ELIGIBILITY
- A baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degree in social work from an educational institution accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and approved by the College.
- At least 700 hours of social work experience from practicums/field placements and/or other paid work experience.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Proof of Identity
- Applicants must provide two (2) pieces of identification, submitted as high-quality copies of both sides, notarized and verified in person by a lawyer or notary public against the original documents.
- Virtually notarized documents are not accepted.
- One piece of identification must be government-issued photo ID.
- For a list of acceptable ID, click here.
Criminal Record Checks
- Consent to a Criminal Record Check. This appears as a section on the application form and is a requirement pursuant to the BC Criminal Records Review Act. Please note that your response to the sex question on the application form is required by the Criminal Records Review Program (CRRP) of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General for them to conduct your criminal record check.
- Local Police Check (Canada): If you currently reside or have ever resided in Canada, you must obtain a Police Information Check, including a Vulnerable Sector Check, from your local police detachment. The check must be issued within 60 days prior to the date of application.
- FBI Check (United States): If you have resided in the United States, you must obtain an FBI Identity History Summary Check. The check must be issued within 60 days prior to the date of application.
- International Criminal Record Checks: You must obtain a criminal record check from any country where you resided or worked as an adult. The check must be issued within 60 days prior to the date of application.
- If you have been granted Canadian citizenship or permanent residency and have not resided outside of Canada since it was issued, the College may accept proof of a Permanent Resident Card or Canadian Citizenship in lieu of an international criminal record check.
- If you are a born Canadian citizen, you are still required to obtain international criminal record checks from any country where you have resided or worked as an adult.
- For all types of criminal record checks listed above, the College only accepts an original copy sent by mail or a digital copy that includes third-party verification access (e.g., online verification details that allow us to validate the police check).
Education
- You must arrange for an official transcript to be sent directly to BCCSW by the degree-granting institution. The transcript must clearly confirm that the degree has been awarded.
- If you have completed all the requirements of your degree but are awaiting conferral, please request an official ‘Degree Completion Letter’ to be sent directly to the College from the educational institution by mail or email (info@bccsw.ca); degrees are not listed on transcripts until after convocation.
- Applicants must still arrange for an official transcript to be mailed directly to the College after their degree has been conferred by the awarding institution.
Resume
- Your up-to-date resume should include:
- education
- work experience
- activities related to social work
- locations and dates for all of the above
- certifications, if any.
*Applicants may be required to provide additional information
Character Reference
- All applicants must provide two (2) reference letters, submitted directly to the College by the referees.
- Referees must have known the applicant in a professional capacity for at least one (1) year and must not be relatives or individuals with a personal relationship to the applicant (e.g., close friends, partners, or significant others). References based solely on personal or social relationships will not be accepted.
- Important: Once you click Submit on your online application form, Character Reference forms will be automatically sent to the email addresses you provided. Your referees must complete and submit the form as part of the mandatory registration requirements.
Professional Registration Verification
- Verification of Registration/Licensure completed by each regulatory body with which you have been registered, licensed or certified.
- Complete the top portion of the form and send it to the other regulatory body or bodies.
Language Proficiency
Applicants for full, clinical and provisional registration must demonstrate sufficient proficiency in English to the satisfaction of the Registration Committee. For more information, click here.
*Please note: The College may contact applicants to request additional information if necessary.
INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLY
Step 1: Please create an online application profile once you have gathered all requirements. Incomplete applications will expire after three (3) months, and closed applications must be resubmitted as a new application that meets the applicable requirements at the time of submission.
Step 2: Once you make a submission through the online portal, email requests are sent automatically to your references and/or supervisors, and your application will be reviewed within 10–15 business days once all references and other outstanding documentation are received (process times for this initial review for completeness of the application may vary based on complexity and volume of applications).
If any documents are assessed to be outstanding at the time of review, you may be given two (2) weeks to submit them. Extensions beyond this period will not be granted. If the outstanding documents are not provided or any concerns communicated in the review stage are not addressed within this two week extension period, a decision will be made based on the information already received, which may result in a refusal to register. Please note that an applicant may only reapply for registration after the expiration of one year from the date at which the College’s refusal to register is final. Applicants are strongly encouraged to ensure all documents are complete and accurate prior to submission on the online portal.
Step 3: Once all of the required documents have been received, the College will review the application in its entirety. If it is determined that the application meets the registration requirements, the applicant will receive an email from the College notifying that they have been approved to take the licensure exam by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). Please be advised that the ASWB charges a fee for writing the exam.
- Exemption from writing the exam will be granted to the applicants who have already completed the ASWB examination and are currently registered/licensed with another social work regulator
- Applicants to arrange for their official score report to be sent to the College by ASWB
Step 4: After receiving the exam approval email from the College, the applicant can register for the exam through the ASWB. Please visit the ASWB’s website (www.aswb.org) and read the Candidate Handbook (PDF) under the Exam Candidates section.
Step 5: Once registration for the exam is complete, ASWB will send the applicant an Authorization to Test. When the applicant receives this authorization, they can schedule an appointment for the exam through the test centre designated by ASWB.
Step 6: Within 1-2 weeks after the exam has been taken, the College will receive an official score report from the ASWB. If the applicant has passed the exam, the College will send them an application approval email with an invoice for a registration fee. Payment of the registration fee will complete the registration process.
