This document was updated in collaboration with the Labour Market Integration Unit, Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration in September 2007.  Requirements may have changed by the time you apply.  Please contact the Ontario Association of Architects before completing your application. 

Copyright in this Career Map is held jointly by the Queen's Printer for Ontario and the Ontario Association of Architects, © 2007.  This Career Map may be used or reproduced by any third party for non-commercial, not-for-profit purposes, provided that no fee, payment or royalty of any kind shall be charged by the third party for any further use or reproduction of the Career Map by any person.  Any proposed commercial or for-profit use or reproduction of this Career Map requires a written licence from the Queen's Printer for Ontario and the Ontario Association of Architects.

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Architects design and plan for the construction and renovation of buildings.  The public relies on their knowledge, experience, and professionalism to build structures that are safe, and which contribute to the beauty and comfort of their communities.  These high standards of practice in the profession of architecture are maintained through regulation.  In Ontario, the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) regulates the profession of architecture. 

The OAA ensures public safety by setting standards for admission, issuing Licences to practise architecture, and regulating the practice of architecture in the province.  The rules concerning the licensing of architects in Ontario are contained in provincial legislation – the Architects Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.A.26 and Ontario Regulation 27 under the Architects Act. 

The requirements for architectural practice in Ontario are a Licence as an architect and a Certificate of Practice issued by the OAA.  In Canada it is illegal to use the title “Architect” or offer the services of an architect before being licensed and being issued a Certificate of Practice with a provincial architectural association.  This Career Map explains the steps required for certification of education and licensure as an architect in Ontario.

Requirements For Licence In Ontario

The OAA requirements for the issuance of a Licence as an architect in Ontario as set out in the Regulation are as follows:

1. be of good character;
2.  be at least 18 years of age;
3. be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada or be a member of an organization of architects that is recognized by the Council and that has objects, standards of practice and requirements for membership similar to those of the Association;
4. have a degree in architecture from a post-secondary institution or have successfully completed the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Syllabus;
5. have a Certificate of Certification from the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB);
6. successfully complete the Admission Course offered by the OAA;
7. have successfully completed a total of 5,600 hours of experience that meets the requirements of the Intern Architect Program, with at least 940 hours of experience being in Ontario in an architectural practice under the personal supervision and direction of an architect within 3 years of submitting an Application for Licence, and at least 2,780 hours of experience being under an Architect; and
8. pass the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).

Language Proficiency Assessment

The OAA does not require that applicants, for whom English is a second language, pass a language proficiency exam.  However, the licensing process may involve interviews and exams that require excellent oral and written English language skills.  If you feel uncomfortable participating in formal interviews, reading complex documentation, and writing reports in English, you might consider upgrading your English skills before applying.  See the Contact and Resources section of the Career Map for information on where you can take English as a second language course in Ontario.

Licensing Process

Before you immigrate to Canada

Before you immigrate to Canada, you can obtain information about the licensing procedures for architects from the OAA or its Web site.  See the Contact and Resources section of the Career Map for the OAA. 
The first step in licensure as an architect in Ontario is to receive certification of your education from the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB).  You may complete this first step in the licensing process from abroad.  Begin by contacting the CACB for information (See Step 1 below for details).  See the Contact and Resources section of the Career Map for the CACB. 

You can also obtain information about the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) from outside of Canada.  The ARE is conducted by the National Council of Architectural Board (NCARB), an organization based in the United States.  See the Contact and Resources section of the Career Map for NCARB.

When You Arrive in Ontario

When you arrive in Ontario, contact the OAA to determine what requirements you may have already met and what steps still need to be completed.  The OAA will then send the documentation to you that describes the licensing procedures.

Step 1 – Certification of Education Requirements

In Canada, each province has its own provincial architectural association responsible for licensing and regulating architects.  However, the provincial architectural associations rely on the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) for the certification of every individual’s education.  The CACB is a national body formed by the provincial architectural associations that administers a program of accreditation of Canadian schools of architecture in accordance with the Conditions and Procedures for Accreditation.  In addition, the CACB assesses and certifies the academic credentials of individuals in accordance with the criteria contained within the Canadian Education Standard approved by the Provincial Architectural Associations.  All individuals in Canada must have their academic qualifications certified by the CACB before they can apply for licensure with the Provincial Associations of Architects.  To begin your certification with the CACB, you must either download the form from their Web site or contact them directly to receive an application package.  The application fee CAN$1,050 + Tax (GST). See the Contact and Resources section of the Career Map for the CACB.

