13 Best International nursing recruitment agencies in Canada

There are international nursing recruitment agencies in Canada and because of the increasing vacancies in the health care sector due to retirements, fluctuations, and burnout, these recruitment agencies for international nurses in Canada help facilities hire nurses to fill their needs.

Check out>>>31 Best International nursing recruitment agencies in the USA

Why choose a healthcare staffing agency?

There are many benefits of choosing these International nursing recruitment agencies in Canada. I have outlined some of them below:

  • Better Pay
  • Flexibility
  • Network of Facilities
  • Find Work Faster

The most important benefit of these International nursing recruitment agencies in Canada-especially for job seekers is the high pay. Agencies offer better pay to employees than facilities.

Also, With an agency, you have the control to choose your own schedule. You can work as much or as little as you want. Thereby making your job more flexible.

Most importantly, these International nursing recruitment agencies in Canada help you find a job faster.

Check out>>>>10 Hottest International nursing recruitment agencies in the UK(England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)

How the International nursing recruitment agencies in Canada work

For any agency to have an impact on your recruitment into any company in Canada, it means they already have had an existing partnership with the said country or company.

Irrespective of the agency policy or mission statement, almost every agency works/operates using the same procedure.

  • Firstly, the agencies are informed about vacancies by the companies, government, or their affiliates recruiters.

  • The agency then sources prospective and qualified employees for the job.

  • Then the agency shortlists the potential/or prospective employees, does the screening of their CVs, resumes, and portfolio then picks the best person for the job that must have met all the requirements.

  • Finally, the agency sets an interview between the employee and the company as directed by the company.

The List of International nursing recruitment agencies in Canada

  • Canadian Health Care Agency
  • Greenstaff Medical Canada
  • Solutions Staffing 
  • UMS Staffing Agency
  • Nurse Relief Inc

Canadian Health Care Agency

Canadian Health Care Agency provides high-quality nursing services to indigenous communities across Canada’s north. With over 20 years of excellent service, CHCA specializes in the recruitment and training of Advanced Practice Nurses. 

They currently have nurses operating in Northern Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and the Yukon.  They are ready to assist you with staffing needs in any of these locations or anywhere in Canada.

The Canadian Health Care Agency (CHCA) was founded in 2001 due to severe staffing shortages in Canada’s north.  

To assist with the shortages nurses were selected and trained to work in an advanced scope in order to provide the communities with the care they so desperately need.

485 Pinebush Road, Suite 203
Cambridge, Ontario
N1T 0A6

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Greenstaff Medical Canada 

Greenstaff Medical Canada is a specialist healthcare staffing agency that provides high-quality talents across the country and internationally.

They have a number of specialist nurses readily available nationwide across travel, international, perm & temporary work types.

Their team’s extensive experience within nurse staffing across Canada, combined with their industry knowledge means they understand the dynamic nature of their clients.

Greenstaff Medical Personnel is thoroughly screened and vetted to ensure provincial and regulatory practice requirements are adequately met.

They are reliable, experienced, resilient, and dedicated.

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Solutions Staffing 

Solutions Staffing is your connection to thousands of nursing and healthcare jobs littered across Canada.

As a healthcare professional, your skills and expertise are in high demand.

Your application with TravelNurse is your key to experiencing all that Canada has to offer – while never missing a paycheque! TravelNurse is a division of Solutions Staffing Inc.

As a firm, Solutions Staffing can help when you’re challenged with a shortage of:

  • Nurse Practitioners
  • Registered Nurses
  • Licensed Practical Nurses
  • Allied Healthcare Professionals

They help you minimize hidden costs in the nurse recruitment process.

Their nursing professionals are screened and they believe that investing in employees is the key to an organizations’ survival.

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UMS Staffing Agency

UMS is an organization that is devoted to servicing the staffing needs throughout the home-care and Health-care communities.

Their head office is in Toronto, Canada but they also have growing locations in Halifax and Nova Scotia.

They recruit and place highly experienced and skilled healthcare candidates who are properly screened and profiled to ensure that they are the appropriate fit for you.

The facilities that they staff save thousands of dollars every year by eliminating recruitment fees from their budget.

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Nurse Relief Inc

Nurse Relief Inc was established in the year 2001. They are one of the International nursing recruitment agencies in Canada that provide a pool of nurses that can cover urgent needs on a consistent basis.

Their healthcare staffing agency matches nurses on a temporary and permanent basis with health care facilities needing coverage for vacant positions, nurses on leave and emergencies throughout all of Canada including Edmonton, Alberta, St. Albert, and Sherwood Park, AB.

Therefore If you are:

  • Registered Nurse
  • Licensed Practical Nurse
  • Nurse Practitioner
  • Psychiatric Nurse
  • Personal Care Assistant

and you are interested in pursuing a career in independent practice and travel nursing, or if your health care facility needs flexible coverage for any of those positions, Nurse Relief Inc can help.

