REGULATING PSYCHOLOGISTS IN NOVA SCOTIA SINCE 1980

International Applicants

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Are you a psychologist educated in another country and thinking of relocating to Nova Scotia to live and work?
Are you an internationally educated psychologist already living in Nova Scotia?

The Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology works hard to make the registration process as easy to understand as possible. Application information is available under the “International Applicants Section” section of the website, here.

International Applicants refers to applicants: 

  • who received their graduate training outside of Canada and the US, and 
  • who are not fully registered/licensed as psychologists in Canada or the US or 
  • are not and have not been fully registered with the UK Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for a period of 4 years on the basis of a master’s degree or 1 year of registration that is based on a doctoral degree in psychology.


The Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology encourages all internationally educated applicants to connect with the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS) http://www.isans.ca/, a community-based organization that welcomes newcomers and offers a full range of support programs towards settlement in Nova Scotia.  ISANS also provides support for those intending to immigrate to Nova Scotia prior to arrival.

The Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology Registry Criteria

Under The Nova Scotia Psychologists Act, Regulations & Board Policy, applicants who want to register with the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology must meet the following criteria:

The Board’s academic requirements include completion of a minimum period of supervised work in the form of a practicum or internship as part of the academic training program. Applicants must have psychological work experience in the particular area(s) for which they are declaring. For more information, consult the Registration Requirements:
https://www.nsbep.org/downloads/Registration_Requirements_International.pdf

Those seeking a Transfer of Registration must have completed a minimum period of supervised practice as required by the Psychologist’s Act.
For registrants with a doctoral degree, typically a minimum of 2 hours per month of supervision for a period of 1 year (for a minimum of 1500 hours of practice) is required.
For registrants with a master’s degree, typically a minimum of 2 hours per month for a period of 4 years (for a minimum of 6000 hours of practice) is required.

As part of their Practice Profile in the application, applicants complete an attestation indicating the language(s) in which they are comfortable providing services. For more information please see the Board’s Language Proficiency Policy.

All applicants to the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology are required to complete a Declaration of Competence, Capacity and Character as part of their application. The Declaration requires applicants to provide details about their current and past conduct. Appropriate Competence, Capacity and Character are on-going expectations of registrants of the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology to safely and ethically practise. Registrants, as members of a self-regulating health profession, are required to provide declarations to the Board as part of their initial application and at the time of their annual registration renewal process.

This requirement is initially assessed throughout the completed application, particularly under the Core Competency section for Ethics and Standards.Prior to registration with the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology, applicants are required to attest that they have reviewed the relevant local jurisprudence, standards, and resources. For information purposes, a document on the Attestation Process is accessible directly below
https://www.nsbep.org/downloads/Information_Attestation.pdf

Applicants approved for a Transfer of Registration are also required to attend a Transfer Interview. For more information click on the link below: https://www.nsbep.org/downloads/Transfer_Interview_Information_International_Applicants.pdf

As noted above, if your application is accepted as a Transfer, you will complete a Transfer Interview but not an Oral Examination. However, if your application is not approved for Transfer but is approved for placement on the Register of Candidates, the Board will require you to pass the EPPP and Oral Exam, as part of your completion of the candidacy period.

Existing Certificates

If an applicant holds a certificate of registration as a psychologist in another jurisdiction, the standards of which the Board determines to be equivalent to the requirements of Subsections 15 (1) or (2) of the Act. the Board may waive any or all requirements in Subsection 15(1) or (2) of the Act.  For the excerpts of the Act, you can click here:
You may begin compiling documents and completing your application for registration prior to arriving in Canada. For a visual flowchart of the application process please visit the following URL: https://www.nsbep.org/downloads/International_Flowchart.pdf

Registration Steps with the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology for Internationally Educated Applicants

The Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology has collaborated with participating members of the Association of Canadian Psychology Regulating Organizations (ACPRO) to make application for registration by internationally-educated psychologists more streamlined and consistent across participating Canadian jurisdictions. ACPRO has developed a portal where internationally-educated applicants can now begin their application for licensure in Canada. The ACPRO portal serves as a single window of entry for participating Canadian jurisdictions. The ACPRO portal will compile and authenticate required standard application documentation, including:

  1. Identity documents
  2. Education documents*
  3. Registration/license documents
  4. Language proficiency test results
  5. Criminal background check


The fee for the ACPRO Portal is $500 (US Dollars).  Once you have completed this process, you may authorize the ACPRO portal to provide your application package to the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology for evaluation for registration in Nova Scotia. The ACPRO portal does not determine your eligibility for registration.

*As part of the process for International Applications, the ACPRO portal includes an evaluation of whether the applicant’s degrees are equivalent in academic level to a Canadian degree.

The purpose
of the statement from the evaluation service is to indicate to the Board whether the academic credentials are comparable in academic level to degrees granted by a Canadian university. 

Evaluation results must demonstrate that your highest degree in psychology is at the required academic level in order for you to become registered on that basis. The minimum level of degree acceptable to the NSBEP for registration purposes is a master’s degree.

For more information, please click here.

