Pathway 3

Nationally Registered Member of the Profession 

You may be eligible to apply as a nationally registered member of the profession if you hold a current certificate of registration as an optician in any jurisdiction in Canada.

To qualify as a Registered Optician in Ontario, you must have completed education and/or training in dispensing of both eyeglasses and contact lenses.

You are eligible to register if any of the following apply:

1. You hold a current certificate of registration as an intern optician in another province and have completed education and/or training within the last three years that would qualify you to challenge the national examinations in both eyeglasses and contact lenses.
2. You hold a current certificate of registration as an intern optician in another province and have successfully completed the national examinations in both eyeglasses and contact lenses.
3. You are currently registered to dispense both eyeglasses and contact lenses in another province and have successfully completed the national examinations for both eyeglasses and contact lenses.
4. If you are currently registered to dispense eyeglasses only and have not completed the national contact lens examination, to be eligible for registration as a Nationally Registered Member of the profession, you must have completed education and/or training within the last three years that would qualify you to challenge the contact lens national examination and meet the entry-to-practice competencies.

To be eligible to challenge the national examinations, you must first register as an intern optician. Click here for more information on how to register as an intern optician.

If 2 or 3 above apply to you, you may apply for a certificate of registration as a Registered Optician by completing the Application Form and submitting the following documents:

• A passport photo taken within 6 months of the application date. The photo may be sent as a hard copy or in a high-resolution digital format.
• A Certificate of Standing and letters of standing from any governing body with which you are registered in any jurisdiction.
• Notarized copies of your proof of identity and employment eligibility documents.
• A Vulnerable Sector Check report conducted in Canada within 6 months of the application date.
• Insurance or Undertaking Form and proof of professional liability insurance if you are currently employed or intend to be employed in any setting where you will be performing the controlled act of dispensing.
• If applicable, proof of graduation from any post-secondary program you may have completed outside of opticianry.

Payment of Fees

Once the screening of your application has been completed, the College will add Optician application and registration fees to your online account in your profile with the College. You will receive an email notification from the College when the fees are added to your account. The fees must be paid online in the Registrant Portal. Please note that the processing of your application will not be finalized until the fees are received.

Step-by-step instructions on how to make a payment can be found here.

Appeals

Registration department or Committee decisions can be appealed to the College’s Registration Appeal Panel (RAP), and further to the Health Professions Review and Appeal Board (HPARB). Applicants are provided with information about the review process when they are issued a decision letter. 

Applicants choosing to appeal will not be subject to any repercussions from the College.