The following documents are required to apply to, and participate in, the SEAS program:

Note: Documents 3, 5, and 8 are internal SEAS documents and will be provided to you at the time they are required. The others are documents that you will provide to participate in the SEAS program.

Required Documents at a Glance

1. World Education Services (WES) Credential Evaluation

A WES ICAP Document-by-Document report is required to apply to, and participate in, the SEAS program. SEAS will not accept a WES Basic report, and ACOTRO will only accept credential assessments that have been completed by WES.

You can find instructions and begin your request for a WES report that is suitable for SEAS on the WES website. Your Fee is payable directly to WES. Please refer to the WES website for more information.

The WES credential evaluation report will:

• Verify that your credentials are authentic and were sent directly from the academic institution
• Determine whether or not your program of study was an occupational therapy program
• Determine the level of your education and whether or not it is equivalent to the level of a Canadian Bachelor’s degree
• Verify the language of instruction of your OT program

Note: For Refugees and Displaced Persons Living in Canada

If you have completed a university occupational therapy program but are unable to access proof of your academic achievements, please contact WES to determine if you are eligible for an alternate credential evaluation through the WES Gateway Program. Learn more HERE.

FAQs — WES Report

How do I obtain a WES report?

Apply directly on the WES website, and request a WES ICAP Document-by-Document report specific to ACOTRO. Once on the WES site, you will be asked to find your country on the drop-down list and follow the instructions to provide the specific documents required. You can start your ACOTRO-specific WES application HERE.

When should I apply for a WES report?

It is recommended that you start your WES application prior to applying to SEAS. It may take several weeks for your university to send your documents to WES, and if your documents are not issued in English or French, you may be required to have your documents translated.

Should I apply for a WES evaluation of all my university degrees?

At a minimum, ACOTRO requires a WES academic credential assessment for all your university occupational therapy programs.

If you graduated from other university non-OT programs and wish to use the course curriculum from those degrees in the PSCA (e.g. prerequisites for your OT master’s level program), you can apply to WES for an academic credential assessment of these degrees. However, it is not necessary. Alternatively, you can request the university to send your transcripts for these non-OT degrees directly to SEAS, along with the course curriculum.

I do not agree with the result of my WES academic credential assessment. What should I do?

If you do not agree with your WES evaluation, you must contact WES directly to discuss your concerns and request a review. WES is an academic credentialing agency in Canada, and SEAS will not make any revisions to the results of your WES evaluation.

2. Proof of Identity (ID) Documents

You must submit two forms of ID directly to SEAS: a primary ID document and a secondary ID document. These documents are used to confirm your identity, as part of your SEAS application process. Your primary ID will also be used to confirm your identity when you write the Jurisprudence Knowledge Assessment Test (JKAT) and Competency Assessment (CA). You must bring your primary ID to both of these assessments. If you do not, then the assessments will be cancelled.

• Primary ID: contains the applicant’s name, date of birth, signature, an affixed photo, and has not expired.
• Secondary ID: contains the applicant’s name, date of birth, and has not expired.

Examples of valid ID documents include:

• driver’s license
• passport
• foreign government-issued identification
• government-issued identification
• government-issued work identification
• military identification
• permanent resident Visa or green card
• provincial health card
• social insurance number card (Canada)
• social security card (US)

Note: SEAS does not accept expired identity documents. If your identity documents expire during your SEAS program, you will be required to submit valid (not expired) identity documents to continue.

FAQs—Identity Documents

When and how do I submit my identity documents?

After you have applied to SEAS and paid your registration fee, SEAS will send you a secure link to upload original copies of your identification documents. Do not mail your proof of identity documents to SEAS, and do not send copies of your documents by unsecure email.

What if the names on my ID documents are not identical?

If your names are not the same on all the documents you submit to SEAS, you will be required to send additional documents to explain the discrepancy. This may include proof of name change through a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or another relevant government-issued document.

If your name changes during the SEAS program, you must submit official proof of name change.

3. Declaration of Identity

Once SEAS receives your accepted proof of identity documents, you will be required to complete a declaration of identity, attesting that the information submitted is valid and true. Any false information or documentation may result in removal from the SEAS program.

SEAS will send the Declaration of Identity form to you, and it must be completed and submitted immediately to have access to the SEAS program.

