Pre-assessments, Reviews or Eligibility Confirmation
All assessments will only be conducted upon an application being completed. We strongly recommend that you review this information before submitting an application.
Review Tutorials
View tutorials to gain:
- Answers to frequently asked application questions;
- A Step by Step look at the online application process;
- Tips on how to submit a good application; and
- Information about what it means to be a regulated applied biology professional with the College of Applied Biologists
Credentialing Standard
The Credentialing Standard contains all the important and detailed information applicants may have regarding their application. This includes but is not limited to:
- Application requirements for each registration category such as, Education/training, work experience, professional work products (replaced reports in April 2022), references, mandatory training etc.
- A definitions section that covers terms in the Credentialing Standard
- Appendices that cover Course Requirements and Definitions and individual checklists for each registrant category.
Applicant Self-assessment Tool (ASAT)
The Application Self-assessment Tool helps you decide which registrant category may best align with your qualifications. The questionnaire results are based upon the answers an individual provides and is not an approval for registration or part of the College’s official registration process. To apply to become a College registrant, you must complete the registration application.
Process and Requirements
Understanding the process and fee payment schedule
Requirements for Internationally Trained/Educated applicants
International Training is training that has taken place outside of Canada & the United States of America.
Requirements
- A course by course education/training credential assessment:
- Course descriptions in English
The above are required to:
- Confirm that international education/training (i.e., degree, diploma, certificate) and associated courses are accepted as an international credential(s) recognized and the equivalent to Canadian education/training; and
- Assess courses taken and submitted in an application meet the College’s education/training definitions & requirements for the registrant category an applicant has applied for.
Registration via Labour Mobility in and outside of Canada
- All applicants for registration regardless of application stream (e.g., labour mobility) must pay the application fee, complete the College’s online mandatory training courses and pay annual registration dues prior to receiving registration with the College.
- Current and applicable fees and charges are detailed in the College Bylaws – Schedule 2
Canada
- The Government of British Columbia through the BC Labour Mobility Act and the Canadian Fair Trade Agreement (CFTA) recognizes labour mobility for professionals in Canada, this means that any worker fully certified for an occupation by one Authority shall be recognized as qualified to practice that occupation by the other Authority. Other registered biology professionals from another Canadian jurisdiction are able to apply for registration in the reciprocal registrant category in the College specifically Alberta Society of Professional Biologists (ASPB):
- Professional Biologists Registered Professional Biologist
- Biologist in Training to Biologists in Training
- Registered Technologist in Biology to Registered Biology Technologist; and
- Biological Technologist in Training to Registered Biology Technologist.
- If you are one of the above ASPB registrants who wants to apply to the College, complete the following steps:
- Go to https://portal.cab-bc.org/applicants/start to start your application/
- Select the Labour Mobility application stream and complete the required steps; and
- Pay the application fee
If you have any questions, please contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar_office@cab-bc.org or phone 250-383-3306.
United Kingdom
- The College has a Mutual Recognition Agreement for labour mobility with the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) in the United Kingdom. The agreement allows an individual registered as a Chartered Biologist (CBiol) with the RSB, to become a Registered Professional Biologist (RPBio) and vice versa.
If you are a CBiol with RSB who wants to apply to the College, complete the following steps:
- Go to https://portal.cab-bc.org/applicants/start to start your application/
- Select the RSB application stream and complete the required steps; and
- Pay the application fee
If you have any questions, please contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar_office@cab-bc.org or phone 250-383-3306.
