301) puts the Toronto Region median at $40.59 per hour, with Job Bank rating the province's job prospects 'very good.' Hospital postings commonly advertise $35 to $50+ per hour depending on role, setting, and experience. RN pay is heavily collective-agreement driven in Ontario — most hospital nurses work under ONA contracts with step increases, shift premiums, and benefits baked in.

I am an RPN — how do I become an RN?

Several Ontario universities run RPN-to-BScN bridging programs that compress the degree for diploma-holding RPNs. After graduation, the CNO path is the standard one (NCLEX-RN, jurisprudence exam), and since the jurisprudence exam is the same for both categories, you will not rewrite it if yours is current. Your RPN registration can satisfy the evidence-of-practice and transition-to-practice requirements.

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