There are many internationally-educated occupational therapists who have immigrated to Canada as skill workers when the Canadian Immigration and Citizenship announced that there is a shortage of these professionals in Canada. But in 2015 the registration process for Occupational therapists has been changed and the internationally-educated ones needed to go through a process named SEAS, Substantial Equivalency Assessment System, running by ACOTRO, 

The SEAS process costs at least $5000, if we don't consider the times the applicants get off work and the materials they buy for the exams. The applicants have 12 months to complete the process and if they can't, they need to pay $250 and ask for an extension. But the challenging part is that the whole ACORTO is running by two or three people who are busy and most of the time they are on leave and it takes them weeks and sometimes months to get back to the emails.

The applicants have almost 5 steps to pass with SEAS but between each step and exam, the SEAS keeps them waiting for months. The applicants need to keep emailing them and calling them, so they get back to them or release their exam results. Therefore, they will not be able to finish the process in 12 months, they have to pay at least $250, ask for an extension and wait stressfully for 3-4 months so the ACOTRO let them continue their process with the SEAS. Isn't it about money?!!

If the students are not successful in passing any of the steps, they need to pay again around $250 and ask for a reconsideration, it usually takes 3-4 months till ACOTRO can discuss it with a committee and release the result. They may refer the applicants who were not successful to take OTepp courses by McMaster university to fill the gap identified in their competencies. The courses are wonderful and help the students a lot, but they cost $9000 plus 8 weeks of unpaid practicum. But some applicants may be told that the gap in their competencies is significant and the course will not be enough for them!! They can take the course by themselves and go back to ACOTRO to do the SEAS all over again, or they are simply being told that they can choose to be an occupational therapist assistant (which needs a diploma and they do not accept master and bachelor's of occupational therapy instead of its diploma!!!)

Starting the SEAS over again does not make any sense because the first three steps' scores are not going to change if the applicants do them again. They are 1.Academic Credential Assessment Review (ACAR) ) (they are basically comparing your syllabi with the Canadian one)
2.SEAS Language Assessment (you have done it once and you have been living in Canada and working since then, so your English is getting better not worse)
3.Curriculum and Fieldwork - PSCA Review (it is the same as #1).

All in all, the occupational therapists are from a personality of perseverance, the ones who have chosen this field because of their passion to help people, to enable the people to do what is meaningful to them. They are willing to study, plan and take everything it takes for their passion for occupational therapy, but the way ACOTRO is dealing with them is discriminatory. It makes them feel that they don't want them in their profession, they keep putting obstacles in their ways to what is meaningful to them. The exams are so subjective and no resources are provided for them, there is no class or bridging program for that. If they want the applicants competent why don't they design some programs and ask the students to join them, pay, and learn?!!! The applicant would do that for sure because they know what they want and they don't feel lost and confuse this way.

Having clear and accountable and timely communication from ACOTRO is the least expectation we have. We spend a huge amount of our money, time and spend valuable time of our life for our passion, and we don't complain, but when ACOTRO keeps us waiting weeks and months for a simple reply, it makes us feel marginalized.

We need fair, timely and professional attention. We need this process to be fast and as they described if ACOTRO needs to recruit more resources to be able to meet our expectations they need to do that. We hold them accountable for the responsibilities they have for us, exactly as they expect us to be responsible for our clients.