Pathway 3

Nationally Registered Member of the Profession 

You may be eligible to apply as a Nationally Registered Member of the profession if you hold a current Certificate of Registration as an optician in any jurisdiction in Canada.

In order to be a Registered Optician in Ontario, you must have education and/or training in both eyeglass and contact lens dispensing.

You are eligible to register if any of the following apply:

1. You hold a current Certificate of Registration as an intern optician in another province and have passed your NACOR exams.
2. You are currently registered to dispense both eyeglasses and contact lenses in another province and have successfully completed your NACOR exams for both eyeglasses and contact lenses within the past three years.
3. If you are currently registered to dispense eyeglasses only and have not written the NACOR contact lens examination, in order to be eligible for registration as a Nationally Registered Member of the profession, you must have completed education and/or training within the last three years that would qualify you to write the NACOR exams and meet the Entry to Practice Competencies. In order to write the NACOR exams you must first register as an intern optician. Click here to register as an intern optician.

If 1 or 2 above apply to you, you can apply to become a registered optician by completing the Application Form and submitting the following documents:

• A passport photo taken within 6 months of the application date. The photo may be sent as a hard copy or a high resolution electronic copy.
• A Vulnerable Sector Check report conducted in Canada within 6 months of the application date.
• Insurance or Undertaking Form and a letter of standing from the governing body with which you are currently registered.
• Insurance or Undertaking Form and proof of Professional Liability Insurance if you are currently employed or intend to be employed in any setting where you will be performing the Controlled Act of Dispensing.
• Notarized copies of your proof of identity and Employment Eligibility documents.
• If applicable, Certificate of Standing and letters of standing from any governing body with which you are registered in any jurisdiction.
• If applicable, proof of graduation from any post-secondary program you may have completed outside of Opticianry.
• Credit Card Authorization Form, authorizing the College to charge your credit card for optician application and registration fees.

If you are currently registered to dispense eyeglasses only and have not written the NACOR contact lens examination, in order to be eligible for registration as a Nationally Registered Member of the profession, you must have completed education and/or training within the last three years that would qualify you to write the NACOR examination and meet the Entry-to-Practice Competencies.

In order to write the NACOR examination, you must first register as an intern optician. 

Appeals

Registration department or Committee decisions can be appealed to the College’s Registration Appeal Panel (RAP), and further to the Health Professions Review and Appeal Board (HPARB). Applicants are provided with information about the review process when they are issued a decision letter. 

Applicants choosing to appeal will not be subject to any repercussions from the College.