You will need the following documents for the CACB academic credentials assessment:

1. a completed application form
2. certified copies of all degrees.  Submit copies of original documentation in their original language of instruction.  If these documents are in a language other than French or English, you must provide an official translation certified by the emitting institution, a lawyer, a notary, or a commissioner of oaths. 
3. an Official Transcript of Record showing grade or standing received in each subject, for each year of the courses of architecture that you have completed.  Copies certified by the emitting institution, a lawyer, a notary, or a commissioner of oaths are also acceptable.  If these documents are in a language other than French or English you must provide an official translation certified by the emitting institution, a lawyer, a notary, or a commissioner of oaths. 
4. a University Calendar describing all programmes including architecture undertaken by the applicant, or equivalent documentation.  If these documents are in a language other than French or English you must provide an official translation certified by the emitting institution, a lawyer, a notary, or a commissioner of oaths. 

The CACB Assessment Committee will review your documents and determine whether your education is equivalent to the Canadian Education Standard.  In some cases, applicants may be requested to attend an interview with the Assessment Committee. 

It takes a minimum of two (2) months from the time that the CACB receives your complete application, accompanying documents, and the applicable fee, to the time that you receive the results of the assessment.  If your application package is incomplete it will take longer, so make sure that you include all the necessary documents.  You will receive the results of the assessment by mail.

For more information on CACB certification contact them directly. See the Contact and Resources section of the Career Map for the CACB.

Step 2 – Complete Experience Requirements

Once certification by the CACB has been granted, you may then submit an application to the OAA for appointment as an Intern Architect, download the Intern Architect Program (IAP) Manual from the OAA Web site and purchase the Canadian Handbook of Practice (CHOP).  All Intern Architects in Ontario must complete the IAP to fulfill the experience requirements of the OAA.  To take part in the IAP, Intern Architects must find an architect who agrees to become a mentor. 

Your international work experience may be considered toward the experience requirements.  Record in the Canadian Experience Record Book (CERB) all your international work experience that was gained outside of Canada and the USA so that it may be considered towards the experience requirements.  You must complete 5600 hours of work experience to fulfil the experience requirements.  A further 940 hours of work experience in Ontario in an architectural practice, and under the personal supervision and direction of an architect, is required.  This 940 hours must be completed within the three (3) year period immediately prior to submission of an Application for Licence.  All individuals who use all or a portion of their experience gained outside of Canada or the USA are required to attend for interview with the OAA’s Experience Requirements Committee. 

Related Work Experience

You may work in an architectural office in Ontario without having CACB certification or being appointed as an Intern Architect with the OAA, but only under the personal supervision and direction of an architect.  However, if you plan to use this work experience to fulfill OAA’s experience requirements, you must find a mentor who is an architect, and submit the work experience for review within the time frame outlined in the Intern Architect Program Manual.

Step 3– Architect Registration Examination

The Architect Registration Examination (ARE) is developed by the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB) and has been adopted by the Canadian Provincial Architectural Associations as a requirement for licensure.

Applying for the Exam

You may apply for the ARE only after obtaining CACB certification and being appointed as an Intern Architect with the OAA.  To become eligible to take the ARE, you should contact the OAA.  OAA staff will then prepare an Eligibility Form and forward it to the USA based Test Consultants who administer the ARE.  You must receive the Authorization to Test before you can take the ARE.

About the Architect Registration Examination

The ARE has nine (9) divisions: six (6) divisions contain multiple-choice questions, the other three (3) consist of problem-solving questions.  The multiple-choice divisions are: pre-design; general structures; lateral forces; mechanical and electrical systems; materials and methods; construction documents and services.  The problem-solving questions appear in the graphics divisions, which include site planning; building planning; building technology. 

You may get more detailed information about the ARE from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), either by contacting them or visiting its Web site.  See the Contact and Resources section of the Career Map for NCARB.

Preparing for the Architect Registration Examination

A test information package will be sent to you as soon as the test administrators receive your Eligibility Form from the OAA.  The information package contains:

• the ARE Guidelines, which include a detailed description of the exam,
• information on testing centres and scheduling, and references;
• a practice program for the graphics components of the exam;
• an up to date list of testing centres;
• your “Authorization to Test” letter. 

Practice problems (vignettes) are available on NCARB’s Web site www.ncarb.org.  A tutorial is also offered thirty (30) minutes before the exam. 

Prior knowledge of CAD or other drawing software programs is not necessary.

