Salaries —
what you'll really earn
Canada pays by a fixed union grid — no bargaining, but also no "IEN discount." The USA pays by employer bands that vary enormously by state. Both numbers below are real market figures with sources, not a promise about what any one employer offers you.
Union wage grids — general-duty RN, acute care, full-time
Canada has no single national pay scale. Wages are set province-by-province through union collective agreements. There is no lower "IEN rate" — once licensed and hired into a unionized hospital job, you're placed on the same grid as any other newly licensed RN (Salaries — Canada, 2026).
| Province | Union | Hourly min | Hourly max | Annual min | Annual max | Steps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | UNA | $43.26 | $59.21 | $83,092 | $113,728 | 9 |
| British Columbia | BCNU | $41.42 | $55.91 | $80,760 | $109,020 | 10 |
| Saskatchewan | SUN | $38.58 | $50.07 | $75,185 | $97,576 | 6 |
| Manitoba | MNU | $41.73 | $51.20 | $84,092 | $103,160 | 8 |
| Ontario | ONA | $40.24 | $57.68 | $78,468 | $112,476 | 9 |
| Québec — CEGEP entry | FIQ | $28.86 | $46.27 | $56,472 | $90,539 | 18 |
| Québec — BScN entry | FIQ | $30.27 | $53.64 | $59,231 | $104,960 | 18 |
| New Brunswick | NBNU | $44.48 | $54.09 | $87,070 | $105,881 | 6 |
| Nova Scotia | NSNU | $40.55 | $49.99 | $79,079 | $97,483 | 8 |
| Prince Edward Island | PEINU | $39.52 | $49.37 | $77,064 | $96,272 | 6 |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | RNUNL | $39.39 | $49.06 | $76,810 | $95,671 | 6 |
All figures CAD, per hour and per year. CFNU, Nurse Contracts in Canada, Nov 2025, rates effective 2025-11-01.
Plain-language notes
- Alberta pays the most at both ends of the core RN grid, after a roughly 20% raise across 2024–2025 (CBC News, 2024).
- Québec pays two different rates for the same job, depending on whether you entered through a CEGEP diploma or a bachelor's degree. A bachelor's-equivalent credential enters the higher BScN track.
- A grid is a step ladder — you move up about one step per year of paid Canadian service. Ontario reaches the top in about 30 months.
- The catch: grid steps usually count Canadian years, not your years back home. Whether a hospital credits foreign experience is decided employer-by-employer — ask before you accept being verified per employer.
Extra pay on top of base
Night, evening, weekend, and on-call premiums are added on top of the grid. BC night +$5.00/hr, weekend +$3.50/hr; Manitoba's $5.75/hr weekend premium is the highest flat rate in Canada; Québec pays differentials as a percentage of base (14–18% nights). A steady night/weekend rotation commonly adds $5,000–$7,000 CAD/year (Salaries — Canada, 2026; Negotiation, 2025).
National cross-check (all settings): low/median/high = $30.00 / $43.27 / $54.37/hr. Nunavut and NWT pay the highest medians (≈$58/hr) — a remoteness premium, not an easier job (Job Bank Canada, 2025).
BLS wage data — the honest national picture
| Metric | Figure (USD) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| National mean RN wage | $101,420/yr ($48.76/hr) | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| National median RN wage | $93,600/yr ($45.00/hr) | BLS OOH, May 2024 |
| Lowest 10% | below $66,030/yr | BLS OOH, May 2024 |
| Highest 10% | above $135,320/yr | BLS OOH, May 2024 |
Use the median ($93,600) as the "typical nurse" number — the mean is pulled up by a small number of very high earners.
Highest-paying states (median)
California $133,990 · Hawaii $129,210 · Oregon $110,940 · Washington $107,720 · Alaska $106,410 · DC $105,220 · New York $104,570 · Connecticut $100,620 · New Jersey $100,160 · Massachusetts $99,730 (BLS, May 2023).
Lowest-paying states (median)
Alabama $65,900 · South Dakota $67,030 · Mississippi $69,370 · Florida $80,960 · New Hampshire $86,620 (BLS, May 2023).
Watch cost of living: California pays about 2x Alabama, but its cost of living runs about 28% higher. On a cost-adjusted basis, Oregon, Minnesota, and Washington actually beat California for real buying power, and Hawaii drops to last place despite ranking #2 on raw pay (Salaries — USA, 2026).
New-grad reality: roughly $66,000–$90,000/yr depending on region; structured residency programs average about $89,734/yr and often add a $5,000–$15,000 sign-on bonus being verified (ZipRecruiter, 2025; Salaries — USA, 2026).
How most IENs actually arrive in the USA — and the clause to watch
Big established international staffing agencies — Avant Healthcare, O'Grady Peyton International, Health Carousel/PassportUSA — typically offer EB-3 sponsorship (spouse + children under 21 included), flight, housing help, and licensure-cost coverage on 2–3 year contracts (Salaries — USA, 2026).
"Stay-or-pay" clauses
Many contracts make you repay recruitment/training/relocation costs if you leave early. Investigative reporting found these clauses reaching $20,000–$100,000, sometimes not prorated (Bloomberg Law, 2024–2025). In one federal case an agency was ordered to pay $660,000 in restitution after charging nurses ~$20,000 each to leave. Most placements finish fine — but get the exact repayment figure, and whether it's prorated, in writing before you sign. More on your exits in Protection.
Figures last reviewed 2026-07 · sources listed above · figures marked "being verified" should be confirmed with the named official source before you rely on them. Wages are market/sourced data, not a promise of what any employer will pay you.