Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Pathway
Start your journey to the CAF Nurse Officer Program.
Program Background
In the autumn of 2025, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) requested NNAS’s assistance in implementing an assessment process to evaluate international nursing education for equivalency to Canadian nursing education, as no such process was previously in place.
NNAS was identified by the CAF as the sole assessor to complete international nursing education for the equivalency assessment required for the Nursing Officer occupation. NNAS is proud to support the CAF in breaking down barriers to entry by providing trusted credentialing services for internationally educated nurses seeking to contribute their expertise to the CAF.
Purpose of the CAF Pathway
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) requested NNAS’s assistance in implementing an assessment process to evaluate international nursing education for equivalency to Canadian nursing education, as no such process was previously in place. NNAS was identified by the CAF as the sole assessor to complete international nursing education for the equivalency assessment required for the Nursing Officer occupation.
NNAS is proud to support the CAF in breaking down barriers to entry by providing trusted credentialing services for internationally educated nurses seeking to contribute their expertise to the CAF.
Determine Your Application Pathway:
If you have previously applied to NNAS, please provide your NNAS identification number and confirm whether you consent to NNAS sharing your educational documents with CES for review.
If you have previously completed an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) with CES, please provide your CES report number and indicate whether the report was issued within the last five years.
You must also confirm whether you have completed any additional international nursing education, as NNAS will assess only your highest academic credential. If you have completed additional international education that was not included in your CES assessment and would like it to be assessed, please include this information in your NNAS application and follow the instructions for having your academic institution submit your credentials directly to NNAS.
If you have not completed an NNAS Advisory Report or had CES prepare an ECA report, you will be required to complete one of the following options:
Option 1:
If you have obtained an ECA report from an IRCC-approved provider within the last five years, you may request that the provider send a copy of your ECA report to us for review. Please note that if the report contains missing or incomplete information, you may be required to have the outstanding documentation sent directly to NNAS by your academic institution.
Option 2:
Arrange for your academic documents to be submitted directly to NNAS for assessment. Please note that NNAS will assess only your highest earned academic credential. While you are required to list all nursing education in your application, only your highest conferred credential will need to be sent to NNAS.
Applicant Handbook
Download the Applicant Handbook below for detailed guidance and resources tailored specifically for CAF members applying to verify their credentials.
Frequently Asked Questions
To be eligible to apply to the CAF Pathway applicants must meet the following mandatory requirements.
· Be an internationally educated nurse
· Hold the equivalent of a Canadian bachelor’s degree in nursing
· Hold a valid nursing license, in good standing, with a Canadian nursing regulatory body
The CAF credential report is designed to assess internationally educated nurses who have already completed the Canadian nursing licensure process with one of the Canadian nursing regulatory bodies. The assessment focuses on education verification and assessment while the NNAS expediated process is for educational verification and assessment as well as verification of international licensure requirements as required by the nursing regulatory bodies in Canada.
NNAS and the CAF are separate from each other with NNAS serving as a vendor to the CAF. NNAS was identified as the sole assessor to provide credentialling services to the CAF for internationally nursing education for those who have identified their interest in applying to the CAF.
NNAS contracts CES to assist with the verification of educational documents. CES collects the documentation required for the NNAS application. Once all documents are received, CES reviews and verifies the education documents and issues the report according to NNAS’ policies and standards.
· Two forms of valid identification, with at least one including a photo and signature.
· Proof of licensure in good standing with a Canadian nursing regulatory body.
· A document-by-document assessment completed within the last five years, sent directly by an IRCC-approved organization; or an official transcript of marks sent directly from the awarding institution.
On average reports will be issued within five business days from when the final document has been received.
Please note that NNAS is a credentialing organization, NNAS does not grant licenses and has zero decision making authority in acceptance into the Nurse Officer Program nor can we advocate on behalf of any applicant. Only the CAF has the authority to determine eligibility and acceptance into the CAF Nurse Officer Program.
No applicant refunds will be issued, as processing of the application begins once payment has been completed. Please review the No Refund of Application Policy for more information.
The CAF application fee is $550 CAD and is non-refundable.
No. The assessment for the CAF pathway and the assessment for the Expediated LPN/RN and Psychiatric Nurse pathways are fundamentally different and are not transferable between the pathways.
Please reach out to the NNAS Support Team at applicantnavigator@nnas.ca and we will be more than happy to assist you.