Graduates of a Social Service Work Diploma Program from a College of Applied Arts and Technology in Ontario

Apply Online through the College’s Online Portal

• If you are applying for registration with the College for the first time, create an online account. You will need an active email address to create the account. We recommend using a personal (non-work) email address as all future College correspondence will be sent to this email address.
• If you are a previous applicant or current registrant applying for the other certificate of registration, access the Online Portal with the preferred email address on file at the College.
• Visit the Online Portal webpage for more information on how to create or access your account.

Complete the Online Application and pay the application fee

• Once you have created or accessed your  Online Portal account, click on the “Apply” tab at the top of the screen and select “Register as a Social Service Worker”.
• After you submit your application and pay the application fee, you will receive an email acknowledging receipt of the application.

The “Documents” section of the online application has all of the documents you need to complete or request.

Transcripts

• An official transcript, which must be sent to the College directly from the academic institution, not uploaded by the applicant.
•  The transcript must confirm the degree that was awarded and the date it was awarded.
• The College will only accept transcripts sent directly from the academic institution. They can send it by mail, email or through third party platforms (such as MyCreds™ or Parchment).  More information on how transcripts must be sent to the College can be found on the Transcript Requirements webpage.

Required document(s) that applicants must provide

• Copy of your Change of Name Certificate, Marriage Certificate or other evidence of legal name change (only required if the name you are applying under is different than the name on your supporting documents).
• Copy of your vulnerable sector check completed within six months before the date of application. For more information, visit the Vulnerable Sector Check webpage.

Required documents that applicants who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents must provide

• Copy of a valid work/study permit
• Completed and signed Undertaking, Agreement and Acknowledgement

More information can be found under the “Eligibility to work in Canada” section of the Registration Requirements webpage.

The College will review applications once they have been submitted and the $100 application fee has been paid.

If your application is incomplete or is missing any necessary information or documents, you will be contacted by email.

Only complete applications will be considered for registration. An application is considered complete when:

• All sections of the application have been filled in.
• The $100 application fee has been received.
• All required supporting documents, such as transcripts, have been received and approved.

Processing Times

The College typically processes this type of application within four to six weeks after receiving and confirming all the required documents. Visit the Factors That Can Potentially Delay Application Processing Times webpage for more information on the circumstances that can delay application processing times.

Should I submit any supporting documents prior to submitting my application for registration?

No. We advise you to upload all your supporting documents when you complete and submit your application in the portal.

Can the College expedite the processing of my application? I have a job offer.

To ensure fairness and equal treatment to all applicants, we process all applications in the order they are completed. We recommend applying for registration at least four to six weeks in advance of any potential job start dates.

If you have a job offer, we recommend that you communicate the College’s timelines to your potential employer.

I started my application but did not complete my submission. Can I resume it or do I need to restart the process?

Yes, you can resume your application. Log into your Online Portal account  and follow these steps to resume your application:

• Click on the “Apply” tab at the top of the screen and select “Register as a Social Worker”.
• Click on “Resume Application” button to continue where you left off.

Can I update my profile or upload supporting documents once I have submitted my application?

Yes. You can update your personal or business information in the Online Portal at any time. You can also upload supporting documents under the “Documents” section of your open application.

I made a mistake on my application. Can I edit my application?

You can make edits or changes if your application is in “Draft” or “Validated” status. If your application is in “Submitted” or “In process”, you can no longer edit it. At this stage, your application is read-only.

If you need to make any corrections to your application after it has been submitted, contact the College at registration@ocswssw.org.

How do I know if my application was successfully submitted?

To check if your application was successfully submitted, log into the Online Portal and navigate to the “My Applications” section under your profile name and look at the “Status reason” column. If the status reason is “Submitted”, your application has been successfully submitted. 

How do I know if the College has reviewed my supporting documents?

To check the status of your supporting documents, follow these steps:

• Log into the Online Portal and g navigate to the “Documents – Open Applications” section under the profile name.
• Check the document status under the “Status Reason” column:
  • New – document has not been received or it is pending staff review.
  • Approved – document has been reviewed by staff and found compliant.
  • Non-Compliant – document has been reviewed by staff and found non-compliant.

Please allow 5-10 business days for processing of documents after submission date before contacting the College for updates.

Can I apply to the College if I have a work/study permit?

Yes, you can apply to the College if you are authorized under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to legally work or study in Canada. You must submit a copy of your valid work permit issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) with your application. Start the application process with the College after you have obtained the work or study permit from IRCC.

Your permit must state that you are allowed to work without restrictions. If your permit restricts you from working in health services, you will not meet the requirement to practise social work or social service work in Ontario.

What is the cost of registration with the College?

Please review the registration fee chart for more information.

How do I know if my payment was successful?

If your payment was successful, you will receive an email notification. Additionally, once the payment has been successfully processed, your receipt will be available to download in the Online Portal.

I graduated this year. Why do I have to wait until I convocate to apply for registration with the College?

Only those with specific academic qualifications are eligible for registration with the College.  You must wait until post-convocation to order your transcript as it must show that the degree has been awarded and the date it was awarded.

For more information on transcript requirements for new graduates, visit the Transcript Requirements webpage.

