General
At present there is a large shortage of nurses in Canada, and this translates to mean that their are many positions available for anyone wishing to nurse in the country.
A work permit is required to nurse in Canada and an employer must first obtain this for you to practise as a nurse.
In general only those who have been accepted to migrate to Canada have a realistic chance of gaining employment. However some positions do become available and it may be worth the effort to look hard if you really want to go and nurse in this country.

Visas/work permits
Anyone wishing to enter Canada to work must have the relevant visa to do so.
Various forms of visas and work permits are available depending on your length of stay in the country and personal crudentials.
Excellent information and course of action in gaining such a visa is available from:

The Canadian High Commission,
Immigration Division,
38, Grosvenor Street,
London,
W1X 0AA

Or visit the Canadian High Commission website @ www.canada.org.uk

Getting Registered
During nurse training in the UK the main topic areas covered should have included medical, surgical, obstetric, paediatric and psychiatric nursing. Some of these areas may not have been covered depending on the course of study, and with relation to this, the various Canadian Provincial registration authorities will inform you of their application requirements.
If you are eligible under the Provincial registration authority, you will be asked to sit the Canadian Nurses' Association Test Service (CNATS) exam.

CNATS examnination
This examination is only held in Canada and is run four times a year, usually in January, June, August and October. Check with the relevant provincial authority as this may not always be the case.
The exam consists of around 300 multiple choice questions, and is divided into two books, one book is written in the morning and another is written in the afternoon. Three hours is given to complete each book.
Further information and guidelines concerning this exam is available on the Canadian Nurses' Association website @ www.cna-nurses.ca

Temporary Licences
Each Provincial authority has its own regulations on nursing temporary licences, and it may be possible in some Provinces to practise on a temporary licence until you pass the CNATS exam. In other cases a Temporary Licence will only be isssued after the exam has been taken. Again it is important to contact the relevant authority to find out their own procedure.