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| English: Warrior Transition Battalion squad leaders, platoon sergeants, occupational therapists, and physical therapists from Forts Stewart, Eustis, Polk, Leonard Wood, Bliss, Knox, Meade and the Warrior Transition Center in Virginia converged on Winn Army Community Hospital's Warrior Transition Battalion for a Train the Trainer Clinic, Sept. 21-23. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
(3143) Verified: 2011 10 05
Information on requirements to practise
The profession of occupational therapists is regulated in the provinces of Canada. This means that it is illegal to practise the profession or use the title of occupational therapist without being registered as a full member in a provincial regulatory body (see list below). These regulatory bodies are responsible for setting the standards for entry into the profession and for registering those who meet established standards of qualifications and practice.
In the territories (Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon), occupational therapists must be eligible to sit for the certification exam administered by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT).
Once you know where you will settle and work, you should contact the appropriate regulatory body or CAOT for further information. The contact information for CAOT is as follows:
- Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT)
- CTTC Building
1125 Colonel By Drive, Suite 3400 - Ottawa ON
K1S 5R1 Canada - Phone : 613-523-2268
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-434-2268
- Fax : 613-523-2552
- Email : exam@caot.ca
- http:/
/ www.caot.ca/
Information on assessment of qualifications
Although the provincial regulatory bodies of occupational therapists will provide information on how foreign credentials are evaluated once you are in Canada, most are not set up to assess foreign credentials before you arrive in Canada. Some regulatory bodies have made arrangements with evaluation services to perform the assessment of foreign credentials. You need to contact the appropriate regulatory body of occupational therapists directly (see list below) to find out about assessment procedures. The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists can also provide information on assessments.
You should note that if you are already licensed to practise your occupation in a province or territory of Canada, and later wish to work in a non-regulated occupation, employers may request that you provide them with a formal assessment of your academic credentials.
If that is the case, or if you wish to have your credentials assessed for a purpose other than practising a regulated occupation in Canada, you may consult our Fact Sheet No. 2, "Assessment and recognition of credentials for the purpose of employment in Canada" and contact an academic credential evaluation service. Although evaluation services offer expert advice on how qualifications obtained abroad compare with academic credentials obtained in Canada, their evaluations are advisory only and do not guarantee recognition of your qualifications for employment or certification purposes in Canada. Please note that evaluation services charge a fee for their assessments.
Information on assessment for immigration purposes, under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is an immigration program administered by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the department responsible for immigration to Canada.
CIC has listed this profession (NOC 3143) as an eligible occupation under the FSWP. To apply for immigration to Canada under this program, one of the requirements* is to obtain an “Educational Credential Assessment” (ECA) for immigration purposes from a CIC-designated organization. We invite you to communicate directly with one of the designated organizations to begin this process from outside Canada.
*It is important to note that this requirement is for immigration purposes only. It is separate from the process to obtain a license to practice from the relevant regulatory body listed below. Obtaining a license to practice is not required to apply for immigration.
Other relevant information
For a general description of duties and employment requirements, you can refer to the information prepared by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada regarding:
Specific Provincial/Territorial Information
- Alberta
- British Columbia:
- British Columbia Welcome BC
- British Columbia Work BC
- Manitoba
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario:
- Quebec
- Saskatchewan
Alberta
- Alberta College of Occupational Therapists (ACOT)
- 300, 10436 – 81 Avenue
- Edmonton AB
T6E 1X6 Canada - Phone : 780-436-8381
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-561-5429
- Fax : 780-434-0658
- Email : info@acot.ca
- http:/
/ www.acot.ca/
British Columbia
- College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC)
- 645 Fort Street, Suite 219 Yarrow Bldg
- Victoria BC
V8W 1G2 Canada - Phone : (250) 386-6822
- Phone (alternate): 1 (866) 386-6822
- Fax : (250) 383-4144
- Email : registration@cotbc.org
- http:/
/ www.cotbc.org/
Manitoba
- College of Occupational Therapists of Manitoba (COTM)
- #7 - 120 Maryland Street
- Winnipeg MB
R3G 1L1 Canada - Phone : 204-957-1214
- Phone (alternate): 1-866-957-1214
- Fax : 204-775-2340
- Email : otinfo@cotm.ca
- http:/
/ www.cotm.ca/
New Brunswick
- New Brunswick Association of Occupational Therapists (NBAOT)
- P.O. Box 3122
- Sackville NB
E4L 4P2 Canada - Phone : 506-536-4394
- Phone (alternate): 1-888-896-2244
- Fax : 506-364-8464
- Email : registrar@nbaot.org
- http:/
/ www.nbaot.org/
Newfoundland and Labrador
- Newfoundland and Labrador Occupational Therapy Board (NLOTB)
- P.O. Box 23076, RPO Churchill Square
- St. John's NL
A1B 4J9 Canada - Phone : 709-697-4920
- Fax : 709-383-0135
- Email : registrar@nlotb.ca
- http:/
/ www.nlaot.ca/ board/ index.asp
Nova Scotia
- College of Occupational Therapists of Nova Scotia (COTNS)
- 6960 Mumford Road, Suite 2132B
- Halifax NS
B3L 4P1 Canada - Phone : 902-455-0556
- Phone (alternate): 1-877-455-0556
- Fax : 902-455-0621
- Email : admin@cotns.ca
- http:/
/ www.cotns.ca/
Ontario
- College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario
- 20 Bay Street, Suite 900, P.O. Box 78
- Toronto ON
M5J 2N8 Canada - Phone : 416-214-1177
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-890-6570
- Fax : 416-214-1173
- Email : info@coto.org
- http:/
/ www.coto.org/
Prince Edward Island
- Prince Edward Island Occupational Therapists Registration Board (PEIOTRB)
- P.O. Box 2248, Stn. Central
- Charlottetown PE
C1A 8B9 Canada - Phone : (902) 894-1266
- Fax : (902) 894-2062
- Email : rbregistrar@peiot.org
- http:/
/ www.peiot.org/ indexrb.html
Quebec
- Ordre des ergothérapeutes du Québec (OEQ)
- 2021, avenue Union, bureau 920
- Montréal QC
H3A 2S9 Canada - Phone : 514-844-5778
- Phone (alternate): 1 800 265-5778
- Fax : 514-844-0478
- Email : ergo@oeq.org
- http:/
/ www.oeq.org/
Saskatchewan
- Saskatchewan Society of Occupational Therapists (SSOT)
- P.O. Box 9089
- Saskatoon SK
S7K 7E7 Canada - Phone : 306-956-7768
- Fax : 306-242-7941
- Email : admin@ssot.sk.ca
- http:/
/ www.ssot.sk.ca/