Taking the Architect Registration Examination

The ARE is administered and graded by computers in test centres across Canada and the USA.  Ontario centres are located in Kitchener, Toronto, London, Hamilton and Ottawa.  Test centres may be open six (6) days a week, Monday to Saturday, 50 weeks a year.  All divisions of the ARE are offered year-round.  Contact the test centre of your choice in any jurisdiction or where you become eligible.  Although the OAA sends your eligibility information directly to the testing organization, you are responsible for scheduling exams.  You must contact the testing centre closest to you when you are ready to take an exam.  You may write the different divisions of the exam in any order, and at any time.  If you fail a division, you must wait for six (6) months before you can retake this division.  French-language examinations are available at test centres in Canada, and ARE guidelines in French can be requested from the Ordre des Architectes du Quebec (OAQ).  See the Contact and Resources section of the Career Map for the OAQ.

Architect Registration Examination Results

Test results are sent directly to the OAA.  The OAA forwards the results to the Intern Architect.

Step 4 – OAA Admission Course

Every applicant for Licence with the OAA must attend the Admission Course.  The course is offered once a year in Toronto, usually during May or June.

• The OAA Admission Course is one of the requirements for licensure in Ontario.
• The Admission Course covers topics related to regulatory, legal, and practice issues specific to Ontario not covered in the ARE.
• The Admission Course is designed to supplement the applicant’s formal professional education and the practical experience gained during the period of internship.  Familiarity with The Canadian Handbook of Practice is part of the Admission Course.
• The Admission Course lectures cover a range of subjects and focus on practice-related matters, as well as on the legal and legislative context within which architects practice in Ontario.
• It is assumed that most technical, creative, and management subjects that are basic knowledge universal to architectural practice will have been adequately covered as part of the Intern’s certified academic requirement.
• Intern Architects are encouraged to get exposure to situations within their work environment that relate to the courses, including participating in or observing practice situations within their work experience, prior to the lectures.
• The content of the lectures for 2007 include the following:

For more detailed information on the Admission Course, click here.

The following document is included as part of the Admission Course materials:

• Mastering the Business of Architecture (MBA) Kit. 

The cost for the document and the course is CAN$540 + 6% Tax (GST).  See the Fees section of this Career Map for more information. 

Step 5 – Membership in the Ontario Association of Architects (Licence)

Once you have completed steps 1 through 4 listed above, you may submit an Application for Licence to the OAA.  The approval of an Application for Licence entitles an individual to become an architect licensed by the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA). 

The following documents must be included with the Application for Licence:

1. the completed and signed Application for Licence; Refer to the Guidelines for Completion of an Application for Licence to assist you with this task. 
2. proof of Canadian Citizenship or permanent residence in Canada; attach photocopies of your documents. 
3. proof of CACB certification; Attach a copy of the CACB certificate. 
4. proof of the required work experience; Submit any sections of the Canadian Experience Record Book which have not been reviewed and approved. 
5. the required application fee. 
6. the annual Licence fee.

Applicants receive notice of the OAA’s decision regarding licensure by mail, approximately three (3) to five (5) weeks after the Application for Licence and all of the accompanying documents are submitted. 

Note: All internationally trained/educated professionals who include experience gained outside of Canada or the USA as part of their total experience submission are required to attend an interview with the OAA’s Experience Requirements Committee (ERC).

An interview with the Experience Requirements Committee may be required to facilitate the OAA’s decision regarding licensure (Refer to Step 3).  Before the interview, you will be requested to submit architectural working drawings, specifications and contract administration documentation for review.  Once the documentation has been received, an interview time will be arranged. 

Step 6 – Certificate of Practice

In order to offer or provide architectural services, on your own, to the public in Ontario, an individual must be a holder of a Certificate of Practice with the OAA.  To obtain an Application for Certificate of Practice, please visit the OAA’s Web site.

Labour Market Information

Architects may practice alone or as part of small, medium or large firms.  Approximately 2,500 architects are employed in Ontario, mostly around Toronto and Ottawa.  About 87% of these architects are self-employed as a principal in firms of 1 or 2 architects.  Others work for architectural firms, government, real estate developers or large corporations.  Most of these architects (94%) work full time. 

Architects may specialize in contract administration, housing design, renovations or institutional buildings.  They often lead teams of specialists including structural, mechanical and electrical engineers, and must therefore have strong project and contract management abilities. 

Architects’ salaries vary according to their levels of experience.  A salary survey conducted in 2005 yielded the following information on salaries:

Annual Salary Range (in Canadian Dollars)
	Average Low	Average High
Intern	$40,304	$49,720
Junior Architect                 (recently licensed/entry level)	$44,580	$52,096
Intermediate Architect      (Licensed minimum 4 years)	$50,029	$57,078
Senior Architect              (Licensed minimum 8 years)	$67,610	$78,757
Principal	$94,768	$123,832

Employment in architecture is closely tied to construction activity in the residential, commercial and institutional sectors.  These sectors of the economy are performing well and are expected to remain strong over the next five years. 

