Non-Practising Certificate

A Non-Practising Certificate allows you to maintain your registration with the College while you are not practising as an audiologist or speech-language pathologist. A Non-Practising Certificate is suitable for audiologists or speech-language pathologists taking a break from their careers for a full registration period or for those not working in their field.

Use of Title for Non-Practising Registrants

As a Non-Practising registrant, you may use the restricted titles “audiologist”, “speech-language pathologist” and “speech therapist” as well as their abbreviations but must include the qualifier “Non-practising” as required by Ontario Regulation 21/12, Section 13(3).

Examples:

  • Jane Doe, audiologist (Non-practising)
  • John Smith, speech-language pathologist (Non-practising)
  • Alex Lee, AUD (Non-practising)
  • Sam Patel, SLP (Non-practising)

Registration Requirements

  1. General Registration – You must either hold a general certificate of registration or be eligible to hold a general certificate of registration.
  2. Good Standing – You must be in good standing with the College.

Maintaining Your Non-practising Certificate

  1. You must renew your non-practising certificate every year by October 1. The online renewal system opens on August 1. For more information about renewal, click here.
  2. You must NOT engage in the practise of audiology or speech-language pathology in Ontario for the duration of time you hold a non-practising certificate.  

Are You Practising?  

Before becoming a non-practising registrant, you must reflect on whether your current role requires you to hold a general certificate. Please review the following questions to determine if you are practising as an audiologist or a speech-language pathologist and must register for a general certificate:

  1. In your current role, are you supervising or engaged in any patient care or related work activities? Read more about the how patient care and related work is defined by CASLPO here.  
  2. Do you use your audiology or speech-language pathology knowledge, skills, and judgement in your role?

If the answer to any of the above questions is “yes,” you should be registered as a general registrant.

Returning to Practise

Registration Requirements

Before a general certificate may be issued to you, you must meet the following requirements:

  1. You must have 750 hours of patient care or related work during the last three years, 
  2. You must have paid any applicable fees required by the by-laws, and
  3. You must be in compliance with any outstanding orders issued by any committee or with any undertakings given to the College.

Change to a General Certificate During Renewal

When renewing your certificate and requesting a General Certificate, please note the following:

  • If you wish to begin practising as a General registrant again in the month of September,  you must renew and request a change from Non-Practising to General by August 31. Note: An additional fee for the month of September will be added to your annual fee if you return to work in September.  
  • If you wish to begin practising as a General registrant again during the next registration period, you must renew and  request a change from Non-Practising to General by October 1.
  • If you do not meet the requirements for a General Certificate, the issuance of your general certificate will be delayed until after a decision has been made regarding your request by a panel of the College’s Registration Committee.

If you want your status change to take place the month of September:

  • You must complete your renewal by September 15.
  • An additional fee will apply if you wish to start practising in September.

If you want your status change to take effect on October 1:

  • You must complete your renewal by October 1.
  • If you renew after October 1, your status change will take effect once reviewed by the College, which may take approximately 15 days to process.

Change to a General Certificate Between November 1 and August 31

  1. Submit an application form to [email protected] to Change your status from a Non-Practising Certificate to a General Certificate before August 1 in the year.
  2. Pay the application fee of $150.
  3. Pay the difference between the Non-Practising fee and the General fee, which is $390.
  4. Confirm that you have professional liability insurance coverage.
  5. Confirm that you have provided 750 hours of patient care or related work in the last three-year period.

Change of Status Timeline

If you meet the requirements for a general certificate – 15 days
If you do not meet the requirements for a general certificate – 3-6 months

Please take the above-mentioned timeline into consideration before making any commitments to begin work if you do not meet the requirements for a general certificate.

NOTE:

If you apply for a general certificate and have NOT provided 750 hours of patient care or related work in your profession in the last three years, your request to change to a general certificate must be reviewed by a panel of the Registration Committee and:

  • If it has been less than five years since you practised your profession in Ontario or another jurisdiction outside of Ontario, you must complete a 6-month term of mentored practise when your general certificate is reinstated.
  • If it has been five years or more since you practised your profession in Ontario or another jurisdiction outside of Ontario, you must:
    • Pass the Canadian Entry to Practice (CETP) Exam before your general certificate is reinstated; and
    • Successfully complete a 6-month term of mentored practise when your general certificate is reinstated.

 

FAQs

1. When should I change my status to Non-Practising?

CHANGING STATUS TO NON-PRACTISING WHEN YOU RENEW:

We recommend changing your status to Non-Practising at the time of your annual renewal. Doing so during the renewal period does not require an additional application fee.

By choosing to change your status to the Non-Practising at renewal, you are confirming that you will not be practising at all during the upcoming registration year (October 1st to September 30th).

You will have 2 options for when your non-practising status begins:

  1. October 1
  2. November 1

If you choose November 1, there is an additional fee of $33 to keep your general certificate active for the month of October. This option lets you continue working through October, but you must stop by November 1.

