Fair access to regulated professions

February 13 2023

Recent amendments to the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act (FARPACTA) will come into effect over the course of 2023. These amendments specify that certain regulated professions, including the teaching profession, must abide by particular licensing timeframes. Of notable importance for the Ontario College of Teachers:

• New international applicants for College membership/certification in Ontario can expect to receive a registration decision within six months of providing everything that is required for the College to make its registration decision
• New applicants from other Canadian jurisdictions can expect to receive a registration decision within 30 business days of providing everything that is required for the College to make its registration decision.

The College is taking steps to comply with these new requirements and generally improve its certification process. This will include modernizing the certification process to better serve all applicants while ensuring that the College receives the information it needs to make fair, equitable and timely registration decisions that are in the public interest.

The College has already implemented new measures that will streamline the process for applicants including document upload capabilities and virtual information sessions for applicants.

Other changes to our certification process will be communicated on our website and directly to affected applicants.