Evidence of one of the following:
- The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) — test must be within the last two years, IBT only: Overall score of 76 with no score lower than 20 in Speaking and Listening and no score lower than 18 in Reading and Writing.
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic or General — test must be within the last two years: Overall score of 6 with a minimum of 6 in Speaking and Listening and no score lower than 5.5 in Reading and Writing.
- Canadian Language Benchmark Placement Test (CLB PT) — test must be within the last one year: Listening 7, Speaking 7, Reading 6 and Writing 6.
- Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP-General): test within the last two years listening 7, Speaking 7, Reading 6 and Writing 6
- Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL) test within the last two years: Overall Score of 60, with no section less than 50.
In cases where applicants already hold Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) results (testing with the last 2 years), the following minimum scores will be accepted: Speaking 7, Listening 7, Reading 6, Writing 6.
Additional Criteria – English Language Competency Requirements
To confirm the appropriate level of English proficiency, Language Instruction for Newcomers (LINC) Report Cards (also may be known as ESL Student Progress Reports) would need to specify that an applicant’s current language level (“CLB levels now”), as “Completing” CLB Speaking 7, Listening 7, Reading 7 and Writing 7 AND that the “Recommended Class Placement for Next Term/Course” as Speaking 8, Listening 8, Reading 8 and Writing 8.
It is important for educational institutions to have a process in place to confirm that the CLB PT has been conducted by a qualified assessor at a licensed site. Please find information about HCA English Language Proficiency Tests and Authorized Assessment Centre Locations at the following link:
https://www.cachwr.bc.ca/Documents/Educators/English-Language-Competency_HCA-Program-Entry_2018.aspx
To support educational institutions in ensuring applicants meet Registry English language competency requirements, the following criteria have been put into place:
- To achieve functional language proficiency and be termed as a speaker of English as a first language, one would require seven (7) years of education in a listed country with English language systems/institutions (see list provided below). These years could be acquired in either a consecutive or non-consecutive manner. If, however, these years were all consecutive and inclusive of only secondary or post-secondary education in an English-speaking environment, the number of years to be considered as a speaker of English as a first language could be achieved in a period of three (3) years.
- To ensure consistency and quality assurance in student program entry, institution-created tests are not acceptable for the assessment of applicants whose first language is not English at this time.[1]
The Registry has established the following list of countries as those with English language systems/institutions.
Countries with English language systems / institutions (where English is a primary, official language and the language used for education)
| American Samoa | Dominica | Mauritius | Turks and Caico Islands |
| Anguilla | Falkland Islands | Montserrat | Uganda |
| Antigua | Fiji | New Zealand | United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) |
| Australia | Ghana | Nigeria | United States of America (USA) |
| Bahamas | Grenada | Seychelles | US Virgin Islands |
| Barbados | Guam | Singapore | |
| Belize | Guyana | South Africa | |
| Bermuda | Irish Republic | St. Kitts and Nevis | |
| British Virgin Islands | Jamaica | St. Lucia | |
| Cayman Island | Kenya | St. Vincent | |
| Canada* | Malta | Trinidad and Tobago | |
*Applicants educated in Quebec at an institution where the language of instruction was not English, must meet the current English language proficiency requirements.
