I'm an international applicant and I've asked a few questions to date on various other issues. A new question arised and seems I have to ask it to get the better picture before making the decision.
If I study in toronto (masters) and get the license in a few years, will I be able to move to another province say Alberta for a job? Is there any regulations changes in the architectural level in different provinces or they operate on the same regulations, in other words nothing changes in the professional practices of an architect despite being in different provinces?
I understand about where you study will give you some sort of contacts through co ops for job openings, but if all the codes and regulations are same across provinces then it shouldn't be an issue to move right?
First thing first, building codes/regs are not the same across all provinces. Canada is, I believe, a large place and geography matters quite a bit. We do have a national building (NBC) which covers the basics but almost every province has either it's own unique code that supersedes the NBC (OBC for Ontario) or a large addendum to the NBC.
Accredited degrees in canada (M.Arch) are all equivalent when considering the licensing process meaning, you can get a M.Arch in Ontario and apply for internship/license in Alberta. Not an issue... the only hiccup is obviously Quebec because of their crazy rules about french being first.
The one catch is that when you apply for your IDP (inter arch status), you need to pick a province in order to log your hours. You can log hours from different province but for example, if you're looking to get a license in Ontario, you will need a certain minimum of Ontario-based hours (20% or so, I believe). The same rules apply to all provinces... again, Quebec has further exceptions.
The above is for your first license but once you've passed the exams and are in good standing with one provincial organization, there is nothing stopping you (besides french) from applying for license reciprocity in other provinces granted you meet their requirements for cont-education and/or local code issues. Please note that licenses are not simply given to you once you graduate. It takes on average 3 to 5 years of full time work to build-up the hours and write the exams.
Note that there is nothing stopping you from working in any province (even quebec... although it's more difficult) with a M.Arch. Each school is unique and does come with their shares of "contacts" but that should not be the focus of your studies.
Jan 20, 23 10:42 am ·
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ahjun
Hi Thanks for ur reply NS,
Jan 20, 23 12:16 pm ·
·
ahjun
It's pretty in-depth. I'm trying to understand the market and decision hence the questions. Thanks alot !
What Non Seq said. Good reciprocity between provinces so you can move from province to province before or after registration and work across Canda ( with the appropriate authorization from the provincial association )
Jan 20, 23 7:49 pm ·
·
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A question about Architecture in different provinces in Canada
Hi all
I'm an international applicant and I've asked a few questions to date on various other issues. A new question arised and seems I have to ask it to get the better picture before making the decision.
If I study in toronto (masters) and get the license in a few years, will I be able to move to another province say Alberta for a job? Is there any regulations changes in the architectural level in different provinces or they operate on the same regulations, in other words nothing changes in the professional practices of an architect despite being in different provinces?
I understand about where you study will give you some sort of contacts through co ops for job openings, but if all the codes and regulations are same across provinces then it shouldn't be an issue to move right?
Please enlighten me. Thanks
First thing first, building codes/regs are not the same across all provinces. Canada is, I believe, a large place and geography matters quite a bit. We do have a national building (NBC) which covers the basics but almost every province has either it's own unique code that supersedes the NBC (OBC for Ontario) or a large addendum to the NBC.
Accredited degrees in canada (M.Arch) are all equivalent when considering the licensing process meaning, you can get a M.Arch in Ontario and apply for internship/license in Alberta. Not an issue... the only hiccup is obviously Quebec because of their crazy rules about french being first.
The one catch is that when you apply for your IDP (inter arch status), you need to pick a province in order to log your hours. You can log hours from different province but for example, if you're looking to get a license in Ontario, you will need a certain minimum of Ontario-based hours (20% or so, I believe). The same rules apply to all provinces... again, Quebec has further exceptions.
The above is for your first license but once you've passed the exams and are in good standing with one provincial organization, there is nothing stopping you (besides french) from applying for license reciprocity in other provinces granted you meet their requirements for cont-education and/or local code issues. Please note that licenses are not simply given to you once you graduate. It takes on average 3 to 5 years of full time work to build-up the hours and write the exams.
Note that there is nothing stopping you from working in any province (even quebec... although it's more difficult) with a M.Arch. Each school is unique and does come with their shares of "contacts" but that should not be the focus of your studies.
Hi Thanks for ur reply NS,
It's pretty in-depth. I'm trying to understand the market and decision hence the questions. Thanks alot !
What Non Seq said. Good reciprocity between provinces so you can move from province to province before or after registration and work across Canda ( with the appropriate authorization from the provincial association )
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