Residential School and Indigenous-Specific Racism Statement: READ HERE – College Anti-Racism Statement: READ HERE

Registrants

Frequently Asked Questions

Renewal

The College does not accept payment by installment. Payment must be made in full by cheque, Visa or Mastercard on or before January 31.

There is a 14 day processing hold on all cheques. If you wish to send a post dated cheque it must be dated for January 15th or earlier.

No. A signed Declaration is required before payment can be processed.

The College will return the renewal form AND payment to you for completion. Renewal is only complete when we have received both your fee and your signed declaration unless renewal is completed online.

Registrants are responsible for making arrangement to ensure their renewal is completed by January 31.

If the College has not received your payment or signed declaration by January 31, you are no longer registered. Registrants who have let their registration lapse are able to reinstate. In order to reinstate, registrants are required pay a reinstatement fee, equal to 35% in addition to the annual fee. Completed reinstatement forms and full payment must be processed by April 30.

You must reapply to the College by completing a full application package, submitting all required documentation (except a transcript if it is on file), pay the prescribed fees and meet the requirements for registration in place at the time you reapply.

You will have to meet the current requirements for registration. It is especially important for those who became registered without a social work degree or based on a credential from another country to stay up to date with registration renewal. In the past, some Registered Social Workers who allowed their registration to lapse were no longer eligible for registration.

Please email the College at info(at)bccsw.ca and provide us with the following information to update your practice location:
1. Organization name
2. Worksite (if applicable)
3. Address
4. Phone
5. Email
6. Fax
7. Is this your primary place of practice? (Yes or No)
8. Would you like the phone number and the address of your practice location to be visible on our public registry? (Yes or No)
9. Start Date

General Questions

We do not offer a retirement category, however you may consider transferring to the Non-Practising class of registration.

No. The cost of regulating a member of the College is not based on hours worked or income. If you are taking a break from practising social work, you may consider applying for a transfer to the Non-Practising class of registration.

Yes, you may transfer to the non-practicing class and the fee is $63.00 per year. Please refer to the information about Non-Practising Registration.

Yes, you can; however, you may consider transferring to the Non-practising class of registration with its lower annual fee.

No, the College does not offer liability insurance. You may obtain this through the BC Association of Social Workers, other organizations or an insurance broker.

If you missed the April 30 deadline to reinstate your registration, you will have to reapply. This requires completing a full application package, and meeting the requirements for registration in place at the time you reapply. This is especially important for those who became registered without a social work degree.

We would appreciate being notified of your intent not to retain your registration. If you choose not to keep your registration, your file will be closed and held by the College indefinitely.

Should you wish to reapply for registration, you will be required to complete a full application package, and meet the requirements for registration in place at the time you reapply.

Please see a summary of the differences between membership with the BCASW and registration with the BCCSW here.