Optometrists in good standing who are licensed to practise in other Canadian provinces/territories can apply for registration in Ontario under the Ontario Labour Mobility Act or the Agreement on Internal Trade.
To register in Ontario, optometrists from other Canadian jurisdictions are required to:
- Provide a notarized copy of their Doctor of Optometry degree certificate.
- Successfully complete the Ontario Optometric Jurisprudence Exam.
- Meet all requirements for registration (see below)
Applicants must have practised optometry (as permitted by a general certificate of registration) at any time in the three years immediately before the date of their Ontario application. If unable to do so, the applicant must complete any further requirements to obtain or undergo additional training, experience, examinations, or assessments that may be specified by the College.
Meeting requirements for registration
1. Complete the application process and submit fees.
Upon successful completion of the application process, including completing the Jurisprudence exam, you will be asked to confirm the accuracy of the information provided in your application form. If you provide the College with false or misleading information on your application, you will be deemed not to have satisfied the requirements for registration. The application fee is $474.60 including 13% HST. This includes the fee for writing the Ontario Optometric Jurisprudence Examination.
2. Provide a 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. The Certificate of Standing must be dated no more than six months before your Certificate of Registration is issued.
3. Letter of Attestation
The College will require evidence in the form of written attestation by a non-relative colleague registered in good standing with the Canadian jurisdiction where the applicant is currently registered, who can confirm that the applicant was practising at the specified practice location. The following information must be included in the written attestation:
- The applicant’s full name and registration certificate number in that jurisdiction;
- The full address of the practice location;
- The dates/range the applicant practised at the specified practice location; and
- The approximate number of patients the applicant saw.
4. Submit a Vulnerable Sector Check
Applicants must provide a Vulnerable Sector Check from the current Canadian jurisdiction in which they are practising, as well as any jurisdiction in which they have previously practised. The results of the Vulnerable Sector Check must be dated within six months of the applicant becoming registered in Ontario.
5. Proof of Canadian Residency
If you are a Canadian citizen, provide a notarized photocopy of one of the following with your application form:
- Birth Certificate
- Canadian Passport
- Citizenship Identification Card
If you have Permanent Resident Status or authorization to practise optometry under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, provide a notarized photocopy of your Permanent Resident Status or authorization with your application form. This document must be valid in order for your Certificate of Registration to be issued and activated.
