Moving to Australia as a Canadian occupational therapist (2026)

If you graduated from one of 14 Canadian OT programs in the years Australia lists, you can apply straight for general registration with Ahpra, with no portfolio assessment and no supervised practice. The match has to be exact: the university, the degree title and your year of award. Graduates of other programs, or of a listed program outside its years, go through Ahpra’s individual qualification (portfolio) assessment, which costs A$688.

Is your program on the list?

The Occupational Therapy Board of Australia’s recognised list for Canada (page reviewed 11 March 2026):

Watch the end years. Montréal and Sherbrooke graduates from 2026 onwards, and Queen’s and Manitoba graduates from 2027, aren’t covered unless the Board extends the list. The University of Saskatchewan’s new Master of OT (first cohort started in 2026) isn’t listed yet.

If you’re not on the list

You apply for an individual qualification assessment (A$688). If your qualification is found relevant, you complete six months of supervised practice under limited registration, plus a competence assessment, before general registration. That means finding an Australian employer who can supervise you, so plan your job search around it.

Steps and costs on the fast route

English: the French-language programs

Canada is a “recognised country” for Ahpra’s English standard and the OTC’s English requirement. If your schooling and OT degree were taught and assessed solely in English, you can usually use the education pathway instead of a test.

If you studied at Laval, Montréal, Sherbrooke or Trois-Rivières, your degree probably wasn’t taught solely in English, so you’ll probably need an English test. Neither Ahpra nor the OTC says this explicitly, so confirm with them before you book anything. For OTC tests taken from 23 April 2026, the minimum is IELTS Academic 7 overall and in listening, reading and speaking, with 6.5 in writing (or PTE 63 overall with speaking 76 and the other sub-scores the OTC lists).

Visas

General information only; a registered migration agent should confirm your options.

• Working holiday (417): Canadians can apply aged 18 to 35. Under current Home Affairs rules, working holiday makers in health, aged care and disability services can stay with one employer beyond six months, if their role falls within those sectors. Home Affairs says this applies “until the Government makes further decisions”; confirm with your employer or a migration agent.
• Skills in Demand (482): employer-sponsored; at least a year’s experience; salary at least A$79,423 (from 1 July 2026). Canadian passport holders are exempt from the 482 English test. After two years’ full-time work in the occupation within the last three years on a 482 with approved sponsors, you may be able to apply for permanent residency (subclass 186).
• Points-tested skilled visas: the 189 and 190 are permanent, the 491 is provisional and regional. How the points work for OTs.

Pay: the honest comparison

The two are measured differently (hourly versus annual), so convert carefully at today’s rate. Australian employers pay superannuation on top of salary.

Healthcare

Canada has no reciprocal health care agreement with Australia, so you won’t be covered by Medicare on a temporary visa. Budget for private health insurance from day one; on a 482 it’s a visa condition.

What I’d check first

1. Your university, exact degree title and year of award against the table above.
2. Whether your degree was taught solely in English.
3. When your provincial college can issue a certificate of registration status. It’s only valid for three months.