Accredited programs
Accredited Programs
Education Provider | Registrant Category | Current Accredited Programs^ | Accreditation Dates |
---|---|---|---|
BC Institute of Technology (BCIT) | RPBio & BIT | Ecological Restoration (BSc) + Fish, Wildlife & Recreation (must complete FWR diploma pathway) | 2019-2026 |
Coast Mountain College | RBTech & RBTech in Training | Applied Coastal Ecology | 2020-2023 |
Camosun College | RBTech & RBTech in Training | Environmental Technology | 2019-2026 |
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) | RPBio & BIT | Major in Biology & Major in Biology (Honours) | 2023-2026 |
Nicola Valley Institute of Technology | RBTech & RBTech in Training | Environmental Resources Technology | 2018-2026 |
Selkirk College | RBTech & RBTech in Training | Recreation, Fish and Wildlife | 2018-2024 |
RBTech & RBTech in Training | Integrated Environmental Planning | 2021-2024 | |
Simon Fraser University (SFU) | RPBio & BIT | Environmental Science, Applied Biology stream only | 2021-2026 |
Ecology, Evolution and Conservation stream in Biological Sciences | 2021-2024 | ||
University of BC Okanagan (UBCO) | RPBio & BIT | Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology (EECB) | 2022-2025 |
University of Northern BC (UNBC) | RPBio & BIT | Wildlife and Fisheries | 2014-2024 |
Biology | 2014-2024 | ||
University of Victoria | ABT & ABT in Training | Restoration of Natural Systems Program | 2023-2026 |
Vancouver Island University | RBTech & RBTech in Training | Resource Management Officer Technology | 2018-2025 |
ABT & ABT in Training | Natural Resources Extension Program: Environmental Technician Certificate Program | 2018-2025 |
Accreditation Process
- If an educational or training institution, or provider wishes to have a program accredited by the College, they can apply here.
- Programs are required to meet the same education/training requirements for the registrant category to be accredited as individuals. This information is found in the College’s Credentialing Standard.
- Accreditation application requires course outlines for all the required courses for that registrant category.
- Programs are accredited for 3 years unless a program changes and no longer meets the Colleges accreditation requirements.
Reclassifying and registration status changes
All changes of registration status must be applied for through a registrant’s profile in the College’s registrant portal here: https://portal.cab-bc.org/
Reclassifying Your Registration Designation
Registrants can apply to reclassify from one registrant category to another at any time if they believe they meet all the requirements for the registrant category they are applying for. Specific requirements for each registrant category are found in the College’s Credentialing Standard.
The most common reclassifications are from an in-training to a practicing registrant such as:
- Biologist in Training (BIT) to Registered Professional Biologist (RPBio)
- Registered Biology Technologist (RBTech) in Training to Registered Biology Technologist (RBTech)
- Applied Biology Technician (ABT) in Training to Applied Biology Technician (ABT)
- Registrants are not required to be an “in Training/Trainee” in the category they wish to reclassify to. For example, an ABT can apply to reclassify to be a RBTech or a RBTech can reclassify to be a RPBio.
Please watch the Tutorial on Applications to help you submit a good application for reclassification.
Change of Registration Status
There are several options for a Registrant to change their registration status this includes:
- On-leave (also referred to as Temporarily Withdrawal)
- Reinstating (from on leave, cancelled, resigning or retiring)
- Resigning
- Retiring
Please watch the Tutorial on Change of Registration Status to help you submit a good application for reclassification.
On Leave
- On-leave registrants are required to pay annual dues. Refer to Schedule 2 – Fees and Charges of the College Bylaws for up-to-date annual dues fees.
- Available to all active registrants (RPBio, RBTech, ABT, AB-LL, BIT, ABT in Training, & RBTech in Training) for one of the reasons below:
- Parental leave
- Educational leave
- Medical leave
- Compassionate leave
- On-leave is granted for a maximum of three (3) years after which the registrant must either reinstate or resign their registration. You must reinstate three (3) years from the date you were registered as on leave.
In accordance with Bylaw 7-3, on-leave registrants do not have to meet Continuing Professional Development Standard requirements during their first year registered as on-leave. After a registrant has been registered as on-leave for one year, they must meet the Continuing Professional Development Standard.
Resignation and retirement
Resigning
- No annual registration fee(s).
- Available to all registrants.
- A registrant has a maximum of three (3) years to reinstate from the date they were registered as resigned.
- Upon acceptance to resigned status the registrant destroy their seal. This can be done by scoring the seal and sending a photo of it to the Registrar’s Office registrar_office@cab-bc.org
Retiring
- Retired registrants are required to pay annual registration dues. Refer to Schedule 2 – Fees and Charges of the College Bylaws for up-to-date annual dues fees.
- Can no longer practice applied biology in either a paid or volunteer capacity and does not expect to do so in the future and cannot use their College issued seal (if they received one)
- Available to an RPBio, RBTech or ABT
- A retired registrant has a maximum of three (3) years to reinstate from the date they were registered as retired.
Retired registrants do not have to meet Continuing Professional Development or Mandatory Training requirements. For more information on tasks retired registrants are able to take on, please refer to Interpretation of Bylaw 5-8 for Retired Registrants.
