Registration

How to Apply for a Certificate of Registration

The College has developed comprehensive application packages that provide detailed information regarding the requirements for registration, the timelines for meeting the requirements, and relevant fees.

International Graduates
To help international graduates meet the academic equivalency requirement for registration, the College of Optometrists with the University of Waterloo School of Optometry developed the International Optometric Bridging Program. The program includes a comprehensive assessment process to identify qualified candidates for Bridging One, an eight-week orientation program, or Bridging Two, a 48-week structured academic and practical program.

The College has submitted a proposed Registration Regulation to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). The draft includes a provision that allows internationally educated optometrists who have completed a bridging program in Ontario to be eligible for registration. College recognition of optometrists who have been educated in another jurisdiction and whose knowledge, training, skill and judgment are equivalent to a graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry, is in the best interest of the public of Ontario. Unfortunately, until the proposed Registration Regulation takes effect, the College cannot recognize the academic qualifications of internationally educated optometrists who require bridging in Ontario. Related to this, the Council believes that in order to meet the educational requirement for registration, an applicant must have a degree in optometry.

The Council has decided that an applicant who does not have a degree in optometry will still be eligible for registration in Ontario upon successful completion of the IOBP Bridging One or IOBP Bridging Two as long as their application was completed, submitted and accepted by the IOBP prior to June 15, 2011. An internationally educated applicant who does have a degree in optometry will still be eligible for registration in Ontario upon successful completion of the IOBP Bridging One or IOBP Bridging Two as long as their application was completed, submitted and accepted by the IOBP prior to September 1, 2011

Labour Mobility
Under the Ontario Labour Mobility Act, applicants who are registered with an equivalent Certificate of Registration in another Canadian jurisdiction who apply for registration in Ontario will be asked to provide an official transcript and a notarized copy of their Doctor of Optometry degree certificate as part of the application package but will not be asked to complete any additional material education or training. In addition, they are not required to complete the CSAO exam. However, they are required to successfully complete the Ontario Optometric Jurisprudence Exam and meet all of the administrative requirements for registration including providing a Certificate of Standing directly from the Canadian jurisdiction where they are currently registered.

Please note: If the Registration Committee implements a new policy that affects applicants for registration, an individaul who has already submitted an application for registration will be informed of the change and would generally be permitted to complete their application under the policies that were in effect at the time their application was submitted, or under the new policies, whichever is least onerous. However, if there is a change to the Registration Regulation that affects applicants for registration, it will apply to all applicants regardless of when they submitted their application form.

The Application Process

In general, the application process is as follows:

Meet the Academic Requirement
Applicants must successfully complete a recognized/approved academic program. This includes the program at the University of Waterloo School of Optometry (UWSO), all programs accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE), and any program deemed by the College’s Registration Committee to be equivalent to the program at UWSO. All of the ACOE accredited programs are in North America. As noted above, under the Ontario Labour Mobility Act, applicants who are registered with an equivalent Certificate of Registration in another Canadian jurisdiction who apply for registration in Ontario will be asked to provide an official transcript and a notarized copy of their Doctor of Optometry degree certificate as part of the application package but will not be asked to complete any additional material education or training.

Submit an Application Form
A copy of the Application for Registration is included in the Application Package. To complete your application form:

print or type all of your answers;

answer all of the questions that pertain to you;

provide the College with all the requested documents;

sign your application and have it notarized (please note: A notarized copy of a document is one that has been reviewed by a Notary Public who has stamped the copy with his/her seal and then signed and dated it. A notarized copy is a legal copy of your original document); and

submit your completed application form, all required documents and a cheque for the application fee made payable to the College of Optometrists of Ontario. The application fee is $452.00 including 13% HST. This includes the fee for writing the Ontario Optometric Jurisprudence Examination.

If your form is complete and the required documentation has been received, you will be informed that you are eligible to sit the Ontario Jurisprudence Examination administered by the College.

