MyCLHA
LPNs
This page is for applicants from other Canadian provinces, Alberta nursing students, and applicants from outside of Canada. If this does not apply to you, please take our applicant quiz to find out which application pathway you should use.
To work or accept employment in Alberta, Canada, HCAs must have registration and a valid practice permit from the CLHA.
Substantial Equivalence Assessment
A Substantial Equivalence Assessment (SEA) is a standardized, rigorous, and transparent evaluation of the education of health care providers who did not graduate from an approved Alberta HCA Program.
Nursing students who wish to work as an HCA apply through the substantial equivalence pathway, which is described on this page. Nursing student applicants will be required to demonstrate that they have successfully completed enough programming to support meeting the Entry Level Competencies for HCAs, which include clinical practice.
Applicants will be required to complete the requirements below and pay the $100 application fee. All nursing students will require official transcripts sent in by their post-secondary institution. Applicants may require additional documentation if requested to support verification of entry level HCA competencies.
Provisional Registration
Provisional registration allows international applicants who have been approved by the CLHA to write the Alberta HCA Registration Examination (AHRE) to work as an HCA under supervision while waiting to write the exam.
Members with a Provisional practice permit are recognized as a Health Care Aide and may carry out the activities that they are competent to perform.
Upon approval of your Provisional application, you will receive a final invoice. This invoice covers the cost of a Provisional practice permit and writing the AHRE. This invoice must be paid in full before a practice permit will be issued. For a list of current fees please see: Fee Schedule
You can look up the expiry date for your Provisional permit on your MyCLHA account. You may extend your Provisional registration up to a maximum of one year from the date it was initially issued. After one year, or if a Provisional registrant chooses not to extend their permit, the registration will not be renewed. If you choose not to extend your Provisional permit, you will forfeit any remaining time you could hold a Provisional permit.
Upon successful completion of the AHRE, the HCA holding a Provisional practice permit is automatically placed on the General register.
Review Application Requirements Before You Apply
As an international applicant, you will need to prepare the following before you can submit a completed application to the CLHA.
All education is reviewed to make sure it meets the basic knowledge and skills needed to become an HCA. See the Entry-Level Competencies for HCAs for more information.
See our Registration Requirements policy for more information about registration requirements.
Please ensure that you have included your first and last name as it appears in your MyCLHA profile and application, in your correspondence with CLHA.
- $100 Substantially Equivalent Competency Assessment application fee: see Fee Schedule for more information.
- Criminal Record Check completed through Backcheck.
- Two forms of valid ID: see List of Valid ID for more information.
- Evidence of completion of an HCA program outside of Alberta or other formal education that would be deemed substantially equivalent. This may include verification of course completion from schools, an education credential assessment, or a National Nursing Assessment Service Report.
- Verification of Registration: for all regulatory bodies for which the applicant is currently or formerly registered as a healthcare provider.
- Applicants must meet: English Language Requirements
- Evidence of current practice. See the Actively Engaged Requirements for Registration policy.
- Evidence of professional liability insurance must be provided prior to an active practice permit being issued, see: Professional Liability Insurance for more information.
- Completion of the Understanding HCA Professional Regulation module.
How to Apply
- Create your account on MyCLHA. To submit an application, you must have an account with MyCLHA.
- Once logged in, select APPLY under Provisional to begin the Substantially Equivalent provisional application. If you select the wrong application type, this will result in delays.
- Submit the application and pay the $100 application fee. You must fill out every field of your application.
- If your paid application has any missing requirements, the CLHA will contact you within five business days.
- You will receive a decision letter and final invoice for your permit fee and cost of the AHRE within ten business days of all application requirements being met. You will need to meet all application requirements before you receive a decision letter.
- You will receive information on how to register for the AHRE within ten business days of your invoice being paid. You are not eligible to write the AHRE until your application has been approved for Provisional Registration. Please note that the AHRE cannot be challenged in Alberta.
We encourage all applicants to check their requirements through their MyCLHA account regularly. Monitoring your application status is important. Please remember, it is your responsibility to ensure that all necessary documents are submitted to the CLHA.
- Applications received with payment will be reviewed within five business days.
- Completed applications will be processed with a decision letter within ten business days.
- A practice permit will be issued immediately upon receipt of payment.
- Applications and related components stay active for six months. Applications that have not been completed in this time will become dormant. If documents provided are older than six months, you may be required to provide updated documents.
If you don’t meet registration requirements, a decision letter will be issued to you outlining the reasons you do not meet requirements. In the decision letter, options may be made available to you.
Request for Review – Should you wish to seek a review of the registration decision, you may do so by submitting a request for review within 30 days to the attention of Shelley MacGregor, Deputy Registrar. Please indicate the reasons for the request, any supporting documentation to support your request, and a review fee of $350.
We are currently experiencing high call volumes. While we will strive to meet our service standard timelines, there may be some unavoidable delays.
Applicants and registrants can expect these standards when interacting with the Registration Department at the CLHA.
- Phone calls will be returned within two business days.
- Emails will be returned within three business days.
- Applications received with payment will be reviewed within five business days.
- Completed applications will be processed with a decision letter within ten business days.
- Invoices for approved applications will be available when the decision letter is issued.
- A practice permit will be issued immediately upon receipt of the final invoice payment.
The Registration Service Standards policy outlines registration service standards at the CLHA.