The Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) operates specialized health care programs within the province of British Columbia (B.C.). PHSA welcomes job applications and inquiries from nurses who currently live outside of Canada, and meet minimum position requirements.
Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Registered Psychiatric Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses who are eligible for licensure in British Columbia, Canada, may be considered for positions with PHSA at various sites across the province. Preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.
Read below to learn about applying for work in B.C. This page includes key information about both the application process and the requirements to become registered to work as a professional nurse in British Columbia.
Located on the west coast of Canada, B.C. is one of Canada's 10 provinces and three territories. With a population of around 4 million people, cities and towns are spread across the province, with plentiful forests, mountain ranges, lakes and rivers, and land. The capital of B.C. is Victoria, located on Vancouver Island, while the largest city is Vancouver, on the south-west of the province, and also the third-largest metropolitan area in the country. Just across the southern border is the United States of America (Washington and Oregon states). The province looks out over the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Rocky Mountains to the east.
B.C. offers many appealing opportunities for individuals, couples, and families to live, work, study, and play. Professionally, the province offers several post-secondary institutions for education and research, and PHSA is linked with these universities for teaching programs. For fun and families, people in B.C. enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing, boating, mountain biking, climbing year-round, skiing in winter, and in the Vancouver area, even golf is year-round! People also enjoy city lifestyle including shopping, fine dining, street markets, theatre, concerts, spectator sports, and more.
The Government of B.C. offers detailed information about working in the province, including determining registration eligibility, relocation assistance, funding opportunities, and more.
Visit the site, Nursing Jobs BC, to get started. In partnership with Health Match BC, there is a nurse services team who works to assess nurses' training and experience as equivalent to qualifications required to work as a RN/RPN/NP within B.C.
Once assessed, nurses who are qualified will be referred to the Talent Acquisition team at PHSA. This team will reach out to connect nurses with current job opportunities, along with information about PHSA's hiring process.
Nurses who are offered a position with PHSA (and who meet the registration eligibility requirements), must receive formal authorization to work in Canada. PHSA has an in-house immigration specialist available to support job candidates to complete the authorization process, and to provide general assistance with relocation to B.C. (for new employees and their families).
The BC Provincial Nominee Program is available to support PHSA and job candidates with the work authorization process. This program "nominates" individuals who hold a valid job offer, and then issues a letter to support a work permit. The letter is needed to apply for the initial work permit; the nomination starts the process to apply for permanent residency.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is an agency that provides detailed information to support relocating to Canada for work (for eligible individuals), and for applying to become a permanent resident of Canada. Visit the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website under Immigrate to Canada.
For more information, check out the Government of British Columbia's Welcome to BC: Information for Newcomer's guide.
Remedial and transitional education is available through the IEN Bursary. If you are registered in B.C. or in any other province, you would not be eligible for the IEN Bursary. However, if you hold active registration with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM), you maybe be eligible for bursaries through the BC Nurses Union (BCNU) and WorkBC.
If you are enrolled in a post-secondary institution, you may be eligible for other financial supports for nursing students including:
Stay up to date on the launch of a free IEN Mentorship Program, developed in partnership with the Canadian Association of School of Nursing to support an IEN's integration into the Canadian workforce by reducing transition stress.
PHSA is committed to recruiting and retaining the very best talent for all of our services, programs, and divisions. Relocation reimbursement of up to $5,000 may be available to candidates relocating from outside BC, according to specific criteria. Please contact careers@phsa.ca for more information.
