Regulatory bodies and apprenticeship authorities

There are more than 440 regulatory bodies and apprenticeship authorities across Canada, governing approximately 55 professions.

Regulatory bodies and apprenticeship authorities:

  • Establish and maintain standards of competency and practice for a profession or trade
  • Set entry and training requirements
  • Develop procedures, requirements and processes for certification, registration and licensing prior to practice
  • Evaluate and assess academic training, work experience, and skills and competencies
  • Register qualified applicants
  • Discipline members

Because each province and territory is responsible for licensing regulated professions and trades through regulatory bodies and apprenticeship authorities, there may be different requirements for licensing in different regions of Canada.

Also, some professions are not regulated in every province, for example, massage therapists.

The regulatory body will evaluate your academic training, work experience, skills and competencies. Usually, this evaluation includes the following:

  • An assessment of your training and skills against the profession’s standards by comparing your original academic transcripts and other related documents, such as university course descriptions, with the training provided by Canadian colleges and universities
  • Written examinations, an interview, or both
  • An evaluation of your language and communication skills
  • A specified period of supervised work experience

You will be evaluated as an individual. Do not compare your experience directly with that of someone else. You must understand the requirements as they apply to your own situation in the province or territory where you intend to work.

What you can do

  • Find out more about how to get your credentials recognized.
  • Use the Working in Canada Tool to find the regulatory body or apprenticeship authority for your occupation or trade in the province or territory you have chosen.
  • Contact the regulatory body or apprenticeship authority for your occupation or trade.
  • Find out whether there are Occupation Facts for your profession. These will tell you what you can do while you are waiting to come to Canada, guide you through the process of foreign credential recognition and outline the general requirements you must meet to work in your profession in Canada.