Internationally Educated Applicants

If you are internationally educated (outside Canada and the United States) and would like to register with the College, please read the following information. You will then be directed to the appropriate area of our website, depending on your academic credentials, where you may download a registration package.

If you would like more information about the social work and social service work professions in Ontario, please visit the About Social Work and About Social Service Work pages.

The College has the following requirements regarding citizenship, language proficiency and translation of documents:

Language Proficiency: You must demonstrate the ability to speak and write either English or French with reasonable fluency. If you answer “No” to all 6 questions, you are required to undertake additional language proficiency testing and submit the scores to the College.

Translation of Documents: If your documents (for example, academic records) are in a language other than English or French, you will need to have these documents translated.

Citizenship: You must be a Canadian Citizen, or a permanent resident of Canada, or be authorized under the Immigration Act (Canada) to engage in the practice of social work or social service work in Ontario. If you answer “Other”, please provide further information with your application form. The College may contact you for further information.

If you are authorized under the Immigration Act (Canada) to engage in the practice of social work or social service work in Ontario you must submit with your application form a copy of your valid work permit issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

The Internationally Educated Social Work Professionals Program at Ryerson University

The Internationally Educated Social Work Professionals program – Certificate in Canadian Social Work Practice - at Ryerson University in Toronto (IESW) is an introduction to social services in Ontario for internationally educated social work professionals. The course provides an overview of the structure of social services in Ontario, including current labour market skills and expectations.

A person who applies for registration in the College no later than December 31st of the year in which they obtain their Certificate in Canadian Social Work Practice is eligible for a $100 exemption from the membership fee for the two years of membership immediately following the year of registration.

Attending the IESW program IS NOT a requirement for registration with the College.

Click IESW program at Ryerson, for more information.

Career Map for Social Work and Social Service Work

With the Ontario government’s commitment to facilitating the entry of internationally educated professionals into the workforce, the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration’s Labour Market Integration Unit has developed career maps for many regulated professions. The intent is to provide these individuals with information in plain language that will help them navigate the Ontario/Canadian employment system and assist them once they arrive in Canada.

The College, in conjunction with the Ministry, developed a career map for the professions of social work and social service work. The document provides detailed information regarding the two professions, the mandate of the College and the requirements for internationally educated professionals to register with the College.

REGISTERING AS A SOCIAL WORKER

With a social work degree:
If your academic credentials in social work were completed outside Canada and the U.S., please visit the Graduates of Social Work Programs Outside Canada and the United States page for more information.

Without a social work degree:
If your academic credentials are not in social work, please visit the Graduates of non-accredited Social Work Programs or Graduates of Degree Programs that are not in Social Work page for more information.

REGISTERING AS A SOCIAL SERVICE WORKER

Internationally educated applicants who would like to register as a social service worker must submit a combination of academic qualifications and practical experience for the Registrar’s consideration and determination that is substantially equivalent to the qualifications required for a diploma in social service work offered in Ontario at a College of Applied Arts and Technology. Please visit the Graduates of other Academic Programs that are not in Social Service Work page for more information.