Hi guys,
As of now, there are no information as to CNO's decision about accepting NCLEX Registration. They had a meeting September 18, 2014 (I believe) and have not posted anything yet on the website. On the other hand, (CRNBC) British Columbia has apparently made that decision, and if I understood right, it says that they will accept NCLEX Registration in lieu of writing CRNE; however, they require you to pass the other requirements such as application form, NNAS (Credentials Assessment like CGFNS I assume) etc.
I'd like to share my experiences and hope that people will benefit from this. I am from Calgary, Alberta and that's where I initially applied to be an RN. Their process, together with CRNBC is somehow complex. Back in 2010 up to 2013, their assessment (from most people I know) was that most Baccalaureate Degree holder in Nursing from the Philippines especially the ones that didn't have enough experience practicing nursing gets evaluated as -- 4 yrs of nursing in Philippines is equal to just 2 years in Alberta. They will give you an option to go back to school for 3 years or few months of schooling to be LPN. I can explain further on that if anyone cares to know.
To make the long story short, I decided to have my credentials evaluated in Ontario as I heard they are less strict in assessing applicants. In Ontario, you have to do 2 applications. One for RPN and another RN. Most nursing degree holder from the Philippines, regardless of experience, are allowed to write the RPN test. However, if you applied for RN, that's when it gets confusing. If you graduated or had a job less than 3 years prior application, then that's when you get a letter saying you need to take OSCE. I did not take OSCE so I am not the best source for that. All I know is you get to be tested both written and Practical (role playing i heard). Now, if you have Master's Degree in Nursing from Philippines or such, chances are you don't even have to do OSCE. You just have to write the CRNE. On the other hand, if you have neither the experience nor the Master's degree and you've graduated more than 3 years ago, then you are most likely be asked to go back to school. Some Internationally Educated Nurse (IEN) programs are between 18mos-3 years depending which school.
Hopefully, their new process as of August 2014 is a lot better and improved than their old ones. Application fees have doubled since I started trying to get my RN license back in 2009. I hope their service have gone better too.