4. Language Readiness Assessment: Proof of English or French Language Proficiency Documents

Updated: March 2023

The SEAS program can be completed in either English or French. It is important that you have adequate English or French language skills to participate in all SEAS assessments.

As part of your SEAS application, you must prove that you can listen, speak, read, and write in English or French.

You may be exempted from taking a language proficiency test if:

• You completed your primary and secondary education in Canada, and the language of study was in English or French, or
• The language of instruction of your OT program was entirely in English or French (classroom instruction, written work, and fieldwork)

The following language tests are approved for participation in SEAS:

NOTE: You are responsible for the cost of the language test.

ENGLISH

The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP)

• CELPIP, General (CELPIP G)

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

• IELTS AC (Acadmic)
• IELTS GT (General Training)

Minimum Requirements:

Language Skills	CELPIP – G	IELTS – AC and GT
Reading	9	7.0
Writing	8	6.5
Listening	8	7.0
Speaking	8	6.5

FRENCH

Test d’évaluation du français (TEF)

• TEF Canada
• TEF Quebec (TEFAQ)
• TEF 5 épreuves

Test de connaissance du français (TCF)

• TCF Canada
• TCF Quebec (TCFQ)
• TFC Tout Public Results

Minimum Requirements:

Language Skills	TEF	TCF
Reading	248	524
Writing	349	12
Listening	280	503
Speaking	349	12

IMPORTANT FOR ALL TESTS:

• Each of the 4 criteria (reading, writing, listening, speaking) must be tested.
• You must meet the minimum requirement for all 4 criteria.
• Scores must be obtained from a test taken in the same sitting.
  • For example, you cannot use the reading test score from one assessment date, and the writing, listening, and speaking test scores from a different assessment date.
  • Combined scores from different tests are not acceptable.
• The test must have been successfully completed no more than 2 years prior to applying to SEAS. Tests older than 2 years will not be accepted.

FAQs—Language Proficiency

When should I take my language proficiency test?

The language proficiency test can be taken before you start your SEAS program. If you choose to take your language proficiency test during your SEAS program, it must be successfully completed prior to taking the JKAT test. It is important to remember that you have one year to complete your SEAS program. If you take the language proficiency test during your SEAS program and you do not meet the minimum requirement, you may require language-skills upgrading, which may delay your access to the JKAT and CA.

Are the SEAS language proficiency requirements the same as the language proficiency requirements of the provincial regulatory colleges?

The purpose of the SEAS language assessment is to ensure that you have adequate proficiency in English or French to participate in all SEAS assessments. For example, the JKAT requires that you can read in either English or French. The CA requires reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in either English or French.

The provincial regulatory college may have different language proficiency requirements to ensure that you have the language skills to provide health care in Canada. Please contact the provincial regulatory college that you plan to register with for more information on their language requirements.

How long are my language test results good for?

The test must have been successfully completed no more than 2 years prior to applying to SEAS. Tests older than 2 years will not be accepted.

Once accepted by SEAS, the test will remain valid while you are in the program.

I do not agree with the results of my language test. What should I do?

If you wish to appeal your language test results, you must do that directly with the language testing company. SEAS will not make any revisions to the results of your language test.

How do I send my test results to SEAS?

English Tests

• CELPIP – provide SEAS with your test registration number and SEAS will obtain the results directly from the test provider.
• IELTS – the test provider will send a copy of your test result to SEAS. Please note, this can take several weeks to arrive.

French Tests

• TEF and TCP – when you receive your test results, please contact the SEAS Associate to receive a secure link so you can upload the test results to SEAS.
• Once SEAS has received your test results, we will contact the test provider to verify the scores.

5. Language Readiness Assessment: SEAS Language Declaration Form

When you have met the requirements for language proficiency, SEAS will send you a Language Declaration form. SEAS must receive this signed form before you take the JKAT and CA.

6. Evidence of Fieldwork Hours Completed in Your OT University Program

SEAS must receive written documentation from an official at your OT university program attesting the number of fieldwork hours you successfully completed in your OT program.

The documentation must include the following:

• Your name
• Confirmation that the fieldwork hours were completed during your OT program
• The number of fieldwork hours completed and whether you passed each fieldwork placement
• The start and end date of the fieldwork placement

Note: Fieldwork hours must be sent directly from the university to SEAS (either by email or hard copy in the mail/courier).