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Finally, with an agency, you will gain experience across different facilities and learn from different people. This inarguably will help you pick up new skills and develop the existing ones as well.

Other Nursing Recruitment Agencies in Canada

How to become a nurse in Canada

  • Obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing
  • Get your nursing license in Canada
  • Find a job as a nurse in Canada


1. Obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Most provincial and territorial nurses’ associations in Canada require potential nurses to have a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

As the first step in your journey to becoming a nurse, check with your province or territory’s nurses’ association or regulatory body for a list of approved nursing schools and programs in your area.


A Diploma of Collegial Studies program if you live in Quebec.

Quebec does not require a university degree in nursing but does require that you at least complete a 3-year Diploma of Collegial Studies (or DEC) program in nursing.

If you would prefer a university degree, another option is to get a 3-year Bachelor of Science (BAC) degree in nursing.

2. Get your nursing license in Canada

Here are the steps:

  • Apply to your provincial nurses’ association for assessment
  • Take the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX)
  • Meet the 4 basic requirements to be registered as a nurse in Canada

Apply to your provincial nurses’ association for assessment

Contact the regulatory body in your area to find out what steps you need to take to qualify for licensure in your region.

Most of these bodies will require you to take 1 or more licensing exams to demonstrate your competencies in the field of nursing.

For example, to begin the process of becoming a licensed nurse in Ontario, you must register with the College of Nurses of Ontario. In Quebec, all prospective nurses must apply to the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec

Take the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX).

Contact the regulatory body in your area to find out what steps you need to take to qualify for licensure in your region.

Most of these bodies will require you to take 1 or more licensing exams to demonstrate your competencies in the field of nursing.

For example, to begin the process of becoming a licensed nurse in Ontario, you must register with the College of Nurses of Ontario.

In Quebec, all prospective nurses must apply to the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (OIIQ).

Meet the 4 basic requirements to be registered as a nurse in Canada.

You must prove that you are fluent in written and spoken English or French, you have registration or the eligibility to register in the jurisdiction where you completed your nursing education program, you have Canadian Citizenship, Permanent Residency, or authorization to practice nursing under the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and that you have good character and suitability to practice.

As part of the assessment of your character and suitability, you will probably need to submit to a criminal record check

3. Find a job as a nurse in Canada

  • Craft a good resume
  • Search for nursing jobs in your area by yourself or through a recruitment agency

Craft a good resume.

A  strong resume is critical to getting a nursing job.

A resume is typically 1-3 pages long and consists of a summary of your career interests, education, and experience.

A nursing resume should include a brief statement of your career objectives, a summary of your education, a list of any honors and awards you have received, a summary of your work and clinical experience, and a list of any professional memberships/affiliations you have.

Search for nursing jobs in your area by yourself or through a recruitment agency

You can find Canadian nursing job postings on a variety of general and specialist job boards. Look for jobs for nurses with your qualifications, who are registered to work in your territory or province.

Nursing jobs in every territory or province in Canada are listed on the Canadian government’s Job Bank website, here: https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/home-eng.do?lang=eng.

There are also region-specific job boards for nursing and other healthcare jobs, such as the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario’s RNCareers website.

How do you immigrate to Canada to become a nurse?

  • Get your credentials assessed before applying for work.
  • Register as a nurse in the area where you wish to work
  • Apply for a nursing job and a work permit

Get your credentials assessed before applying for work.

To work as a nurse elsewhere in Canada, you must first follow a series of steps in order to qualify for a work permit.

As part of your assessment, you will likely be required to take the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX).

Contact the regulatory body in your preferred province or territory to find out how to qualify for the NCLEX.


Register as a nurse in the area where you wish to work.

After your credentials are assessed, you must register with either the Canadian Nurses Association (CAN) or the Canadian Council for Practical Nurse Regulators (CCPNR).

The procedure for registration varies depending on the territory or province in which you are planning to work.

Apply for a nursing job and a work permit.

Once you’re registered to work as a nurse in Canada, the next step is to secure a job offer.

You can search for nursing jobs in Canada using job search tools like the one here: https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-job-search-tool.html.

After receiving a job offer, you must obtain a work permit. You can apply for a work permit online or on paper. 

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2 comments

  1. Good day, I’m staying in South Africa working as an oncology specialist nurse. I want to relocate and find a job in Canada, can you assist me?

  2. Hi Joelle, thanks for your question.

    You can link up with any of the recruitment agencies listed above because their job is to source for prospective and qualified employees for nursing jobs in Canada. Some of them will help you with the visa and work permit processes.

    Alternatively, you can look for a trusted oversea work permit consultant in your home country for detailed guidelines.

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