Internationally Educated - Graduated 5 or More Years Ago

Before you submit a membership application, you are required to complete a self-assessment to determine if you have completed the required courses and work experience.

Confirm Academic Requirements

To review the BCAK Academic Requirements for Professional Membership, click here. (link to mirror page)

You are required to complete a self-assessment of your post-secondary institute(s) Official Transcripts to confirm that you meet academic requirements. The BCAK provides a Course Assessment Chart to assist in your self-assessment, which can be found on this page. Directions for completing this chart are found on the document.

You will be required to submit your completed Course Assessment Chart in STEP 2 of the application process.

Confirm Professional Work Experience (PWE)

To review the required Professional Work Experience, click here. (link to mirror page)

You will be required to submit a notarized BCAK Professional Work Experience Record, which can be found on this page.  All experience entries, including hours completed, must be verifiable through employment services, payroll, or letter of reference (applies to volunteer work only).

As an applicant who graduated more than 5 years ago, the BCAK may evaluate your work experience for equivalencies of missing required courses.  It is very important that you provide as much detail as possible in your record of professional work experience.

Create User Account

Membership application starts with creating a BCAK User Account - the information required includes your name, contact information and preliminary educational information, including when, where and what degree(s) you have completed.

Pay Application Fee

To initiate your application process, you must pay the Membership Application Fee.

When you start your application process you will be prompted for online payment.  The BCAK accepts secure online payment by credit card only.

You are required to read, sign and agree to a Statement of Good Moral Character.  This statement will be found on the application page.  You will not be able to continue your application process until this statement is agreed to by you.

Submit Documents

You have 120 calendar days from the Application Date (see Terms and Definitions) to ensure that all required supporting documents are submitted.  Should you not submit documents in this 120 calendar day period, your application will expire and you must pay another application fee to reactivate your application.  If the BCAK member standards or application procedures change during that period, you must apply under the new standards and procedures.

As an international applicant, extensions will be considered in cases where more time is needed to receive documents from PSI's. These extensions will be considered on a case by case basis.

The following documents must be completed / submitted:

Proof of Degree Completion

You must submit one of the following for each kinesiology related degree you have completed.

• A legible image (resolution not less than 300 dpi) of your Degree certificate(s) submitted in the correct orientation showing all signatures and seals, OR
• A proof of graduation or pending graduation letter which includes:

- Name and address of the PSI

- Your full legal name

- Your student number

- Degree program completed

- Confirmation you have applied and been approved to graduate

Self-Assessment

You must submit the Self-Assessment grid that you completed in Step 1.

Official Transcripts

You must complete the following for each kinesiology related degree you have completed.  These must be sent directly to the BCAK office by email or postal mail.

• A comprehensive International Credit Evaluation Service (ICES) Report - OR - Course by course WES report, with ICAP package
• The post-secondary institution’s grading scale
• Professionally translated (if not provided in English) and notarized official transcripts. If these are included within the credit evaluation report, separate submission is not required.
  Contact office for additional information on when notarized copies are acceptable BEFORE requesting these documents.

If percent grades are provided, the BCAK will assess marks on percent grades, rather than letter grade equivalents - in these cases a 'C-' starts at 60%.

Applicants who have completed multiple degrees, or attended multiple post-secondary institutions, are required to submit documentation for each kinesiology related degree/diploma.

Proof of Course Content

You must submit course outlines/descriptions/syllabi in English for all relevant courses. This can be completed by:

• Official Course Outlines, or
• PDF course descriptions obtained through your educational institution's website

Proof of English Language Proficiency

Internationally educated applicants who completed their education in a country where the national language is other than English, and/or whose education was not completed in English, must provide proof of English language proficiency.

Proof of English Language Proficiency can be demonstrated through the following:

1. Proof of English language instruction including

• A signed affidavit from your educational institution declaring English as the language of instruction.
• Official course outlines in their original English format as provided by the institution.

