jasonk944

Can anyone tell me what is the best way to immigrate to BC from the
UK. I am a nurse and want to know if I should go through the normal
immigration chanels or if I can get fast tracked somehow. My husband
would also have to be able to work in Canada.

Thanks

zico

Go to the U.S. They have a fast track for nurses.

dingbat

Although they now get good pay here, you do realise that you have to practically re-train in this province don't you? They do not accept foreign trained nurses without a moan and a groan and insist that you complete a load of courses before you can register with this lot:

http://www.rnabc.bc.ca/

You cannot work in BC as a nurse without registration; the problem is that they do not recognise the UK style on-the-job training as such. You have to get a transcript showing all the courses you took - so depending on when and where you qualified as an RN this might prove tricky. I am not a nurse but my friend out here is/was - she came from Nottingham in 2000 as a trained midwife with 12 years midwifery + palliative care experience, and was refused registration because she didn't have a degree or proof of "courses" they recognise as equivalent here. She had all her RN papers etc, but she qualified in 1988 after three years training at St.Georges in Tooting. The RNABC were quite insulting and said her training was not up to Canadian standards. (This is B.S. by the way). She went home, then went out the States, did the year cross-over thing and now earns a bomb. New nurses here cannot get full time jobs for quite a while. You are classed as casual on-call in most hospitals until you build seniority (Union has a stranglehold) - the names of the hospitals I know are BC Womens and Childrens, VGH, Eagle Ridge, Royal Columbian Hospital, St.Pauls, St.Mary's Surrey Memorial....take your pick. I'd call the RNABC and quiz them directly in respect of your personal qualifications. Personally, in your position, I'd go to the States. You can always come into Canada after you have worked there.