Applicants Registered as a Social Worker in a Canadian Province (other than Ontario), the Northwest Territories or the Yukon

Are you a registered social worker practising in Canada who is interested in practising electronically only in Ontario?

Social workers registered in good standing in another Canadian province or territory who want to deliver social work services in Ontario, exclusively by electronic means, may apply for registration with the OCSWSSW and pay a reduced fee.

Click here to learn more about practising electronically in Ontario, including the application process.

The Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009 states that an applicant currently registered as a social worker with a Canadian social work regulatory authority1 is eligible to become registered in Ontario without any “material additional training, experience, examinations or assessments”, provided that they meet certain criteria for registration.

Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009

The Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009, facilitates the process of becoming registered to practise a regulated occupation in Ontario, including social work, for those who are already registered to practise that occupation in another Canadian province or territory. In the case of applicants who are currently registered as social workers by the Alberta or Saskatchewan social work regulatory authority, the College will also assess their academic qualifications as permitted by an exception approved by the Ontario Government under the labour mobility chapter of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.²

How to apply

Please ensure you first read all information related to the requirements for registration found on the Information for All Applicants webpage.

Applicants registered as a social worker in another Canadian province or territory can apply through the College’s Online Portal.

Once you have submitted your application, the College will contact you if more information is required. Once the College has all your documents, it typically takes four to six weeks to process your application. The process may take longer if the College requires more information. Documents submitted to the College become property of the College.

If you have questions about the application process, please email the Registration Department at registration@ocswssw.org.

Footnotes:

  1. “Canadian social work regulatory authority” means a body that is authorized, under an Act of a Canadian province or the Northwest Territories or the Yukon, to issue a certificate of registration, licence or permit which attests to the individual being qualified to practise the profession of social work and authorizes the individual to practise the profession of social work or to use a title or designation relating to the profession or both.
  2. The Ontario Government approved an exception to the labour mobility chapter of the Agreement on Internal Trade for social workers registered in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The Canadian Free Trade Agreement, which came into force on July 1, 2017, replaced the Agreement on Internal Trade. Here is the link to the exception: https://workersmobility.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Social-Workers-ON.pdf.