Requirements for Licensure (Entry into the Nursing Profession)
For licensing as a registered Nurse in the Province of Quebec, requests must be addressed to the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (OIIQ) (Order of Nurses of Quebec):
- Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec
- 4200, rue Molson
- Montreal QC H1Y 4V4
- Telephone: 514-935-2501; 1-800-363-6048 (toll-free)
- Email: inf [at] oiiq.org
- Website:
The Order of Nurses of Quebec administers the professional examination for graduates planning to work in Quebec; graduates from the Ingram School of Nursing who completed high school before 1986 from an English Quebec high school or from an English high school outside of Quebec, must pass a French Language Proficiency Licensure Examination administered by the Office québécois de la langue française, in accordance with Article 35 of the Charter of the French Language. Students who obtained their Quebec high school diplomas after 1986 or who studied at least three years full-time in French at the secondary or post-secondary level are not required to write the French language examination. Information about the examination can be obtained at . Students are eligible to write the French Language Proficiency test in the last two years preceding completion of their degree in Nursing.
It is to the students' advantage to write their Professional Examination for Licensing with the OIIQ since it is an approved examination under the Mutual Recognition Agreement on Labour Mobility for Registered Nurses in Canada. As these agreements can change from year to year, students are encouraged to contact the licensing body directly.
For students wishing to be licensed in provinces outside Quebec or in other countries, consult the licensing body of that site. Generally, licensure is required in the jurisdiction in which the nursing program is completed. Once this has been received, reciprocal arrangements for licensure in other jurisdictions may be made. Graduates may have to write more than one licensure examination. Therefore, it is recommended that graduates contact the jurisdiction in which they plan to practice nursing early in the program.
International students are strongly urged to contact the licensing body of the country in which they intend to practice as early as possible in order to have complete information on the requirements for license.