Canada graduates (outside Quebec)

The right to practice occupational therapy in Quebec

The occupational therapy profession is regulated throughout Canada, and each province has its own professional regulatory body. To practice the profession in Quebec, you must :

  • obtain a license from Ordre des ergothérapeutes du Québec (hereinafter OEQ or the Order); and
  • enter on the Roll of the Order


The OEQ license certifies that you have met the basic requirements to practice occupational therapy. In addition, you must register on the Roll of the Order to be authorized to practice the profession. This registration involves the payment of an annual fee.

Only registration on the Roll of the Order gives you the right to use the title of ergothérapeute or Occupational Therapist, the abbreviation “erg.”, or the initials “O.T.” or “O.T.R.” and to carry out the activities reserved under the Professional Code for occupational therapists. This means you cannot identify yourself as being an occupational therapist until you have obtained the right to practice the profession in Quebec through registration on the Roll of the Order. If you use the title of occupational therapist while you are not a member of the Order, you could be prosecuted for unauthorized use of the title.

Requirements for obtaining a license as a graduate in occupational therapy from a Canadian university outside Quebec

A person is deemed to have the appropriate knowledge of the French language if:

  • she/he has received, full time, no less than three years of secondary or post-secondary instruction provided in French, or 
  • she/he has passed the fourth or fifth year secondary level examinations in French as the first language, or 
  • from and after the school year 1985-86, she/he obtained a secondary school certificate in Québec, or 
  • she/he obtained a certificate issued by the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), following the successful completion of the OQLF exam.

Obtaining a temporary license

The Order can issue a temporary license valid for a period of 1 year and renewable up to 3 times to a person holding a degree in occupational therapy from a Canadian university located outside Québec and who is unable to provide proof of knowledge of the French language. For all the details relating to the temporary license and the French language examination from the Office québécois de la langue française, please consult this document.

Recourse

Admission Commissioner

The Admission Commissioner is an independent governmental entity attached to the Office des professions du Québec. The Commissioner is responsible by law for receiving and investigating any complaint from a person relating to admission to a profession. The recourse may be against the Order as well as other persons or organizations involved in the admission process. For more information

Please choose one of the following options, depending on your situation:

  1. License application

    This path applies if you obtained a diploma in occupational therapy from a Canadian university located outside Quebec less than 3 years ago.

    Such a diploma may be recognized under the 1st paragraph of section 2 of the Règlement sur les normes d’équivalence aux fins de la délivrance d’un permis de l’Ordre des ergothérapeutes du Québec.

    If you have not yet completed your studies, we recommend that you apply for a license approximately 1 month before the end of your studies. This preliminary step will speed up the processing of your file.

    To submit a license application, you must send the following documents by email to admission@oeq.org :

     

    • License application form

      License application form

      You must send the completed form to OEQ. Please pay particular attention to the exact spelling of your first and last names which must match that of your official documents. Please also enter an email address that you check regularly. If your employment start date is known, please indicate it in your form or email.

    • Certified true copy of the degree or certificate of achievement

      A certified true copy of the master's degree in occupational therapy is required. If your degree has not yet been issued by the university, a letter that provides proof of completed studies issued by the director of the occupational therapy program of your university will be accepted. The person responsible for the program will send it directly to the Order.

    • Proof of knowledge of the French language

      You must provide proof of knowledge of the French language in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the French Language (section 35).In the license application form, you must indicate which of the situations below applies to you and send us the required proof.If you cannot provide such proof, check “None of the above” on the form and the Order can issue you a temporary license.