1. CELPIP-General – English Language Proficiency Index Program.  A score of 5 or higher is required in each of the 4 components: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking
2. International English Language Testing System (IELTS, Academic and General Training tests accepted). The minimal scores for each component are:

• Listening - Minimum score of 7
• Writing - Minimum score of 7
• Reading - Minimum score of 7
• Speaking - Minimum score of 6.5
• Overall - Minimum score of 7

All English proficiency tests must be written in-person at a testing centre in Canada. Online, at-home tests will not be accepted. The test(s) must have been completed within two (2) years of application with the BCAK.

Applicable fees will be posted by the testing facility and are the responsibility of the applicant. BCAK application fees do not include these test fees.

Proof of Professional Work Experience

You will be required to submit a notarized BCAK Professional Work Experience Record.  All experience entries, including hours completed, must be verifiable through employment services, payroll, or letter of reference (applies to volunteer work only).

As an applicant who graduated more than 5 years ago, the BCAK may evaluate your work experience for equivalencies of missing required courses.  It is very important that you provide as much detail as possible in your record of professional work experience.

Reference Letters

The following letters must be submitted:

Letter of Intent - detailing the following;

• Your reasons for seeking membership with BCAK and why it is important to you.
• The area(s) (see: Areas of Practice) in which you intend to practice, including details relating to your knowledge and skills outlined in the BCAK's Essential Competencies of Practice.
• Letter(s) are to be written in your own words.  Use of Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as large language models (LLMs) to prepare the content are not accepted. Use of spelling and punctuation correction software commonly found in commercially available word processing programs is permitted.

Professional Reference Letter(s)

• Up to two (2) professional reference letters from persons that are not related to you, have known you for more than 1 year and can attest to your professional abilities, knowledge and interpersonal skills related to kinesiology practice.

Employment Reference Letter(s)

• A minimum of one reference letter from an employer attesting to your professionalism, clinical knowledge/competency and communication skills.

Volunteer/Mentorship Reference Letter

• If part of your work experience/history includes volunteer (unpaid) hours of work, and/or work where you provided unpaid mentorship, please provide a letter of reference for that unpaid work.

Request Criminal Record Clearance Letter Through Criminal Record Review Program (CRRP) 

You must have a Criminal Record Clearance Letter allowing you to work with children and vulnerable adults under the Criminal Records Review Act (CRRA). The Criminal Record Clearance Letter must be completed upon initial application and every five years thereafter. Under the Province of BC's Criminal Records Review Act, any health practitioner who is required to have a review, who does not have a valid Criminal Record Clearance Letter and works with a vulnerable member of the public, is subject to severe consequences.

Fees for obtaining your Criminal Record Clearance Letter through the CRRP are your responsibility and are in addition to the BCAK membership application fee.

Typical processing times for the CRRP to process a Criminal Record Clearance Letter request average 2-6 weeks. Applicants have the choice to start the CRRP process at any point in their BCAK membership application process, however, applicants will not be approved for membership without their Criminal Record Clearance Letter.

Please note: The BCAK is not permitted to accept Criminal Record Clearance Letters that come directly from the applicant, or that were obtained through a local police detachment, or any document that is NOT sent from CRRP directly to the BCAK.

Apply for Criminal record CLEARANCE LETTER

Upon receipt of all required documents, the BCAK will assess whether you meet academic and work experience requirements for membership.

If it it is determined that you do not meet requirements, you will be informed which requirements were identified as not having been satisfied and you will be provided additional information on how these outstanding requirements can be achieved and the time period in which they must be completed.

If it is determined that you meet requirements, you will move to STEP 3.

If the BCAK determines that you have met the academic and other requirements, you will receive an invitation to register for the Professional Competency Examination.

Pay Examination Fee

The invitation email you receive will provide a link to pay the Examination Fee.  The BCAK accepts secure online payment by credit card only.