Computer aided design (CAD) is prevalent in this occupation and is being used to produce a wider choice of designs for customers.  It is suggested that you contact local colleges for information on CAD courses.

Only an Architect who is licensed in Ontario and is a holder of a Certificate of Practice in Ontario is permitted to offer and/or provide to a member of the public a service that is part of the practice of architecture.

Related Occupations

Architects do all kinds of work.  Here is a list of some jobs performed by architects:

Architectural Critic	Contractor	Landscape Architect
Architectural Programmer	Environmental Planner	Market Researcher
Building Inspector	Facilities Manager	Property Assessor
CAD Coordinator	Furniture Designer	Real Estate Agent
Carpenter	Graphic Designer	Set Designer
Construction Inspector	Heritage Planner	Technical Writer
Construction Manager	Interior Designer	Urban Planner

For more information on labour market conditions see Ontario Job Futures on the Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) web site, www.on.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca  In Ontario, this information is available at public libraries or HRDC Employment Resource Centres in your community.

Fees and Costs

These fees change each year, contact the OAA through the Web site or directly before you submit payment.  A 6% tax (G.S.T.) is applicable to fees/costs listed here.  Payment must be made in Canadian funds and are non-refundable.  Shipping costs may apply.

Architect Registration Examination

These fees are listed in US dollars.  Canadian applicants must pay the exchange rate plus 6% tax (G.S.T.).  Test fees cannot be refunded once an appointment to write has been set. 

Ontario Association of Architects Certificate of Practice

A 6% tax (G.S.T.) is applicable to the fees listed here.  Payment must be made in Canadian funds and are non-refundable. 

Contact and Resources

For information on the licensing requirements for architects in Ontario, contact:
Ontario Association of Architects (OAA)
111 Moatfield Drive
Toronto, ON
Canada
M3B 3L6
Phone: (416) 449-6898
Toll Free: 1-800-565-2724 (Ontario only)
Fax: (416) 449-5756
E-mail: oaamail@oaa.on.ca
Web site: www.oaa.on.ca

For more information on the assessment of architectural academic credentials, contact:
The Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB)
710 – 1 Nicholas Street
Ottawa, ON
Canada
K1N 7B7
Telephone: (613) 241-8399
Fax: (613) 241-7991
E-mail: info@cacb.ca
Web site: www.cacb.ca

For more information on the RAIC Syllabus Program, contact the national office of the RAIC
RAIC Syllabus National Office
Mercantile Building, 318 Homer St., Ste.  210
Vancouver, BC
Canada
V6B 2V2
Telephone: (604) 669-9830
Fax: (604) 669-5513
E-mail: syllabus@intergate.bc.ca
Web site: www.raic-syllabus.ca/

For information on the Architect Registration Examination, contact:
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)
1801 K Street, NW, Suite 1100-K
Washington, DC
USA 20006
Telephone: (202) 783-6500
Web site: www.ncarb.org

For information on the Architect Registration Examinations—French-language examinations, guidelines, contact:
Ordre des Architectes du Quebec (OAQ)
1825 Boulevard Réne—Levesque Ouest
Montréal, Quebec
Canada
H3H 1R4
Telephone:  (514) 937-6168
Toll free: 1-800-599-6168
Fax: (514) 933-0242
E-mail:  info@oaq.com     
Web site: www.oaq.com

For information on English language courses in Ontario, contact:
Visit www.settlement.org, and follow the links to “language training”. 

For ESL courses offered at Municipal Boards of Education:
Look in the telephone directory for your community under “schools”. 
Local board of education listed on the internet, sbinfo.edu.gov.on.ca/

For ESL courses offered at Ontario Community Colleges:
Course calendars are available at local libraries or by order from the college.
For community colleges in your area look in the telephone directory under “college”, or visit the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Web site: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/list/college.html

For information on where and how to get help with settlement in Ontario, contact:
Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)
110 Eglinton Avenue West, Suite 200
Toronto, ON
Canada
M4R 1A3
Telephone: (416) 322-4950
Fax: (416) 322-8084
E-mail: ocasi@web.net
Web site: www.settlement.org

For a government contact about accessing professions and trades in Ontario, contact:
Government of Ontario
Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
Global Experience Ontario
285 Victoria St., 7th  Flr.
Toronto, ON
Canada
M7A 2H6
Tel:  (416) 327-9694 or 1-866-670-4094
Telecommunication Device for the Deaf
(416) 327-9710 or 1-866-388-2262
Fax: (416) 327-9711
E-mail: GEO@ontario.ca
Website: www.ontarioimmigration.ca/english/geo.asp

Copyright in this Career Map is held jointly by the Queen's Printer for Ontario and the Ontario Association of Architects, © 2007