      Situation Proof to submit
      From and after the school year 1985-86, I obtained a high school diploma in Quebec.
      • Copy of the diploma or certificate issued by the Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec; or
      • Copy of the transcript issued by the Ministère de l’Éducation stating that the diploma was obtained.
        * NB: your secondary school diploma is not accepted proof
      I have completed, full-time, no less than three years of secondary or post-secondary education provided in French;
      • Copy of transcripts issued by the educational establishment.
        *NB: the diploma from your secondary or college educational establishment is not accepted proof
      I passed the the fourth or fifth year secondary level examinations in French as the first language;
      • Copy of the certificate issued by the OQLF to the effect that you have knowledge of the official language of Quebec appropriate to the exercise of the profession. .
      I passed the French examination from the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF)
      • Copy of the transcript issued by the Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec.
      None of the above
      • N/A - a temporary license will then be issued to you

    • I am or have been a member of a regulatory body 

      Professional regulatory history form

      If you are, or have been, a member of a regulatory body in Quebec, Canada or elsewhere in the world, you must have this form filled out by each of these organizations. The first section must be completed by you (the applicant) and then sent to the regulatory body or bodies concerned, that will be responsible for returning the completed form directly to the Order.

    • Form for reporting a disciplinary decision (if applicable)

      Declaration form of a disciplinary decision

      If you have been the subject of a disciplinary decision rendered in Québec or elsewhere corresponding to one of the statements appearing on the form, you must complete it and return it, as indicated, to the secretary-general.

    • Form for reporting a criminal decision (if applicable)

      Declaration form of a criminal conviction

      If you have been convicted by a Canadian or foreign court finding you guilty of a criminal offense, you must complete the form and return it, as indicated, to the secretary-general.

    • Form for reporting a penal conviction (if applicable)

      Declaration form of a penal decision

      If you have been the subject of a decision rendered in Québec or elsewhere corresponding to one of the statements appearing on the form, you must complete it and return it as indicated to the secretary-general.

    • Payment of the fees required for the study of the file

      The fees charged for the study of the application are $ 143,72 ($ 125 + $ 6,25 GST + $ 12,47 QST) [CAD] non-refundable. The methods of payment accepted are: personal check or money order, payable in the name of the Ordre des ergothérapeutes du Québec. 

      When sending your application by email, please include in your email a scanned copy of your duly completed check (or bank order or postal order) as proof of payment, then mail it to us at:

      Admission / Ordre des ergothérapeutes du Québec
      2021 Ave Union, bureau 920
      Montréal, Qc H3A 2S9

       Important: If your name is not on the payment, please include a note in the envelope indicating your full name.

     

    Progress of the file

    Your license will be issued when we have received all the required documents and your file is compliant. We try to respond to license applications as quickly as possible. In the majority of cases, the request is processed within 48 hours, once the file is complete. Once your request has been processed, you will then receive an email informing you of your license number as well as the instructions for entering the Roll of the Order.

    Warning

    The license does not give you the right to hold the title of occupational therapist or to carry out activities reserved for occupational therapists. Only registration on the Roll gives you these rights.

    Consequently, if you are not registered on the Roll, even if you have obtained your license:

    • you cannot use the title of occupational therapist, nor allow yourself to be presented or designated as such, nor suggest that you are an occupational therapist;
    • you cannot carry out certain professional activities related to your duties if they arer a reserved activity;
    • you expose yourself to criminal prosecution for usurpation of the title or illegal practice of activities reserved for occupational therapists by the Professional Code which could result in fines ranging from $2,500 to $62,500. Your employer could also be fined. For more information, see the Illegal practice and unauthorized use of the title page.


    I want to know more about registering on the Roll

    Article : Can I work in occupational therapy during my studies or before obtaining my license and being registered on the Roll?

  2. If you have held a degree in occupational therapy from a Canadian university for more than 3 years and you do not have a legal authorization to practice the profession issued by an institution in a Canadian province (not a member of a professional order/regulatory body from another Canadian province), please see our web page Demande de permis + de 3 ans.

  3. If you hold a diploma in occupational therapy from a country other than Canada and you do not have a legal authorization to practice the profession issued by an institution in a Canadian province (not a member of a professional order/regulatory body from another Canadian province), please see our International Candidates web page.

  4. If you already hold an OEQ license, please see our web page Mon inscription au Tableau de l’Ordre

  5. If you have a legal authorization to practice the profession of a Canadian province (member of a professional order/regulatory body from another Canadian province), please see our Labor and mobility support agreement web page