An exam sitting may be deferred once.  Requests for deferral must be emailed to the BCAK at least fourteen (14) days prior to the scheduled exam date.  The exam fee will be credited in full toward the next exam sitting. The deferred exam must be rescheduled within thirty (30) days. If you do not complete the exam booking by this date, the exam fee credit will be forfeited.

Book the Examination

Upon BCAK’s receipt of your Exam Fee, you will receive an email from the BCAK with instruction on how to book your exam.

Exams are written at BC Invigilation Centres that have been approved by the BCAK.  You will receive a link to these approved Invigilation Centres.

Invigilation Centres will charge you a fee at the time of booking.  This fee is your responsibility, and you are subject to their payment and refund policies.  This fee is not part of the BCAK Exam Fee.

Once you have selected your preferred Invigilation Centre and booked your exam, you must email the BCAK with your scheduled exam date, time and Invigilation Centre contact information. This information must be received by the BCAK a minimum of twenty-one (21) business days prior to your scheduled exam date.  Upon receipt of the booking information, BCAK will send the exam link to the invigilation centre.

Prepare for the Exam

BCAK Professional Guiding Documents and study resources, including a Jurisprudence Guide and a Clinical Record Keeping and Charting Guide can be found here. The information in the resource documents may be tested in the exam.

Write the Examination

The online (electronically delivered) exam consists of 175 (TBC) multiple-choice questions comprised of single answer and case study questions.  The BCAK requires a minimum score of 60% to receive a pass.

You have 365 calendar days (1 year) to successfully complete the exam and are permitted a maximum of three (3) attempts / sittings.  The initiation of the 365 day period is the date that the BCAK sends you the email inviting you to write the exam.

If you do not successfully pass the exam with your first two attempts, BCAK will provide guidance for pathways to upgrade your professional practice competencies.  Upon successful completion of upgrading, and approval by the BCAK, you will be invited to write the exam for your third and final attempt.  Each exam sitting is subject to the full exam fee.  You are also responsible for paying invigilation centre fees associated with each exam writing.

You will receive the results (pass or fail) of your exam within five (5) business days of writing your exam.  These results will come to you by email from the BCAK website. Exam results are final and cannot be appealed.

Testing Accommodations

Requests for testing accommodations must be submitted to the BCAK a minimum of forty-five (45) days prior to the exam date.  This written request must include Testing Accommodations Forms found here – one to be completed by the applicant, the other to be completed by a qualified healthcare practitioner who is currently treating you.  This may include a family physician, nurse practitioner, clinical counsellor, or psychologist.  Applicants requiring testing accommodations will be required to find the invigilation centre that can accommodate their needs – after the BCAK approval for accommodation.

Missing a Scheduled Examination

No-shows to scheduled exams are considered a failed attempt.

There are some unforeseen circumstances that may justify a “day of” deferral of the exam date.  You must provide written information to the BCAK office within 24 hours of your scheduled exam time outlining the unforeseen circumstances that caused you to miss your exam.  Communication must include corroborating evidence (e.g. if a major transportation route is closed due to weather or accident, provide proof of that closure from media sources and/or BC Ministry of Highways, etc.)

Upon meeting all membership requirements, you will receive an email from the BCAK inviting you to activate your Professional Membership: Practicing or Non-Practicing.

Pay Professional Membership Fees

You must activate your membership by paying the applicable membership dues within thirty (30) days of approval.  Activation of the 30-day period starts one (1) day after the BCAK sends the email confirming that you have successfully passed the exam and have met the standards to become a Professional Member.

If you do not plan to activate your membership within the 30 days of approval, you must submit a written request for extension. Extension requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis and are at the sole discretion of the BCAK.

Insurance Requirements

As a Practicing Member with the BCAK you are required to have appropriate insurance coverage.  See Practicing Member Insurance Requirements for guidance. Non-Practicing Members are not required to have insurance.