Immigrate to Canada as a Occupational therapist

Occupational therapists are in demand right across Canada and you may be able to secure a Canadian Permanent Residency Visa either with or without a job offer.

There are thousands of Occupational therapists just like you moving to Canada. Find out how to join them.  Canada needs more Occupational therapists.  If you are thinking about moving to Canada as a Occupational therapist, all the information you need is right here.

Did you know that Occupational therapists are one of the most in-demand jobs in Canada? Occupational therapists are in high demand in all 11 of Canada’s provinces and territories, and as a highly-skilled professional, you can expect to earn between $69300 and $98400 per year.

When considering Canada as your new home, there are not only numerous immigration options for you to choose from, but plenty of job opportunities too.

One of the biggest questions when moving to Canada is “will I be able to find work as a Occupational therapist in Canada?”. The simple answer is Yes, you will!  (Of course each Occupational therapists level of training and experience is a core factor, as is the case in any country.)

Below are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about jobs in Canada for Occupational therapists.

Yes there is! As mentioned previously, you can immigrate to Canada as an experienced Occupational therapist with a high chance of finding employment in any of Canada’s 11 provinces. These job opportunities can be found in:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec
• Saskatchewan

Over the next few years, it is estimated that there will be 28000 new jobs created due to expansion and a need for replacement as well as 35000 new positions for graduates and immigrants to fill who want to live and work in Canada.

This is why Canada needs Occupational therapists.  You really can be moving to Canada as a Occupational therapist

The simplest way to do this is to take our free visa assessment.  There are more than 80 visa pathways to Canada.  Once you take your visa assessment we will be able to guide you as to which is the best path for your particular circumstances.

In order to live and work in Canada as a Occupational therapist, you will need to have your qualifications that you earned outside of Canada accredited and ensure that it is recognized in Canada.

An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) confirms that your degree, diploma or certificate is both valid and equal to Canadian standards. This is vital as it will allow you to claim the Permanent Residency points for your education and training and might also be required for employment, professional registration within Canada and Canadian immigration services.

Below is a list of designated organizations that are  licensed to do your assessment:

• Comparative Education Service – University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies;
• International Credential Assessment Service of Canada;
• World Education Services;
• International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS); and
• International Credential Evaluation Service.

Educational and experience requirements for Occupational therapists include:

• A university degree in occupational therapy including supervised fieldwork is required.
• Completion of a national or provincial certification examination is required.
• Certification by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science is usually required by employers.
• .
• .
• .
• .

You may be required to provide a range of documentation and references to prove your abilities and experience during your evaluation process for Canadian Immigration.

Start Your Evaluation

There are many routes you can take when moving to Canada as a Occupational therapist but we’ve listed the top 4 ways that will give you the greatest chances of success in the application process:

1. Express Entry system
2. Provincial Nominee Program
3. The Rural and Northern Immigration Program
4. The Atlantic Immigration Pilot

1. Express Entry

The Express Entry (EE) system is our top choice for moving to Canada as a Occupational therapist. Not only is it the fastest but it is also one of the simplest ways to immigrate to Canada. With the right age, language skills in French and/or English, qualifications and other criteria you could be moving to Canada fast, you could be on your way to Canada in 6 months.

The first stage in your Canadian Express Entry immigration process is to calculate your Canada Immigration points for Express Entry using the Canadian Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

Some of the elements that CRS Points are awarded for include:

• Age
• Qualifications
• English ability
• French ability
• Your partner’s skills
• Work experience

Take our free online visa assessment for an up to date report on whether you have enough points to move to Canada as a Occupational therapist from both an Express Entry and Immigration points perspective.

2. Provincial Nominee Program

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allows skilled and semi-skilled immigrants to live and work in Canada. You will need a valid job offer in Canada of at least 1 year for most immigration streams. 11 provinces and territories have their own PNPs, each with their own with specific labor needs.

If your skills match what your chosen province or territory is looking for, you may receive a provincial nomination, which is worth 600 extra Permanent Residency points which means that you’re practically assured of an offer for Canadian permanent residence.

3. The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

Seeing as Occupational therapists are in-demand you may be eligible to immigrate to Canada through the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP). There are 11 participating communities currently participating in the pilot program. You will need a valid job offer in one of the participating communities to be considered eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residency through the RNIP.

4. The Atlantic Immigration Pilot

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot allows intermediate to highly and semi-skilled foreign workers to move to Canada’s Atlantic provinces and seeing as Occupational therapists are in high need in the 4 Atlantic provinces, you may be eligible to apply if you have a valid job offer for at least 1 year.

As a highly skilled worker, it is not a requirement that you have a job to be able to immigrate to Canada but it will make it faster. It will help with the immigration process as you can earn between 50 and 200 PR points for a valid job offer.  This moves you ahead in the pool of candidates, as the more points you have the more chance you have of receiving an invitation in one of the many offer rounds made within the Canada Visa System.

Occupational therapists in Canada are described as doing the following:

• Analyse clients’ capabilities and expectations related to life activities through observation interviews and formal assessments
• Develop intervention programs to address clients’ needs related to self-care work and leisure activities
• Maintain clients’ records
• Establish personalized care plans working as a member of an interdisciplinary team
• Consult and advise on health promotion programs to prevent disabilities and to maximize independent function in all activities of life
• May supervise support personnel and students and provide training.
• Occupational therapists may specialize in working with specific populations such as children or adults or persons with distinct problems such as dementia traumatic brain injury and chronic pain or provide special interventions such as return-to-work programs.
• .
• .
• .

You can expect to see these terms in Job ads in Canada for Occupational therapists along with the following common tasks, duties and responsibilities of Occupational therapists in Canada.

There has never been a better time to get moving to Canada as a Occupational therapist.

If you are looking to apply to move to Canada in a different occupation, you can find the information on our Canada Skilled Immigration Guides page.

If you are looking for a job in Canada – you can find a guide on each occupation and the job application procedure for Canada on our Canada Job Guides index.

As mentioned above you will need to attend the Canadian Embassy nearest you during your application process to live in Canada as a Occupational therapist.  You can find the complete list of all Canadian Embassies Worldwide here.

Express Entry

Canada Visa

Provincial Nomination

Visa Assessment

Jobs in Canada