International Membership Enquiries

Working in Canada

To work in Canada you must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, or the holder of a valid employment authorization. To obtain this employment authorization, your potential Canadian employer must have the job offer validated at a Canada Employment Centre. In some provinces of Canada, planning is a registered profession and compliance with provincial legislation may also be required. You should consult the Canadian consulate or embassy closest to you for information on working in Canada.

The Canadian Institute of Planners does not run a job placement service, however we do offer an employment opportunities section on our website where employers advertise available positions. When looking for employment in Canada, you should consult the employment opportunities section of our website, and Canadian newspapers as another source of information on job opportunities.

NAFTA

Under the North American Free Trade Agreement, business persons and professionals in the U.S. and Mexico can gain temporary entry to Canada for business purposes. Under the list of professionals that qualify for streamlined entry procedures, are "urban planners". Similarly, Canadian "urban planners" can gain entry to the U.S. and Mexico.

If you are an urban planner taking up work in another country under NAFTA, at the border or port of entry you must show proof of citizenship and proof of your university degree, pay a non-refundable processing fee, and provide a letter or documentation from an employer in the country you are entering which specifies that your work will be in "urban planning" and which refers to time periods and remuneration. This advice should be confirmed with your local embassy or consulate prior to your departure.

Membership in CIP

Normally, an individual with a planning degree recognized by CIP or with a university degree and who is working as a planner becomes a provisional member first, and after logging sufficient professional planning experience, is entitled to take an examination or submit a portfolio of work for review to qualify for Full membership.

Application Process

Applications for non-resident membership are handled directly by the CIP office in Ottawa.

Your application for provisional membership must include:

completed application form and non-refundable fee
if you have a degree recognized by CIP, a photocopy of your university degree
if you do not have a degree recognized by CIP, certified university transcripts
if you do not have a degree recognized by CIP, a letter from your employer confirming that you are employed in a planning position.

Candidates who hold foreign degrees, please click here for details on application process.

To qualify for Full membership, which entitles you to use the initials MCIP after your name, you will need:

provisional membership in CIP
a completed application form and non-refundable fee
two to six years of responsible professional planning experience witnessed by a full Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners.
- 2 years - with a CIP recognized degree in planning
- 4 years - with a university degree in a field related to planning
- 6 years - with a university degree in a field not related to planning
if you do not hold a recognized degree in planning, a written examination or a review of a portfolio of your work
if you have less than two years responsible professional planning experience in Canada, a separate written examination on the Canadian planning system.
an oral examination on ethics and professionalism

Note: Effective 1998, planning experience gained in the United States may be witnessed by a Member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
After reviewing your application, the membership committee may require further information. In particular, to be a member of the Institute the candidate must show they are sufficiently familiar with Canadian planning and that they have reasonable language skills. There may be circumstances when the Membership Committee will not be able to process an application where adequate supervision by a Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and communication with the candidate are not possible.

To view a sample log book, click here.

2011 Fees

Application fee for provisional or Full membership: $ 100 Cdn
Examination fee (oral): $ 150 Cdn
Examination or portfolio fee (written): $150 Cdn per exam or portfolio
Annual membership fees:
- Full Member (outside Canada) $ 225.83 + GST = $237.12
- Provisional (outside Canada) $ 225.83 + GST = $ 237.12
- Retired (outside Canada) $ 114.00 + GST = $ 119.71

Benefits and Services

Non-resident members of CIP receive the same services and benefits as Canadian resident members, including:

For Full members, exclusive use of the professional designation MCIP;
Membership portability across Canada, subject to provincial legislation;
An annual national conference and related continuing professional development programs;
Four issues per year of Canada's only national planning magazine, Plan Canada;
Eligibility for annual Awards for Planning Excellence;
Reports and publications informing members about the profession;
Regular mailings on Institute news and activities, including job notices;
For members in the private sector, exclusive marketing opportunities through Plan Canada, CIP's annual Membership Directory and Consultants' Directory, national conferences and CIP's Internet Web site;
Services in both English and French.

AICP - American Institute of Certified Planners

By virtue of a reciprocal agreement with the American Institute of Certified Planners, CIP recognizes professional experience and education obtained by Full Members of AICP. Individuals applying from the U.S. join the planning profession in the U.S. first, before applying to CIP. Members of AICP must still successfully fulfill the examination or portfolio requirements of CIP.

American Institute of Certified Planners
1776 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington DC 20036
Tel: (202) 872-0611 Fax: (202) 872-0643
E-mail: APAInfo@planning.org
Website: www.planning.org

PAB - Planning Accreditation Board

As a result of a reciprocal agreement between the American Institute of Certified Planners and CIP, and in view of a CIP By-law amendment dated March 18, 1998, the Canadian Institute Planners recognizes planning programs that have been accredited by the US-based Planning Accreditation Board. In turn, AICP recognizes Canadian planning programs that have been approved by CIP.

Planning Accreditation Board
53 W. Jackson Blvd – Suite 1315
Chicago, IL 60625

Ms. Shonagh Merits
Executive Director
Telephone: (312) 662-1440
Email: smerits@planningaccreditationboard.org

Jesmarie S. Johnson
Associate Director
Telephone: (312) 662-1450
Email: jjohnson@planningaccreditationboard.org

Website: http://www.planningaccreditationboard.org/index.php?id=30

RTPI - Royal Town Planning Institute

By virtue of a reciprocal agreement with the Royal Town Planning Institute, CIP recognizes professional experience and education obtained by Members of RTPI. Individuals applying from the U.K. join the planning profession in the U.K. first, before applying to CIP. Members of RTPI must still successfully fulfill the examination or portfolio requirements of CIP.

Royal Town Planning Institute
41 Botolph Lane
London EC3R 8DL, England
Tel: +44 (0)20 7929 9494 Fax: +44 (0)20 7929 8199
E-mail: careers@rtpi.org.uk
Web Site: www.rtpi.org.uk

NZPI - New Zealand Planning Institute

The New Zealand Planning Institute is the professional organization of planners in New Zealand. They can be reached at:

New Zealand Planning Institute
PO Box 8658, Symonds Street
Auckland NZ
Tel: +64-9-520-6277 Fax: +64-9-520-3686
E-mail: admin@planning.org.nz
Website: www.planning.org.nz

PIA - The Planning Institute of Australia

By virtue of a reciprocal agreement with the Planning Institute of Australia, CIP recognizes professional experience and education obtained by Members of PIA. Individuals applying from Australia join the planning profession in Australia first, before applying to CIP. Members of PIA must still successfully fulfill the examination or portfolio requirements of CIP.

As a result of a reciprocal agreement between the Planning Institute of Australia and CIP dated June 5, 2007, the Canadian Institute Planners recognizes planning programs that have been accredited by the Planning Institute of Australia. In turn, PIA recognizes Canadian planning programs that have been approved by CIP.
The list of planning programs accredited by PIA is available here.

The Planning Institute of Australia
1st Floor, 217 Northbourne Avenue,
Turner ACT 2612
Australia
Tel: + 61-2-6262-5933 Fax: +61-2-6262-9970
E-mail: info@planning.org.au
Website: www.planning.org.au