There are many employment opportunities for people who are qualified to work as occupational therapists in Canada.

If you are an internationally trained occupational therapist and you meet the requirements of the province or territory or territory in which you would like to work, there are many resources available to help you explore employment opportunities.

The Government of Canada has a number of resources available to people who work in professions like occupational therapy.

We recommend:

• Going to Canada offers the Working in Canada Tool. It is an essential tool for newcomers to Canada.
• Citizenship Canada offers a newcomer’s introduction to finding a job and building a future.
• Service Canada provides a wealth of information about finding a job and many links to employment opportunities and job postings in the private and public sector.

You can also search for jobs that are listed by private sector web sites.

We recommend:

• The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
• Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
• MedHunters
• Workopolis
• Jobs in Canada
• Best Jobs Canada
• Allstar Jobs Canada
• Canadajobs

Getting help

If you are a newcomer to Canada and need help finding a job as an occupational therapist, there are many resources available to you.

We recommend:

• Job Bank, a web site by Service Canada that provides you with a number of career building tools, including tips on how to improve your resume, email alerts about available jobs, and job matching services.

In Canada, there are settlement agencies across the country that helps newcomers with basic support, including searching for a job. You may find this kind of support helpful in a number of ways.

We recommend:

• Jobs 4 Immigrant
• WelcomeBC
• Government of Alberta Settlement Services
• Government of Saskatchewan Community Partnerships and Settlement
• Immigrate to Manitoba
• Settlement.org (Ontario)
•  
• Immigration Quebec
• Government of New Brunswick
• PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada
• Nova Scotia Settlement Services
• Yukon Settlement Services
• About the Northwest Territories

Temporary work

If you are interested in working temporarily in Canada, there is information available to learn more about the requirements and opportunities available to you. Things you will want to think about are visa requirements and work permits. You may also want to explore working under an exchange program or through the North American Free Trade Agreement.

We recommend:

• Working in Canada

Registering to work

Occupational therapy is a regulated profession in most of Canada. Every occupational therapist, including internationally trained occupational therapists, must register with the regulatory organization in the province where they wish to work. An occupational therapist may not practise occupational therapy while they are waiting to hear about their registration status.

For those wishing to work in Canada please contact the following professional associations:

• Alberta Association of Registered Occupational Therapists (AAROT)
• College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC)
• College of Occupational Therapists of Manitoba (COTM)
• College of Occupational Therapists of Nova Scotia (COTNS)
• College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO)
• New Brunswick Association of Occupational Therapists (NBAOT)
• Newfoundland and Labrador Occupational Therapy Board (NLOTB)
• Ordre des ergothérapeutes du Québec (OEQ)
• Prince Edward Island Occupational Therapy Regulatory Board(PEIOTRB)
• Saskatchewan Society of Occupational Therapists (SSOT)
• Northern Association of Occupational Therapists (NAOT)
• Association of Yukon Occupational Therapists (AYOT)

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 test]() if you have not yet passed the national occupational therapy certification examination.