International applicants must also complete the Board’s online application form, which is specific to regulatory requirements in the province of Nova Scotia.  You can begin the NSBEP online application at any stage; however, this step does not replace the required process with the ACPRO Portal.

2.1 a) Here is a link to the NSBEP Online Application Guide, which should be reviewed before starting with the Online Application:
https://www.nsbep.org/downloads/Online_International_NSBEP_Application_Form_Guide.pdf

2.1 b) Here is a link to the actual NSBEP Online Application System:
https://secure.nsbep.org/regular_applicant_login.php

Once steps 1 (ACPRO Portal) and 2 (NSBEP Online Application Requirements) are completed, the Board will review your complete application package.

The Board’s assessment process and criteria are outlined in the following PDF:
https://www.nsbep.org/downloads/Registration_Requirements_International.pdf

Once steps 1 & 2 are complete (1. ACPRO Portal process completed – Report shared with NSBEP & 2. the NSBEP Online Application Requirements), the Board of Examiners will review your application at the next available Board meeting.  The Board typically meets every calendar month.  Due to the workload volume and required processes for the Registration / Review Subcommittees and the Board, it is necessary for the the Board to impose a two week cutoff for any agenda items.  This means that all agenda items must be complete and submitted two weeks in advance of monthly meetings.  This includes but is not limited to the following: applications for registration, requests for oral exams, or any other registration items.  In the event that an applicant misses the monthly deadline, no documentation has to be re-completed or resubmitted, the application will simply be reviewed at the next meeting.

A listing of all Board meeting dates, is available via the following link:
https://www.nsbep.org/about-nsbep/information-for-registrantsfor-all-registrantsnewsmeeting_dates/

Once the Board of Examiners has completed its assessment of your application materials, you will be contacted in writing, typically within 2 weeks.  To facilitate this communication, the registration decision will be sent to you via email.

There are three possible outcomes following this assessment by the Board:

  1. If both the academic and experience requirements are met, and it is determined that you possess equivalent registration with another psychology regulatory body, the Board may approve your name for placement on the Register of Psychologists, pending your completion of a Transfer Interview.  In other words, your application would be approved, but you must complete an in-person interview before you would be granted registration.  Every effort is made so that the interview can be conducted at a time convenient to the applicant and subject to the Board’s schedule.  Information concerning the Transfer Interview is available via the below link:
    https://www.nsbep.org/downloads/Transfer_Interview_Information_International_Applicants.pdf
  2. If your academic credentials are approved, but you have not met the legislated psychological experience requirement and/or you do not possess equivalent registration with another psychology regulatory body, the Board may approve your name for placement on the Register of Candidates.  Placement on the Register of candidates would include completing the legislated period of Candidate Register supervision and examinations.  Supervision is completed while one is registered as a Psychologist (Candidate Register) and working in Nova Scotia.  For information on the examinations and candidacy requirements, please visit the FAQ page for Candidate Registrants, available via the following URL:
    https://www.nsbep.org/information-for-registrants/for-candidate-registrants/faq/
  3. If it is determined that you do not possess a master’s or doctoral degree in psychology that meets the criteria of acceptable degrees in psychology and/or you do not meet other requirements noted in the criteria at the top of this page including equivalent registration with another psychology regulatory body, the Board must decline the application. In the event that your application is declined, you will be informed in writing of the criteria not met and provided with the opportunity to appeal this decision.  Please review the process here: https://www.nsbep.org/downloads/Registration_Appeal_Process.pdf

Information concerning the registration fees and professional liability requirements is outlined via this link:
https://www.nsbep.org/about-nsbep/all-fees/

For information on requesting documentation related to your application for registration, please click here for the Policy.

 

If an application for registration is approved for placement on the Register of Psychologists, the Board requires the applicant to complete a Transfer Interview and Attestation Process

Once the above processes are completed, and the registration fee is paid, the applicant is registered with the NSBEP. Information concerning the registration fees and professional liability requirements is outlined via this link:
https://www.nsbep.org/about-nsbep/all-fees/

 

For More Information:

  1. The Nova Scotia Office of Immigration provides information on its website relevant to internationally trained individuals. The website address is: http://novascotiaimmigration.com
  2. Additionally, Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (which is funded jointly by the Government of Canada and the Province of Nova Scotia) is currently offering a Career Pathway Loan Fund for internationally trained immigrants living in Nova Scotia.  To find out more information you may visit their website: http://www.isans.ca/cplf 
  3. For even more information, please see the below information and link from “Nova Scotia Start”. This a program of the Government of Nova Scotia.  If you are getting ready to immigrate to Nova Scotia, this is the place to start. Nova Scotia Start offers you information and support to work in Nova Scotia; Develop your communication skills; Settle into your new community.  All services are free of charge and they are available both before and after you arrive in Nova Scotia. http://www.novascotiastart.ca/outsideNS.html
  4. Fair Registration Practices Act (FRPA) Office
    https://novascotia.ca/lae/RplLabourMobility/FRP.asp

Since applicants will be completing the online application and documentation process through the ACPRO Portal, please make contact with ICD, a division of CGFNS International, Inc., who will be overseeing this process.

The appropriate contact information is available via the ACPRO Portal:
https://acpro-aocrp.ca/internationally-educated-applicants/