Licensing route

CRTO Entry-to-Practice Assessment — respiratory therapists educated outside Canada

College of Respiratory Therapists of Ontario (CRTO)

Education review, structured interview and clinical simulation assessment for applicants whose respiratory-therapy program is not CRTO approved.

Good for: I qualified in respiratory therapy overseas. How can I find out what counts in Ontario?

Where do I start? ↓

Checked October 20, 2026 How we check information

At a glance

Delivery: In person
Cost: Confirm cost with provider
Who can access it: Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or authorization to practise respiratory therapy in Canada; evidence is required.
Intake: Ongoing enquiries or individual applications

Another health qualification is insufficient.

01 / Start here

Your first steps

Read the international applicant guide.
Arrange required credential evidence and apply.
Review CRTO feedback before further exams or remediation.

Individual applications and assessment scheduling, rather than a college cohort. Next clinical-assessment place and exam date are not confirmed.

Visit provider ↗

02 / Check the fit

Requirements and limits

Education must be in respiratory therapy. Medical, nursing or anesthesia training plus respiratory-care experience cannot replace this requirement.
Course-by-course evaluation/authentication from an ACESC member, detailed curriculum, and applicable employment/registration verification are required.
CRTO assesses education, interview and clinical skills, then its Registration Committee decides whether equivalence is established or remediation is needed.
Currency: education/assessment completed within three years, or at least 1,125 respiratory-therapy practice hours in that period.
Effective English or French is required. If neither is your first language and health-profession instruction was not in either language, submit accepted proficiency-test results.
General registration requires the HPTC respiratory-therapy exam after education eligibility is established. A Graduate certificate may be possible before that exam.
Vulnerable-sector screening, suitability disclosures and other registration conditions apply.

Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or authorization to practise respiratory therapy in Canada; evidence is required.

Important limits and details to confirm

Another health qualification is insufficient.
Registration must precede RT work, title use or employer clinical orientation.
Assessment does not guarantee registration; neither guarantees employment.

Location

Ontario registration; Clinical Skills Assessment at an approved simulation facility in Toronto.

03 / Understand the commitment

Costs and possible funding

Application $75; education review/interview $500; clinical skills assessment $5,000; annual General or Graduate registration $700, prorated. Credential evaluation, language tests, HPTC examination, travel and any remediation are additional; total unknown.

Windmill career loan (loan, conditional external lead): Potential repayable loan for approved credential-recognition expenses. Windmill must assess the applicant and career plan; this route is not automatically funded.

04 / Check with the provider

Sources and where to get help

Use the provider’s official starting page to ask about your situation. Published information was checked on October 20, 2026; the provider must confirm current availability and personal eligibility.