Will my application be approved if I answered “Yes” to one of the health or professional conduct questions?

If you answer “Yes” to one of the professional conduct questions, it doesn’t mean that you are ineligible for registration. The College will review each declaration or disclosure on a case-by-case basis. If additional information or documentation is required, the College will contact you in writing.

Why is the College requesting information about my physical or mental condition or disorder that could affect my ability to practise in a safe manner?

As of January 1, 2018, the Registration Regulation, Ontario Regulation 383/00, made under the Social Work and Social Service Work Act, 1998 was amended to revoke and replace clause (i) of paragraph 3 of subsection 5(2) with the following provision:

5(2) The following are registration requirements for a certificate of registration in any class:

…

1. The applicant’s past and present conduct must afford reasonable grounds for the belief that the applicant,
   1. (i) – does not have any physical or mental condition or disorder that could affect his or her ability to practise social work or social service work, as the case may be, in a safe manner.

This registration requirement is consistent with the registration requirements of many other regulatory bodies in the province.

Is the information about my physical or mental condition or disorder a new requirement for registration?

No, this is not a new requirement. It is an improvement to wording that existed in the Registration Regulation prior to January 1, 2018. Since it began operations in 2000, the College has had the authority to request information from applicants in order to ensure they were “mentally competent to practise social work or social service work.”  The amendment to the Registration Regulation now puts the emphasis on the ability to practise social work or social service work in a safe manner.

If I answer “yes” to the question about whether I have a physical or mental condition or disorder that could affect my ability to practise in a safe manner, I am asked to provide an explanation. What should I include?

Please provide as much information as is necessary to explain the ways in which your physical or mental condition or disorder could affect your ability to practise in a safe manner.  This may include a description of functional limitations and restrictions.  You may wish to include steps that you are taking to ensure you will be able to practise in a safe manner and/or accommodation you may require in order to practise in a safe manner.

If I answer “yes” to the question about whether I have a physical or mental condition or disorder that could affect my ability to practise in a safe manner and provide an explanation, will I be asked to provide any other information?

It depends.  You may be asked to provide relevant supporting documentation.  Relevant supporting documentation depends on the nature of the physical or mental condition or disorder and its impact on your ability to practise in a safe manner.

Examples of potentially relevant supporting documentation may include: an opinion from your health care provider as to whether the condition or disorder will impact your ability to practise safely; letters of reference; clinical evaluations; and/or evidence of rehabilitation/recovery.

How will the College assess the information I provide?

The College will review the information provided in the application and determine whether additional information is needed, whether the registration requirement is met and/or whether further steps are required. Applicants must provide the College with enough information to demonstrate that they can practise social work/social service work in a safe manner.

How will the College handle my personal information?

The College takes its responsibilities with respect to confidentiality of your personal information, including personal health information, very seriously. Among other things, the College adheres to strict confidentiality and record management practices with respect to the application process.

What if I am not sure whether my physical or mental condition or disorder could affect my ability to practise social work or social service work in a safe manner?

If you think that there is a possibility that your physical or mental condition or disorder could affect your ability to practise social work or social service work in a safe manner answer “yes” to the question on the application form and provide any relevant information so that the College may consider this.

If the College later discovers that you answered “no” to the question on the application form when you did have a physical or mental condition or disorder that could affect your ability to practise social work and social service work, this may have serious consequences, similar to the consequences for misrepresenting information on your application.

If I answer “yes” to this question on the application, will I be refused registration?

If you answer “yes” to this question, you will be contacted by the College. You may be asked to provide more information and/or take steps that would allow you to meet the registration requirement.

If the College proposes to refuse your application, you will be provided with notice, written reasons, an opportunity to request a review and an opportunity to provide written submissions.

Does this requirement for registration apply to current registrants of the College?

It only applies to registrants of the College if a registrant is applying to move into specific registration classes, e.g. into the inactive class, or into the general class from the inactive class.

Once I am registered, will the College mail me the certificate of registration?

The College no longer mails the certificate of registration. The wall certificate and wallet registration card are available for download under the profile name in the Online Portal under the “Registration History” section.

You will be able to generate and print your wall certificate if your certificate is not subject to Terms, Conditions or Limitations (TCL).  If your certificate is subject to TCL, your certificate will be available for printing in the portal after your TCL have been removed by the College.

Your registration with the College can be confirmed on the College’s Online Register. The College’s Online Register is the most current source of information regarding a registrant’s status.

Do I need to pass an entry-to-practice exam in order to join the College?

Not at this time. However, on September 10, 2021, College Council passed a motion to approve entry-to-practice exams for social work and social service work applicants to the College. The development and implementation of the exams will take several years, and it is anticipated that the exam requirement will not be fully implemented until 2027.

For more information on the implementation of entry-to-practice exams, visit the College’s  webpage.

How can I access my application file? Can you return my submitted documents to me?

The College does not return any original documents submitted for the purposes of registration. However, at your written request, the College will provide a copy of submitted documents, unless the Registrar believes that to do so may jeopardize the safety of any person. The College can release a copy of your record to a third party if you provide your consent.

If you applied online, you may view your application submission. Navigate to “My Applications” section under the profile name and click on the green down arrow to view your submission.