Providing temporary psychological services in BC

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The Temporary (visitor) Registration is specifically intended for individuals who are providing psychological services in BC on a time limited basis for a purpose meeting the criteria specified in the Bylaws, specified criteria or under special circumstances.  It is NOT intended for individuals who seek to practice in British Columbia in an ongoing way.  Such individuals must apply for full registration as a Registered Psychologist Registrant under the AIT or as a Mobility applicant.

Purpose: This class of registration was developed for individuals practicing in BC for the purpose of (A) acting as an expert witness, (B) conducting a psychological assessment, (C) participating in, or acting as an instructor for, a course, conference, or other time-limited educational event, (D) include: consultation services to individuals, groups or organizations; psychological therapy offered in person; assessment and/or intervention services offered via telepsychology and in accordance with Code of Conduct Standards 3.25 and 3.30.

Eligibility: Individuals who hold current registration or licensure in another Canadian or United States jurisdiction which is equivalent to registration in BC as a registered psychologist registrant (and registration is not subject to any practice limitations, restrictions or conditions) are eligible to apply for temporary (visitor) registration.

Length of Term:  An eligible individual may hold Temporary (Visitor) Registration for a period of up to 15 consecutive days in a calendar year, renewable for one additional 15 consecutive day period in any calendar year or another length of time specified for a special circumstance.

Special Circumstances

Continuity of Care:  The Registration Committee approved the following policy to facilitate continuity of care for clients of psychologists in other Canadian or US jurisdictions, when the client is moving to or temporarily located in British Columbia:

If an applicant requests temporary (visitor) registration for the purpose of providing temporary non-‎emergency related services to an existing client who is moving to or temporarily located in British Columbia, on the basis that it ‎would be clinically ill-advised to stop providing services to the client or to transfer the client’s care to a ‎registrant of the College Psychologists of British Columbia, the applicant may be granted temporary (visitor) registration for a period longer than ‎‎15 consecutive days under section 49(3)(a) of the bylaws

  • on the condition that the applicant’s practice in British Columbia will be limited to providing ‎services to that existing client on a maximum of 30 non-consecutive days over a 12-month ‎period, and‎
  • provided that the applicant meets all other applicable conditions and requirements for ‎temporary (visitor) registration. ‎

Cross Jurisdictional Families/Couples Services:  The Registration Committee approved the following policy to facilitate psychological services to families/couples when one or more members of the family/couple are located in British Columbia and the other(s) are located in another Canadian or US jurisdictions:

If an applicant requests temporary (visitor) registration for the purpose of providing temporary non-emergency related services to a family/couple located in BC and in another Canadian or US jurisdiction, the applicant may be granted temporary (visitor) registration for a period longer than 15 consecutive days under section 49(3)(a) of the bylaws

  • on the condition that the applicant’s practice in British Columbia will be limited to providing services to that family/couple a maximum of 30 non-consecutive days over a 12-month period.
  • provided that the applicant meets all other applicable conditions and requirements for ‎temporary (visitor) registration. ‎

The application fee covers application processing as well as registration for the two 15 day periods or 30 non-consecutive days in the case of the special circumstance outlined above

Applicant Processing Time: Applicants must apply at least 30 days prior to their anticipated start date in order to ensure sufficient time to process their application.

Permissable Titles: A temporary (visitor) registrant may only use the titles “visiting psychologist” and “registered visiting psychologist”, and must not use any abbreviations of those titles.

1) Request Applicant Portal access:

Follow this link to request access to the CPBC applicant portal and to complete the online application form and upload other required items.

2) Log into Applicant Portal to complete your application:

Click Here to log into the Applicant Portal after you’ve received your username and password.

Please note that the following items are required in order to process a request for temporary (visitor) registration:

  1. Complete the Temporary (visitor) Application Form found on the Applicant Portal 
  2. Upload the most recent copy of your curriculum vitae to the portal.
  3. Per bylaw 49(1)(b)(i), applicants must provide:…notarized evidence, or other evidence satisfactory to the registration committee, of the applicant’s registration or licensure referred to in paragraph (a) and that the applicant is the person named therein… Applicants can provide one of the following:
    1. Direct verification sent from the regulator to CPBC OR
    2. Publicly available evidence on the jurisdiction’s website that includes any current limits and conditions and whether or not the registration is current / active.

    For those choosing option 1, applicants should request that their regulatory body completes the Verification of Licensure and Registration Status form.

  4. All applicants must undergo a criminal record review through the provincial government’s Criminal Records Review Program (CRRP)  For many applicants, this can be completed online. Please review the “Applicant Guide” and “FAQ” document.  You will need the College specific access code (GDM74JX5TR) to complete the process.Applicants without a BC Services Card who haven’t lived in B.C. for at least six months or who live outside the province should download the consent to a criminal record request form found in the portal.  You will need to complete the form and upload it to the portal along with copies of two acceptable forms of ID.    The Criminal Records Review Program does not allow organizations to post this form publicly.
    N.B. The College does not accept shared results of a criminal record check previously completely with the Criminal Records Review Program for another organization.
  5. There is a fee of $450 (Canadian Currency or US Equivalent) which covers both the application and registration fees. For information on how to submit an online payment to the College through your Canadian banking institution, click here. Required fees are found in the Fee Schedule.