NexaGH
8 May 2026

CGFNS CES Cost: Nigeria RN to Canada Licensure 2026

If you searched "CGFNS CES report fees for N&MC Ghana registered nurses 2026" and landed here as a Nigeria-trained nurse, the answer you need is similar but not identical. For 2026, the CGFNS Credentials Evaluation Service (Professional Report) costs USD 465, roughly NGN 720,000 at April 2026 rates, paid by card on the CGFNS Connect portal. Ghana N&MC nurses pay the same USD 465 base fee, plus separate verification handling on the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana side. For Nigeria nurses registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), the equivalent route to most Canadian provinces uses the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS), not CGFNS CES, and NNAS charges USD 650 (about NGN 1,005,000) for the standard application.

Picture this: you are an NMCN-registered RN in Port Harcourt with a husband working in oil services and two children in primary school. You want everyone in Calgary by late 2026, and you want your husband to work the day he lands. This post breaks down the real fees, the document trap most Nigeria applicants hit, and how spouse work rights actually unlock once your licensure path is in motion.

What Nigeria Nurses Actually Pay (Not Ghana N&MC Numbers)

Use this if your destination is Canada. CGFNS CES applies mainly if you are also writing NCLEX-RN for a US state or for Ontario through CNO's specific requirements. Most Nigeria nurses moving to Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, or Winnipeg will use NNAS first.

  1. NNAS application: USD 650, about NGN 1,005,000.
  2. NMCN verification fee: NGN 75,000 paid directly to NMCN through the portal at 8/9 Ijaye Road, Yaba, Lagos, plus the courier fee to send sealed transcripts to NNAS in Philadelphia. DHL from Lagos runs about NGN 95,000.
  3. IELTS Academic or CELBAN: IELTS at the British Council Ikoyi or Abuja centre costs NGN 195,000. CELBAN is not offered in Nigeria, so you will write IELTS unless you travel.
  4. Provincial regulator application (CARNA for Alberta, CNO for Ontario): CAD 525 to CAD 685 depending on province.
  5. NCLEX-RN registration: USD 200, about NGN 310,000. Pearson VUE delivers NCLEX in Nigeria at the Lagos centre on Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, and a smaller Abuja location.

Total realistic spend before you board a flight: NGN 2.4 to 2.8 million per applicant.

The NMCN Verification Hazard Nobody Warns You About

NMCN's verification turnaround is the single biggest risk to your timeline. The Council requires you to physically visit the Yaba office or your state office to initiate verification, and the sealed envelope must go directly from NMCN to NNAS. They will not release it to you. Plan for 10 to 16 weeks for this step alone. If your nursing school is older than 2005 or has changed names, transcripts can take an additional 6 weeks because the Council cross-checks the original index number manually.

Start verification before you even register for IELTS. This is the order most Lagos-trained nurses get wrong.

Spouse Work Rights: The Part That Changes Everything

Here is why this pathway is worth the cost. Once you receive a job offer from a Canadian employer and apply for a work permit under the Express Entry or Provincial Nominee Stream, your husband becomes eligible for an open work permit (OWP) as your accompanying spouse. Open means he can work for any employer in Canada, full-time, from day one. He does not need a job offer, a labour market impact assessment, or his own credential evaluation.

Your children also receive study permits at no additional government processing fee when filed alongside your application, and they attend public school in Calgary or Edmonton tuition-free as dependants of a work permit holder.

This is the leverage point: your nursing licence is not just your career, it is your family's full legal status in Canada. An oil services husband from Port Harcourt who would struggle to qualify on his own credentials walks straight into the Alberta job market on your OWP.

Your Next 90 Days

  1. Open your NNAS account and pay the USD 650.
  2. Visit NMCN Yaba (or your state branch) to initiate verification, bring two passport photos, your original licence, and your school transcript request letter.
  3. Book IELTS Academic at British Council. Target overall 7.0, writing 6.5 minimum for CARNA.
  4. Identify your destination province. Alberta processes faster than Ontario in 2026.
  5. Begin NCLEX-RN prep using UWorld or Archer. Pearson VUE Lagos books out 4 to 6 weeks ahead.

Ready to map your exact timeline and budget? Compare full pathways at nexagh.com/pathways or book a one-on-one strategy call at [nexagh.com/booking.html](https://nexagh.com/

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