CHANGING STATUS TO NON-PRACTISING AFTER NOVEMBER 1 AND AFTER RENEWING AS GENERAL:

If you renew as a General registrant but decide later in the registration year that you wish to change to Non-Practising, you will need to:

  • Pay a $150 application fee for the status change.

Note: The General annual fee you already paid is non-refundable.

2. What do I need to know if I want to change my status from Non-Practising to General?

REQUIREMENTS

To change your status from Non-Practising to General, you must meet the following requirements:

  • Have accumulated at least 750 hours of patient care or related work in audiology or speech-language pathology within the three years prior to applying for reinstatement of your General Certificate.
  • Pay any applicable fees as required by the College by-laws.
  • Be in compliance with any outstanding orders or undertakings issued by the College’s committees.
  • Maintain professional liability insurance coverage of at least two million dollars per claim.

CHANGING STATUS FROM NON-PRACTISING TO GENERAL WHEN YOU RENEW:

If you choose to apply for a general certificate at renewal, your status will not change until college staff have confirmed that you have met all of the requirements for a general certificate. Please note that completing your online renewal does not indicate that you have met the requirements for general registration. You should check the public register on October 2nd to confirm your change of status. If your status has not changed and you have not been notified of any issues with your application, please contact us at [email protected].

When you apply for a general certificate at renewal, you will have 2 options for when your general status begins:

  1. September 1
  2. October 1

If you plan to resume work on September 1, you must:

  • Renew your certificate and request a status change to General through CASLPO’s online renewal system by August 2025.
  • A fee of $33 will be added to your annual fee for returning to work in September.
  • Provided you have met the 750-hour requirement, your General Certificate will be reinstated effective September 1.

PLANNING TO RETURN TO WORK BETWEEN NOVEMBER 1st AND AUGUST 31st

For those intending to return to work between October 1st and August 31st, it is recommended to request a status change to General during the renewal process. Upon completing the 750-hour requirement, your General Certificate will be reinstated effective October 1st.

It is more cost-effective to change your status to a general certificate during the renewal period compared to doing so in the middle of the registration year. Changing your status during renewal does not incur any additional application fees. However, if you change your status after November 1st, you will be required to pay a $150 application fee and the difference between the general and non-practising annual fees (i.e., $390).

WHAT IF I HAVEN’T MET THE 750-HOUR REQUIREMENT?

If you have not completed the required 750 hours in the past three years, you are not permitted to return to practice until after your application for reinstatement has been reviewed by a panel of the College’s Registration Committee. This review process typically takes 4 to 6 months.

If you do not meet the hours requirement and intend to return to practice, you are advised to submit your request for a status change well in advance of your anticipated return-to-practice date.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS BASED ON TIME AWAY FROM PRACTICE

If a non-practicing registrant applies for a general certificate and has not provided 750 hours of patient care or related work in their profession in the last three years and:

If it has been less than five years since the non-practising registrant practised their profession in Ontario or another jurisdiction outside of Ontario, the registrant must complete a 6-month term of mentored practise when their general certificate is reinstated.

If it has been five years or more since the non-practising registrant practised their profession in Ontario or another jurisdiction outside of Ontario, the registrant must:

  • Pass the Canadian Entry to Practice (CETP) Exam before their general certificate is reinstated; and
  • Successfully complete a 6-month term of mentored practise when their general certificate is reinstated.
3. I’m going on parental leave between October 1 to September 30 of next year. Should I change my status?

Selecting the Non-Practising category at renewal means you will not be practising for the entire registration period (October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026) or that you plan do not plan to return to work until September 2026. If you do not plan to practise during this upcoming registration period, you may change your certificate to Non-Practising status. The annual fee for a Non-Practising certificate this year is $390.

If you are currently a Non-Practising registrant and wish to return to work in September 2025, you must complete your renewal in August 2025, request a change of status to General, and indicate your return date. A fee of $33 will be added to your General annual fee of $780 to allow your status change effective in September.

If you might return to work before September 2026, it may be more cost-effective to maintain your General status during your leave. Changing your status mid-year will not save money because:

  • To change back to General between November 1, 2025, and August 30, 2026, you must apply for a status change, incurring:
    • A $150 application fee, plus
    • The difference between the General fee ($780) and the Non-Practising fee ($390), which is $390.

Total fees to change mid-year: $150 + $390 = $540

Due to these fees and processing time, many registrants choose to keep their General status while on leave.

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© 2026 CASLPO

© 2026 CASLPO

This website is intended to provide information to the public and registrants. Should there be difference in documentation previously distributed to CASLPO registrants, it is up to the registrant to source the latest version posted on the CASLPO website. Note: the term "member" and "registrant" are used interchangeably throughout CASLPO's website and documents. Both terms are synonymous with "member" as defined in the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Act, 1991, and the Regulations under those Acts.