Internationally educated applicant – social work degree earned outside of Canada or the USA 

To support the transition to ACSW’s new registration management system and registrant portal, all registration applications will be temporarily closed effective July 1, 2025. Applications will re-open August 18, 2025.

In the case of exceptional circumstances that require immediate attention, please contact registration@acsw.ab.ca for assistance.

To practice in the scope of social work in Alberta, you must be registered with the Alberta College of Social Workers and have an active practice permit.

If you completed your social work education outside of Canada or the United States, here’s what you need to know to apply to practice in Alberta.

Your credentials must be assessed to determine if they are equivalent to a Canadian or American Bachelor of Social Work or Master of Social Work.

Detailed requirements and the application follow. Please read carefully.

Requirements for internationally educated applicants  

This application is for people who 

• earned a social work credential outside of Canada or the United States 

• have an Assessment of International Credentials confirming that your credential is equivalent to a Canadian or American Bachelor of Social Work or Master of Social Work 

Required documents 

• Education qualifications
  What we accept: 

• • We prefer the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) assessment of international credentials. Contact CASW directly for details on their assessment, required documentation, and fees. The CASW assessment must be sent directly from CASW to ACSW.
  • We recognize American Bachelors of Social Work (BSW) and Masters of Social Work (MSW) as equivalent to those from Canada. We also accept an assessment of equivalence from CSWE.  
  • While ACSW will review other assessments (such as the International Qualifications Assessment Service [IQAS] specialized assessment), they typically do not include information that allows us to establish equivalence to a Canadian BSW or MSW 

Please send: 

• • Copies of your unofficial educational transcript and/or degree 

• Resume / CV
  Your up-to-date resume should include: 

• • education
  • work experience 
  • activities related to social work 
  • locations and dates for all of the above 

• Character reference
  You have two options: complete the ACSW character reference form OR submit a reference letter addressed to ACSW that supports your application to be a social worker 

• • The  character reference must be submitted by someone who knows you 
    • The person can not be a family member or partner
    • The person does not have to be a social worker 

• • The completed form can be sent directly to ACSW by the person who fills it out, or uploaded by you 
  • ACSW will also accept a reference letter that shows support for you in the role of regulated social worker 
  • At a later stage of registration, you will need a supervisor reference. Your supervisor reference can not come from the same individual who completes the character reference 

• Current criminal record check 

• • A criminal record check is valid for three months from the date it was issued 
    • It must be valid at the time you submit your complete application 
    • You might have to resubmit it if it has expired when your application is reviewed 

• • A vulnerable sector check is not required 
  • We accept criminal record checks from local and federal law enforcement agencies or online providers 
  • Inconclusive results require a fingerprint check 
  • You pay the costs to get the criminal record check 
  • A criminal record check in a language other than English must have an official translation 

• Continuing competency requirements 

• • You must complete a Self-Assessment and Learning Plan for the coming year. This introduces you to the ACSW Continuing Competence Program.  
  • Only the first three sections of the learning plan must be completed for this application 

• Mandatory training
  Registered social workers in Alberta must occasionally complete certain mandatory training in addition to their social work education. 

• • You must complete any mandatory training and add the certificate of completion to the application as directed
  • Find out more about mandatory training

• Other professions/ jurisdictions 

• • If you are, or have been, registered/licensed/certified in social work or another profession, you must complete the verification form for each profession  
  • Complete the top portion of the form and send it to the other regulatory body or bodies 
  • You pay any costs for the verifications 

• Complete application 

• • An application will not be reviewed without payment of the application fee  
  • Check your registrant profile to ensure documents expected from other organizations or people have been received by ACSW (such as assessments, transcripts, or verifications)  
  • Monitor your junk/spam email folder for email from ACSW.ab.ca 
  • If you believe all the required documents have been received, and you have not heard from ACSW after three weeks, please contact the ACSW registration department

• Payment of of registration fees 

• • When the complete application is reviewed and approved by ACSW, you will be notified by email that payment of registration fees is now required 
  • When your payment is processed, you will be registered on the provisional registry and your practice permit will be available for download  

If your application is not complete within two months, it will be closed and you will need to submit a new application.
For an application to be considered complete, you must pay the application fee and submit all required documents.  

If you have not heard from us within three weeks, please contact ACSW to inquire about the status of your application.