Important update for new College applicants
December 07 2023
Effective January 2, 2024, the College will update the application process for everyone who is applying for certification. Only Ontario Certified Teachers (OCT) are eligible to teach in Ontario's publicly funded education system.
These updates are necessary to comply with new provincial legislation that requires the College to provide a certification decision to internationally educated teachers (IETs) within 60 business days from the date the College receives their completed application. An application is only considered completed after the College has received all required fees, documents, and personal information, and all documents have been deemed to be to the satisfaction of the Registrar.
The updates are not only responsive to legislation, they also fit our ongoing efforts to streamline and improve the application process to benefit everyone who seeks to become an Ontario Certified Teacher.
Accordingly, all individuals who plan to apply for College certification are strongly encouraged to wait until after January 2, 2024 to open their application. If you do intend to apply before that date, please note that our application systems will be offline from December 31, 2023, at 8:00 p.m. to January 2, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. while our IT team implements the updates.
A selection of essential information for new applicants can be found below. For additional information about the application process, please visit our How To Apply page. For general information about College operations, please visit our FAQs.
What is required to submit an application for College certification after January 2, 2024?
Applicants must be ready to submit all initially required documents and applicable fees when they apply to the College.
Documents
- Proof of identification
- Proof of name change (if applicable)
- Criminal record check (a vulnerable sector check is not required)
- Proof of language proficiency (for applicants who are submitting language proficiency test score to satisfy this requirement)
- Any teaching certificates from another jurisdiction
Some documents must be sent directly to the College by their issuing institution. Applicants are advised to make arrangements for those documents to be sent before applying. Applications that are incomplete within one year of being submitted will be closed. Periodic reminders will be sent to all applicants as their one-year deadline approaches.
Fees
- Registration fee for all applicants (non-refundable): $140
- Evaluation fee for all applicants educated outside of Ontario (non-refundable): $222
Please note that applicants from outside Ontario must pay the registration fee and the evaluation fee for a total of $362.
More information about required documents.
Country-specific information about required documents.
More information about fees.
How do applicants submit required documents to the College?
Documents can be submitted to the College by using our convenient Member and Applicant Upload Portal. Documents that must be sent directly to the College by the issuing institution can be submitted through the Educational Institution/Organization Upload Portal.
Hard copies can be deposited in the College's drop box, which is located behind our Toronto office at 101 Bloor Street West, off St. Thomas Street.
Sign into the College's document upload portals.
Do applicants have to pay the Annual Membership Fee when they apply after January 2, 2024?
No. When the College has completed processing an application and the applicant is considered eligible for certification, they will receive an email requesting payment of their Annual Membership Fee. Within one business day of the College receiving that payment, the applicant will be licensed as an Ontario Certified Teacher in good standing with the College and will be eligible to teach in the province's publicly funded school system.
More information about College fees.
Where can internationally educated teachers learn more about applying to the College?
The College offers information sessions that guide internationally educated teachers through the application process. Pre-recorded videos and a schedule of upcoming live sessions are available on our website.
Information sessions for internationally educated teacher candidates.
How can applicants monitor the status of their application?
The College will set up a document status page for each applicant within 10 business days of receiving their application. Applicants can sign into that page using the email address and password that is on file with the College.
Please note that Client Services staff in our contact centre have no additional information beyond what can be found on an applicant's status page.
Sign into a College applicant account.
