In Canada, occupational therapy is a regulated profession. The only places in Canada that currently do not require occupational therapists to be registered are the territories of northern Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut)

If you are a graduate of an international occupational therapy program and have successfully registered to practise in Canada, some provincial regulatory organizations will allow you to work with a provisional license if you have not yet passed the national occupational therapy certification examination.

Depending on the province in which you plan to work, you may be granted a provisional license if you can prove that you are eligible to write the national occupational therapy certification examination. A regulatory organization may accept as proof the letter that you receive from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapy called the “Statement of Candidacy to Write the Exam”. You may also be required to prove that you plan to write the next available sitting of the national occupational therapy certification examination. If you do not pass the examination the first time, you may be allowed to continue to work with a provisional license while you wait to write it a second time. Consult the regulatory organization you are registering with for more information.

If you are granted a provisional license to practise, it is likely that the provincial regulatory organization will require you to be supervised by an occupational therapist who is fully registered. This supervision will continue until you meet the full requirements of registration.

Rules vary according to province, but you can expect that you and your supervising occupational therapist will be requested to fill out forms. Time and costs for this may also vary. Contact the regulatory organization in the province you plan to work in for more details.

You may be required to write the CAOT’s national occupational therapy certification examination. If you are, once you have completed it you will be required to notify the regulatory organization where you are registered to practise. When you [provide your documentation]() to the regulatory organization, your provisional license status will be reviewed in advance of your full registration being granted.