Do you want to reinstate your registration?
There are several circumstances in which a registrant may want to return to active status by reinstating in their registration:
- From on-leave to active status (RPBio, RBTech, ABT, AB-LL, ABT in Training, BIT or RBTech in Training); OR
- From cancelled, resigned or retired status to active status.
In all cases, an individual has a maximum of three (3) years to reinstate from the date they were registered as on-leave, cancelled, resigned or retired. Different fee structures apply depending on whether the change in status is from on-leave/retired or resigned/cancelled. Refer to Schedule 2 – Fees and Charges of the College Bylaws for up-to-date fees.
If reinstatement is not applied for within three years, an individual must re-apply for resignation in the registrant portal and meet all the credentialing requirements for the registrant category they are applying for. Please refer to the Credentialing Standard above for all registration category requirements
Application Tutorials
Consider watching the application tutorials below. A revised Credentialing Standard went into effect May 2023. Tutorials will be updated to reflect changes.
The tutorial videos are specific to each registrant and associated in training category and provide:
- General information on the College and registrants’ requirements;
- Answers to frequently asked application questions;
- A Step by Step look at the online application process;
- A demonstration of how to fill out the online application for the registrant category you wish to apply for;
- Tips on how to submit a good application; and
- Information about what it means to be a regulated applied biology professional with the College of Applied Biologists.
Review frequently asked questions about the application process.
Registered Professional Biologist (RPBio) Application Tutorial
All current requirements for registration are detailed in the Credentialing Standard.
Once you are ready to apply you can navigate to the Apply to Register page.
Registered Biology Technologist (RBTech) Application Tutorial
All current requirements for registration are detailed in the Credentialing Standard.
Once you are ready to apply you can navigate to the Apply to Register page.
Applied Biology Technician (ABT) Application Tutorial
All current requirements for registration are detailed in the Credentialing Standard.
Once you are ready to apply you can navigate to the Apply to Register page.
Applied Biology — Limited Licensee (AB-LL) Application Tutorial
All current requirements for registration are detailed in the Credentialing Standard.
Once you are ready to apply you can navigate to the Apply to Register page.
- Learn how to understand the application process and status.
- Complete the College’s Applicant Self-Assessment Tool to identify which registrant category in the College of Applied Biology may best meet the applicant’s qualifications, prior to beginning the formal registration process.
Mandatory Training
As of April 1, 2022 the Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct and Indigenous Awareness courses are required to be paid for and completed as part of the registration requirements. The fee for both courses combined is $300.
Mandatory Training Requirements
All applicants to the College of Applied Biologists are required to complete the College’s two mandatory training courses as a condition of registration with the College. Beginning in August 2022, current registrants of the College will be selected randomly to complete the the College’s mandatory training courses; by December 31, 2024, all registrants of the College will have completed both the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct course and the Indigenous Awareness course in order to gain or maintain registration. The training is offered through the College’s training portal and can be completed at any time by logging in and scrolling down to the Courses section.
The two mandatory training courses are:
- Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct course – self paced online course. This course on average can be completed in an hour.
- Indigenous Awareness course – self-paced on-line course that allows you to save your progress and continue at a later date. The College’s partner for this course is Indigenous Corporate Training. This is a foundational course for applied biology professionals regarding Indigenous peoples in Canada including but not limited to the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada, historical impacts, current issues and self-government. On average this course takes 3 – 4 hours.
The requirements for mandatory training are set out in section 57 of the Professional Governance Act. The College Council has established the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct course and the Indigenous Awareness training course as the programs that must be completed in order to comply with the Act. Completing a course on the Code of Ethics has been a requirement for registration with the College previously, however the course changed in March 2021 in order to come into compliance with the Professional Governance Act and the new Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. The course relates directly to the new Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and all registrants will be required to take the new course in order to comply with the Act.
Section 57 of the PGA also prescribes that the College establish requirements that support reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in British Columbia (Act, sec. 57 (1) (f)). The mandatory training course will ensure that all applied biology professionals have a baseline level of training. As applied biology professionals frequently collaborate and engage with Indigenous businesses, communities and governments it is vital for practitioners to promote strong relationships and work towards reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in compliance with the PGA and the BC Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
Completion of the courses by current registrants can be accounted for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points.
More information about the mandatory training courses and the requirements for registrants to complete the courses can be found in the mandatory training courses FAQ.