FAQS—Fieldwork Hours

My fieldwork hours are documented on my university transcript. Does my university also need to send documentation of my hours to SEAS?

Additional documentation from your university may not be required if:

– The hours completed are clearly documented on the transcript

– The start and end date of the fieldwork placement is clearly documented on the transcript

– The transcript clearly documents if you passed the fieldwork placement

I completed an occupational therapist/physiotherapist assistant program prior to my university OT program. Can I use the fieldwork hours from the assistant program?

Fieldwork hours are only considered if they were completed within a university OT program. Fieldwork hours from an assistant program or other professional program are not considered by SEAS.

In addition to fieldwork completed during my university OT program, I was required to complete a 6-month placement after I graduated from my OT program. Can I include the hours from the 6-month placement?

If the placement was completed as part of the university OT program and was a requirement for graduation from that program, then the placement hours can be used for the purpose of SEAS.

If the placement was not a requirement for graduation from the university OT program, then the placement hours cannot be used for the purpose of SEAS. For example, if the placement was a requirement for registration to practice as an OT in that country, versus a requirement for graduation from the OT program.

7. Occupational Therapy University Curriculum Documents

SEAS requires an official OT program curriculum/course descriptions and/or course syllabi. These documents are used in the Profession Specific Credential Assessment (PSCA) to evaluate the content of your OT education.

The curriculum/course descriptions and/or syllabi must be sent directly from your university official to SEAS by email or hard copy via mail or courier. You are responsible for any fees your university requests for the preparation and sending of your documents. SEAS is not responsible for any shipping issues/lost documents.

If the curriculum/course descriptions and/or syllabi are not in English or French, you are responsible for the cost to translate the documents. Translations must be completed and sent to SEAS by a certified translator.

SEAS will only evaluate the content of courses that you have taken and passed and that are documented on your OT transcript. The curriculum documents must be specific to the years that you were a student in the program.

The quality and level of detail provided in the documents your school sends to SEAS will affect the assessment of how comparable your education is to a Canadian OT graduate. We suggest that you strongly encourage your school to provide as detailed a syllabus as possible so that SEAS evaluators have full evidence of your education.

FAQs—Curriculum Documents

I completed an occupational therapist/physiotherapist assistant program prior to my university OT program. Can I use the curriculum documents from the assistant program?

SEAS will not consider education from an assistant or other diploma program. SEAS will only evaluate university-level curriculum content.

I completed prerequisite, university-level courses in a Bachelor’s level degree to be admitted to my OT program. Can the curriculum from these university-level courses be used in the PSCA?

Yes, SEAS will evaluate the content of university-level courses used as prerequisites for the OT program or courses completed in a relevant field. The curriculum/course descriptions and/or syllabi must be sent directly from your university official to SEAS by email or hard copy via mail or courier. SEAS will also require an official transcript sent directly from the university to SEAS.

Since graduating from my university OT program, I have participated in professional workshops and/or continuing education courses. Can I submit course descriptions from these workshops and continuing education courses?

SEAS only evaluates the content of university-level courses, documented on official university transcripts as being passed. The purpose of the PSCA is to evaluate how comparable your university OT education is to that of a Canadian graduate. Professional workshops and continuing education courses are not evaluated in the PSCA.

I am a refugee or displaced person, and I am unable to obtain curriculum documents from my university. Can I still participate in SEAS program?

If you are unable to obtain curriculum documents from your university, please contact the SEAS Associate to determine if you are eligible for an alternate pathway to evaluate the content of your education. The SEAS Associate can be reached at: SEAS.associate@acotro.org

I graduated from my OT university program several years ago, and the university no longer has curriculum documents from the years of my program. Can I still participate in the SEAS program?

If you are unable to obtain curriculum documents from your university, please contact the SEAS Associate to determine if you are eligible for an alternate pathway to evaluate the content of your education. The SEAS Associate can be reached at: SEAS.associate@acotro.org

8. PSCA Self-Assessment Questionnaire

The PSCA Self-assessment Questionnaire provides an opportunity for you to reflect on the content of your OT education and how comparable it is to a Canadian OT education.

The PSCA Self-assessment Questionnaire can be completed at any time (even before you apply to SEAS), but SEAS will not complete your curriculum evaluation until we have received your completed questionnaire. You can access the questionnaire HERE. If you experience any difficulty opening the questionnaire, opening instructions can be found HERE.