Internationally Educated Nurses from Designated Countries Can Now Access Expedited Application Pathway 

WINNIPEG (March 10, 2025) – Today, the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba (College) announced the immediate implementation of an expedited registration process for eligible internationally educated nurses (IENs) who were educated and have practiced in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. 

Under the new pathway, applicants who meet eligibility criteria will be required to complete a self-paced online course at Red River College Polytechnic, pass the NCLEX-RN licensing exam, and complete 250 hours of transitional practice. This has the potential to significantly shorten the time to registration for applicants from international jurisdictions that have been shown to have substantial comparability in education and scope of registered nursing practice. 

“Today’s announcement marks another milestone in the College’s ongoing efforts to streamline and modernize our application processes, all while maintaining patient safety as a top priority,” said Deb Elias, CEO/Registrar of the College. “This new process further demonstrates the College’s commitment to working with our partners in the health system and in government to safely and effectively meet health human resource objectives in Manitoba.” 

This change is the latest in a series of substantial changes implemented by the College focused on streamlining application processes for internationally educated nurses since 2022. These changes have provided a dramatic increase in flexibility for applicants in meeting language proficiency requirements, currency of practice requirements, and in demonstrating comparability of nursing education and clinical competencies as shown here. The College will continue to monitor the results of this new expedited process to identify potential improvements and ensure alignment with its public protection mandate. 

For more information on the new expedited process for IENs from the designated countries list, please visit the IEN application page. 

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Media inquiries:

Martin Lussier
Manager of Communications & Public Engagement
204-789-0662
mlussier@crnm.mb.ca 

Additional Information

• Frequently Asked Questions – Expedited IEN Application Pathway
• Application Package – Expedited Registration Pathway for IENs
• Application Package – Standard Registration Pathway for IENs
• IEN Applicant Handbook
• Red River College Polytechnic – NRSG-1012 Registered Nurse Practice
• Updates to IEN Application Process (since 2022)
• NNAS Expedited Service