Write Your Examinations
Canadian Standard Assessment in Optometry Contact the Canadian Examiners in Optometry (CEO) for an application to sit the Canadian Standard Assessment in Optometry (CSAO), the entry-to-practice exam for the profession:

Canadian Examiners in Optometry
37 Sandiford Drive, Ste., Stouffville, ON L4A 7X5
Phone: (905) 642-1373
Email: csao@ca.inter.net

Detailed information about the format and content of the exam is available on the CEO website: http://www.ceo-eco.org. After the exam, CEO will send you two copies of your performance report – one for your records and one to submit directly to the College of Optometrists of Ontario. It is your responsibility to submit this information to the College. As noted above, under the Ontario Labour Mobility Act, applicants who are registered with an equivalent Certificate of Registration in another Canadian jurisdiction who apply for registration in Ontario are not required to complete the CSAO exam. However, they are required to provide a Certificate of Standing directly from the Canadian jurisdiction where they are currently registered.

Ontario Optometric Jurisprudence Examination
The College will send you study material for the Ontario Optometric Jurisprudence Examination not less than four weeks before the date of your exam. Here is a link to the electronic version of the study material. The exam is administered only by the College and is held six times annually. Two administrations, one in the spring and one in the fall, are accompanied by a one-day seminar. The other 4 administrations are offered at the College offices without the seminar. You will be notified of the dates and locations and will be permitted to register for the date of your choice. Please note that your application for registration is open for a maximum of 24 months, however the Ontario Optometric Jurisprudence Examination must be successfully completed within 12 months of your application being received by the College. The dates for the Jurisprudence Exam are on the calendar located on the home page of the College website at http://www.collegeoptom.on.ca

Submit Additional Documents
CPIC Report
One of the requirements of registration as an optometrist in Ontario is that the applicant must not have been found guilty in relation to a criminal offence in any jurisdiction, or an offence under the Criminal Code (Canada), the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Canada) and the Food and Drugs Act (Canada). To provide evidence that an applicant has met this requirement, each applicant must provide a Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) as part of the registration process. The results of a CPIC check must be dated within six months of the applicant becoming registered. If the applicant does not become registered within six months of the date the CPIC results were issued by the police, the applicant will be required to submit an updated CPIC check.

Citizenship/Permanent Resident Status/authorization to practice
If you are a Canadian citizen, have a photocopy of your Birth Certificate, Canadian Passport or Citizenship Identification Card notarized and submit it with your application form. If you have Permanent Resident Status or authorization to practise optometry under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, have a photocopy of your Permanent Resident Status or authorization notarized and submit it with your application form. This document must be valid in order for your Certificate of Registration to be issued and activated.

Certificate of Standing If you have ever been licensed or registered to practise optometry or any other regulated health profession anywhere outside Ontario, arrange for the licensing body where you practised to complete a Certificate of Standing outlining your current status in that jurisdiction. A Certificate of Standing must be dated no more than six months before your Certificate of Registration is issued.

Pay the Membership Fee
The membership year runs from January 1 through December 31. New registrants pay a pro-rated fee for the year in which they become registered. An invoice will be sent to new members when they become registered.

The Registration Decision and Appeals

Initially, the Registrar considers each application for registration. If the Registrar is satisfied that all of the registration requirements have been met, the applicant is issued a Certificate of Registration. If the Registrar has doubts about whether or not the applicant meets the requirements for registration, or if the Registrar intends to refuse the application or to attach terms, conditions or limitations to the Certificate of Registration, the application is referred to the Registration Committee. The applicant has the right to submit a written submission for the Committee’s consideration with respect to their application.

If the applicant is not satisfied with the Registration Committee’s decision, he or she may request an appeal of the decision before the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board in the form of either an oral hearing or a document review. The Board’s decision may be further appealed to the Divisional Court.

Timelines

Detailed information regarding timelines is included in each application package. Applications for registration are open for a maximum of two years from the date they are received by the College. Most applicants are able to complete the application process in less than one year. The College communicates with applicants throughout the application process, confirming when requirements are met and/or are still outstanding.