In order to transfer to British Columbia (BC) as an Emergency Medical Assistant (EMA), you must be licensed or registered as an EMA or equivalent in your current jurisdiction. The Emergency Medical Assistants Licensing Board does not accept applications from applicants transferring to BC based on training, employment and/or examinations only.
All out of province applicants applying to BC that have a lapse in practice will be assessed under the Out of Province Assessment Policy and examinations/training may be required in order to be eligible for BC licensure.
If you hold a valid Emergency Medical Assistant licence in one or more province of Canada, you can get a licence in BC.
Please Note: Not all licence levels will transfer to BC with all the endorsements listed in Schedule 2 of the Emergency Medical Assistants Regulation. Please see the endorsement/restriction section on the Training Programs for Students page for more information on how to get an endorsement.
To apply for a licence in BC, follow these steps:
Once our office has received all of your documentation, you will be advised of your eligibility for licensing in BC and your exam requirements.
International Applicants
If you are licensed or registered outside of Canada and want to become licensed in BC, you must have your training and experience assessed.
To apply for licensure, applicants must determine what licence category they are applying for and then follow the instructions for that category. You can use the checklist of services as a reference to determine which licence category most closely aligns with your training and experience. Please keep in mind that your licence category includes the services for your category plus all services in the categories below i.e., each license builds on preceding licence category.
In BC, there are four licence categories an international applicant may be eligible to apply for Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), Primary Care Paramedic (PCP), Advanced Care Paramedic (ACP), or Critical Care Paramedic (CCP).
To have your EMR credentials assessed:
Once your assessment is complete, you will be advised of your eligibility for licensure, including any exam or application requirements.
Note: There are fees associated with the licensing process when a written and/or practical exam is required.
PCPs and ACPs are required to undergo a credentials assessment through the Canadian Organization of Paramedic Regulators (COPR).
To have your PCP or ACP credentials assessed:
Once your COPR assessment is complete, COPR sends the findings to the EMA Licensing Branch for review. Once your review is complete, you will be advised of your eligibility for licensure including any exam or application requirements.
Note: There are fees associated with the licensing process when a written and/or practical exam is required.
To have your CCP credentials assessed:
Once your assessment is complete, you will be advised of your eligibility for licensure, including any exam or application requirements.
Note: There are fees associated with the licensing process when a written and/or practical exam is required.
To transfer from BC to another jurisdiction, you will need to verify your BC registration. The verification process is as follows:
Canadian Emergency Medical Assistant Regulators